Can You Breathe Your Way Out Of Depression?
More and more, I see links between our psychology and body and realize that we are often missing something in not looking to use them in complement to make ourselves feel better.
Psychiatrist Emily Deans has an excellent post that relates, "Depression and a Broken Heart," at Psychology Today. She explains that there's often an altered heart rate in depressed people -- a somewhat chaotic heartbeat.
She explains why this is an issue in her piece, and gives this helpful advice:
Over the years I've tried a number of different breathing exercises with my patients. Many people can't tolerate some of the traditional methods I learned (diaphragmatic breathing or body scans) because the focus on breathing can cause anxiety and light-headedness with hyperventilation. There is one method from yoga I like to call "Darth Vader breathing" that seems to avoid the hyperventilation risk and works fairly quickly. And while I wouldn't practice it standing just behind someone in an elevator, it can be done with a minute or two at your desk or while driving or just before bedtime to help bring your body into a more rest and recovery state to balance out the stressors of daily life.To do Darth Vader breathing, close your mouth and simply breathe in through your nose and out through your nose at a slow-ish rate. No need to breathe particularly deeply or fill your lungs, just breathe a normal amount. When you exhale, force the air against the back of your palate to make a noise that is like a sigh. Inhales should take 3-4 seconds and exhales about 5-7 seconds. If you close your eyes (if you are driving, please don't) and do this breathing pattern between 6-10 times, you might find decreased tension in your neck shoulders and a more serene state of mind.
So depression may well break the heart, but with proper recovery and self-care, we can undo some of the ravages of chronic stress and keep ourselves functional and resilient.
I use this sort of breathing to be able to fall asleep at will. I took one yoga class once, hated it. But it taught me how to slow down my breathing, which is an absolutely invaluable technique.
Not only can you probably breathe your way out of a depression, you might be able to eat your way out of one also.
Considering all the recent studies on gut bacteria, and their effect on your health, I think diet ought to be looked at in mental health studies.
Isab at October 7, 2013 6:41 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/10/can-you-breathe.html#comment-3961707">comment from IsabDeans is great on diet and mental health:
http://www.advicegoddess.com/ag-column-archives/2011/11/whiff-the-wrong.html
Amy Alkon
at October 7, 2013 7:43 AM
Good god, I'm agreeing with Isab!
Scary!
Anway - if you're on a meat-and-produce diet vs a sugar-and-flour regimen you're more likely to get enough amino acids to keep yourself on an even emotional keel.
Runny eggs are a great source - if you're still struggling, try supplementing with GABA, Glutamine, Phenylanine, Taurine, Tyrosine - lots of free info on the web if you're really bummin' and need a quick mood boost, stat!
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at October 7, 2013 3:15 PM
One that LTC Grossman teaches to help PTSD is to control your breathing in a similar fashion. The audience is different, and for different reasons, but once you control your breathing, a lot of the rest falls into place.
Jim P. at October 7, 2013 7:20 PM
Hi. Is there any video that explains the breathing? Thanks.
Gabriel at October 8, 2013 9:09 AM
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