Have you felt more anxious, stressed or depressed due to the pandemic? The answer is a resounding yes for most of us. Crisis fatigue — a mixture of exhaustion, rage, despair and grief — is becoming a public health concern. Mental health problems have been an issue for 33% of all respondents in a recent survey from The Commonwealth Fund and 51% of all respondents in a new International Committee of the Red Cross study, which concluded the pandemic is causing a global mental health crisis.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great strategies to help alleviate anxiety, stress and depression. But one in particular — breathing — is easy, immediate, effective and economical.
Most of us misunderstand breathing and see it as a passive activity, but breathing the right way is not that simple. How you breathe matters; it lets you maximize this seemingly unconscious act to reap its many benefits — which makes it imperative to learn how to breathe the right way.
Read more in Bija’s article in AGEIST Magazine.