Do This ONE THING to Be HAPPY

Wanna be happy? Obviously.  Everyone wants to be happy. Though, we often do, say, feel, and think in ways that lead to us feeling quite miserable. Why is that?

Well, one of the things on my mind is how we are designed as human beings. For thousands of years, our physiology hasn't changed. We still have the same survival mechanisms (hunt, food, reproduce), safety (shelter), and belonging mechanisms (love, be loved, belong). But, in modern society, technology, and innovation are moving us towards more consumption, more and faster technology,  more rich flavors, and so on. With modern influence,  we get overstimulated with information (Kajabi says, on average, consumers see 5,000 ads a day). We over-consume technology and over-indulge with unhealthy foods. 

Our body is complex but at the same time is a simple system. It needs the same as what it needed thousands of years ago. 

So we run on autopilot chasing the carrot of better and more; not realizing it's time to slow down and do one thing - BREATHE.

Now, let’s step back and talk about how our bodies are designed and what role breathing plays in our health and happiness.

 The connection between breathing and digestion 

There are two branches of the autonomic nervous system: The Parasympathetic and the Sympathetic. 

The Parasympathetic is also known as the rest and digest response. This is the optimal state for destressing and digestion. When the parasympathetic is activated our metabolic power goes up, and stress level goes down. 

The Sympathetic is also known as fight or flight. This is our stress response. When we are stressed out our digestion also shuts down.  

In my recent live stream, I talked about Fooditation, the art of slowing down while eating, and focusing on senses while chewing. Digestive stress is about 25% what you eat, and 75% who you are being when you eat. 

Who are you being when you eat? Are you moving at warp speed? Constantly eating on the go? Multi-tasking during the meal? Engaging in gossip? These are all ways in which we feed the stress response. Eating under stress is not only commonplace, it’s socially acceptable and often we feel it is a prerequisite for managing a job, a family, or having a social life.

Stress is the opposite of relaxation. 

When do we feel stressed? Mostly when we are moving too fast. If you’ve worked for a stronger metabolism (or have been trying to heal) but have not achieved success there’s one basic reason. YOU ARE MOVING TOO FAST! 

When moving through life too fast we inevitably eat fast, which destroys our metabolism and creates digestive upset. It results in meals eaten under a physiologic stress response which diminishes our calorie-burning power. 

The slower you eat the faster you metabolize. The more relaxed you are throughout your day then the more energy you will have. 

So that 4:00 PM slump that happens is because we’re sprinting throughout the day and then we have to rest and recuperate, so we get a sleepy, foggy brain. Can’t do anything more, uggghhh, and that’s when we end up binging or turning to something that will provide us with pleasure because we’re not getting enough pleasure throughout the day. We’re just stressing. 

You can eat the healthiest meal on the planet, but if you eat it in a stressed-out, anxious state, your digestion is dramatically diminished. You can say, “I am ok” all day long and carry a tremendous level of anxiety.

Breathe to de-stress

 The good news is that it takes less than two minutes to de-stress the body. How do you do this? We’re going to trick your central nervous system. 

The shortcut to turning off stress and activating a physiologic relaxation response is conscious breathing. When we are in a stressful state if we consciously adopt the deep and rhythmic breathing pattern characteristic of the relaxed state we fool the Central Nervous System. 

 The brain says something like, “Hey, I thought I was a nervous wreck but I’m breathing like a relaxed person, I must be relaxed!” 

 The result is a shift from a state of low digestive activity to full digestive force, from stress to relaxation. 

We can improve such health conditions as heartburn, IBS, constipation, fatigue, high blood pressure, anxiety, etc. by regularly using this simple technique. 

So, at every meal or snack (any time food is about to pass across your lips) or any time of the day, ask yourself, “Am I about to eat under stress?” If the answer is yes, pause. Then take 10 long slow deep breaths.

Let’s dive deeper. Breathing and Inner Happiness.

In this video, we asked what is the secret of being happy? Focus on creating inner happiness.  Breath is a key. And then focus on creating happiness by being that.

As I am writing this message, (sitting on the Observatory Deck of the Reunion Tower, Dallas TX) looking down the city from a birds-view eye, I can't help but naturally breathe in the moment, the view my eyes see, the air and breeze my nose and skin experience, I feeeeeel the slowing down the moment. I feel at peace. I feel inner happiness. I wish us all to be able to train ourselves to create relaxation on demand.

Final thoughts 

Friends, one must-do thing is BREATHE. Tick your brain, breathe deep and notice that relaxation, better digestion, and inner happiness arrive. You can do it anywhere any time. 

In our Power Club practice, we start by being mindful. That means we practice slowing down, asking ‘how am I feeling?’, “what am I really needing and why?”, choosing deep breathing as the foundation for slowing down and mindfulness. It works for emotional eaters, for safe exercise, and for catching negative thinking. Join our Club or schedule a 15-Min Discovery Call with me. 

And, if you know someone who needs to hear this message, please share.