A Breath of Spring: Mindful Breath Checks

A Breath of Spring might seem to be a trivial topic for today’s blog. It is a very unique topic, but since we deal with breath and lungs, it is very significant to us.  As our spring 2021 has arrived in Florida, FLASS has recently focused on dealing with COVID-19, expanding facilities, and introducing new therapies. It has been a busy, blessed, and sometimes stressful time for our family of physicians, healthcare professionals, and supportive office staff. This brings us to to the meaning of a Breath of Spring, as our Easter theme.

Welcome to a Spring and Summer of Inspiration 2021

You see, a breath of spring is perfect for this blog. The point of therapies and medications for lung disease is to ease taking a breath.

We know that new respiratory therapies and medications will be a great blessing as 2021 continues. Our FLASS family feels enthusiasm and excitement as the colorful season of spring blesses us with renewal, rejuvenation, and Easter time.  We encourage you to take a deep breath and feel gratitude for all the fragrances and beauty of the season.

Our Breath of Spring Gift:  Mindful Micro-Management for our Friends, Patients, and All Families

When we say we are all family, patients, and healthcare givers here at FLASS. By this, we mean in terms of our compassion and care.  We don’t talk about it much, but we treat our patients holistically. That is to say, we are aware that patients and staff are not just bodies. We treat bodies, yes, but also the mind and the spirit. And they are all connected in the word breath. And in the feeling of a renewing spring.

Drawing A Holiday Breath of Spring

Holiday-themed blogs are notoriously hard to write because we want to say more than “Happy Easter.” And we are critically aware that Easter is about more than spring and bunnies.  Thus, we have researched something special that could be enjoyed by anyone of any faith.  For our Easter and Spring gift, we bring you a prescription for mindfulness.

Now, you might think we are going to launch into complex and time-consuming steps for praying, meditating, or wishing.  No. We are prescribing some quick fixes, hailed by Shape Magazine as Micro-Mindfulness. Below you will find four short, to-the-point ideas for people–not just patients–who need to breathe a moment during work or during times of stress.  These quick mindfulness moments help people who need a break, but have no time, not even minutes, to de-stress, pray or meditate.

We at FLASS are going to call them Breath-Checks. They do appeal to the mind, the body, and the spirit. However, they are not complicated. Our Breath-Checks are practical little breathing and mindfulness exercises for eliminating the stress of everyday life in the 21st century.  Give them a chance:

Breath Check Number 1- Learn about the 90 Minute Zone

Christine Carter, Ph.D., author of The New Adolescence, states “ The human brain does not stay in a state of focus for more than 90 minutes.”  She adds,” It switches into task-negative mode.”  Cleanse your mind’s palate by letting it wander for a couple of minutes. It’s easy. Just daydream a bit. Then go back to your task.  She says, “Let your mind wander.”  Take a breath of spring.  Take two.

The Sweet Seat Switch:  Breath Check Number 2:

This writer has a hard straight chair in her office in addition to her giant executive cushioned desk chair.  It takes only a moment to switch them, but it gives my whole body a break.  I switch the chairs. Sometimes I raise my desk to a stand-up position.  These are just wake-up moments, a few breaths and I’m back at work, feeling more grounded.

Mary Anderson quoted Chopra in Shape Magazine, saying “When things are feeling a bit out of control, feeling solid earth below you, is stabilizing.”  Sometimes sitting down on the floor is impractical, but just think how nice that could be if you want to level out your tension.

Taking More than a Breath of Spring

You might prefer a little longer Breath-Check, but even our Numbers 3 and 4 below are only meant to last about five minutes.  For more of this type of information, we advise you to look into the ideas behind mindfulness. You will find mindfulness connects, body, mind, and breath.   

Breath Check Number 3:  Taking Five Breaths or Five Minutes

If you are lucky enough to take five minutes away from working on a task, take it mindfully. Go to a happy place.  (For this writer, this is a hobby art studio around the corner from my home office.  However, I also have a found corner with a window and a thriving fern, in a hallway near my University office.)

Just physically going to your happy place, sipping some ice-cold water, and breathing can make stress recede. I now realize the key is the relaxing effect the environment has on my breathing.  No phone is allowed for “Taking Five.” The point is to “step away from all distractions.” 

Breath Check Number 4:  Heart-Touching Breaths

For a few moments, stop working. Put your hand on your chest. Yoga expert Ellen Barrett states, “It’s a great way to come back to yourself.”  Feel your breath. Feel three breaths.

Here at FLASS, we remind you that you do not have to do this for a long time. We suggest you just enjoy a few inhalations and exhalations. Just feel your breath. (Let us mention, here at FLASS, we have many lung patients who would love to feel a healthy breath.)

As you hold your hand on your chest, we ask you to complete this Breath Check Number Four by briefly thinking about three things:

a.       Where you are…

b.       Who you are…

c.       What you really (and healthily) need…

And yes, folding your hands together prayerfully also works.

TERRIFIC TAKE-AWAYS

We hope you remember and enjoy our four FLASS Breath Checks, our unusual Easter Gift for celebrating stress relief.  These moments to enjoy a breath of spring. Think of consuming these moments just like you would eat a healthy snack.

• Take these FLASS Breath Checks daily.
• They are good for your body, your mind, and your spirit
• They have no side effects.

And our FLASS prescription reads that you can self-medicate with them, as needed, and as many times a day as you wish, unlike most medicines. And we also wish you and your family a Happy, Blessed, and Beautiful Easter and Spring.