In the face of holiday stress, better breathing reduces physical tension, promotes mindfulness, and helps us rest.
(CNN)Despite the myriad joys the season brings, it can be a stressful time for many of us. Between shopping, cooking, travel, parties, house guests, winter storms and shorter days, the holidays pile on the stress with little regard for the continued demands of our everyday lives. Instead of feeling festive, we're often left tense, irritable and exhausted.
The good news is that we're all equipped with a natural superpower to manage stress: breathing.
By training ourselves to breathe properly and leverage the power of our respiration, we can reverse the negative physiological responses that dampen our holiday spirit. Better breathing also reduces physical tension, promotes mindfulness, and helps us rest -- all useful in decreasing the impact of holiday stress.