Sue Gillies-Bradley, M.Ed is a Registered Psychologist and has provided counseling and support to individuals and couples for over 15 years.  

Living and working in Canmore, Alberta for the past 7 years, Sue uses her extensive training and warm approach to provide a positive, supportive counseling experience. 

Through the counseling process, clients have opportunities to recognize and acknowledge issues, gain insight and move towards healthy, fulfilling changes.

If you attended the “Balance, Boundaries and Blahniks” seminar on June 21st – first of all, thank you!  If are looking for the article entitled “Things I Should(n’t) Be Doing”, click  here.  You’ll find the article as well as some other potentially valuable tips. 

There is no season quite like spring to remind us to take a time out and remember to appreciate the world around us.  Life can often feel out of control, overwhelming and frustrating.  In the extreme, it can create worry and anxiety.  When the stresses of life seem to take over, the first step I teach my clients is to breathe.  We can quickly and easily become out of touch with the things that are most important – especially our physical self and the present moment.  Taking the time and focus to take a deep breath reminds us  - to pay attention to what is happening right now, both in our minds and in our bodies.

I am certainly no expert on meditation and probably  the idea of sitting cross-legged thinking about nothing (if that is even possible!) scares most of us. But there is a relatively simple breathing exercise that I suggest to most of my clients.  It’s easy, does not take a lot of time, yet can be extremely effective in coping with anxiety, worry and stress.

The Basics: First of all, breathing should be basic, but deep breathing isn’t something we necessarily do on a daily basis, unless we are conscious of it.  Most of us breathe simply into our chest, in shallow breaths.  These breathes can become even more shallow in moments of panic, anger or sadness – for example, have you ever cried so hard you felt like you couldn’t catch your breath?  We have to remember to breathe deeply and focus on where the breath is going.  Ideally you would like to breathe into your stomach and actually feel your stomach expanding.

The Pace: Just like most things in life, breathing is healthier and better for you when you slow it down. Ideally I ask my clients to count to 3 and hold their breath, as much as possible.  When you breathe in, it should be through your nose, such that you can actually feel it go through your nasal passage.  Then hold for 3 counts.  When you breathe out, breathe through your mouth.  Open your mouth slightly and really feel the breath going out.

The Focus:  Deep breathing is most effective if it utilizes the senses.  Because I am a visual learner, I often suggest to add colour to the breath.  For example, what colour for you represents a feeling of calm, quiet and relaxation?  For some people, it is light blue, or green or purple.  It doesn’t matter what the colour is, as long as it connects with you.  When you breathe in, imagine your breath as this calming colour and envision it flowing through all the parts of your body.  When you breathe out, imagine your breath as a colour that represents stress and anxiety.  Again this will be different for everyone – maybe it’s bright red, or dark grey.  Imagine this breath leaving your body as you breathe out through your mouth.  If you are an auditory learner, you can connect a certain calming sound with your breath or simply pay more attention to your actual breath sounds.

The Intention:  This is certainly not mandatory for deep breathing but it can be helpful to add a mantra or affirmation when you are breathing.  In this way, you re-focus your thoughts, especially if you identify negative self-talk or doubt when you are feeling stress. The affirmation can be as simple as “I can work through this” or “I am calm and relaxed” when you are breathing in and reminding yourself “I am letting go” when you breathe out.

The Practice:  As with any life strategy, it takes practice and more practice.  Practicing deep breathing can take 5 minutes if you are having a busy day, or can be 30 minutes of more intense meditation.  You can practice your breathing while in the bathroom on a coffee break or on your back deck in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.  It does not matter so much when or where you practice, but that you recognize the benefits of focusing on relaxing your body, mind and spirit.

“Another world is not only possible; she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

– Arundhati Roy

February Life Strategy: Remember to SHARE