Stress First-Aid Kit
from Maitreyabandhu's book Life with Full Attention
Notice when something is causing you stress. The fact you recognize that something is causing stress is the beginning of changing it. Look for symptoms, such as tension in the belly and shoulders, frustration, irritability, compulsive thinking.
Catch it early. Stress reactions can speed up and fire off very quickly. The longer they go on, the more difficult they are to work with.
Do something ! This may mean you need to stop doing something else - stop shouting, or working on your computer, or rushing. Bring your mind into your body; notice especially the lower part of the body (feet, legs, belly) and the weight of the body on the floor. This is an immediate antidote for anxiety and tension. Notice the weight of the body, soften the belly and shoulders, feel your feet.
Extend your out-breath. When we experience stress, we breathe shallowly and quickly and in the upper part of our body only. This makes stress worse. So a good antidote is to extend the out-breath. Here's how:
Blow the breath out slowly through the lips as if you were blowing through a straw. Try to blow the breath out as long as possible - a long, steady stream of out-breath. Do this without taking a particular in-breath beforehand. Then, when you can't breathe out anymore, relax and let the in-breath flood in of its own accord. Try to extend the out-breath as long as you can (without collapsing or squeezing in the chest as you do so, and without forcing). Do this a few times, no more than five or six full breaths.
Extending the out-breath empties the lungs of stale air lying at the bottom of the lungs. It is also the way of taking a full in-breath. The way to breathe more deeply is to extend the out-breath.