Stress is the number one cause of disease. It is directly correlated with our overall health and wellbeing. Yet, society treats it as an unavoidable fact of life.

We live in a stressed, overwhelmed, and over-scheduled society. Why? Over time, we have come to view this way of living as “normal”. 

We are constantly reminded to work hard to achieve success and when we don’t see the results we would like, we’re told to work even harder. What happens when we’re over-worked? Rest and relaxation are equally as important when it comes to our health and avoid burnouts.

What does heart health mean to you?

Everyone automatically thinks of the cardiovascular system when thinking of what makes a healthy heart.

I believe that a healthy heart must also be a happy one.

We all know what it means to exercise, to raise our heart rate, and get the blood pumping, but how else can we exercise the heart?

It can be easy to focus on one aspect— our physical health and ignore our other essential needs.

Taking a moment to become aware of our breathing, and check-in with ourselves mentally is a great practice for improving our overall health.

TRY THIS:  Next time you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a minute to yourself and try a simple breathing exercise. 

• INHALE, all the way down to your belly
  • Imagine it filling up like a balloon

• EXHALE and press all the air out
  • Imagine deflating an air mattress – press all of the extra air out

Repeat for at least 10 breaths.  NOW SMILE and remind yourself how AWESOME YOU ARE!!

Practicing stillness allows us to become more mindful of how our feelings affect our bodies and our work.