Depleted? Close Your Mouth.

Finished.

Exhausted.

What do you do when you feel you just can’t any more?

You are depleted. Emotionally exhausted but your heart is still beating and you are still breathing.

Your body wants to live.

Rest.

Breathe.

The world is still evolving and the demands you feel obligated to are not going away. So you soldier on, empty.

How do you recharge when you barely have the capacity to peel yourself off the couch?

Breathe. As your body is still breathing, it is helpful to slow it down. 

The foundation of breathing is to use your nose. You have one mouth (which is for eating) and two nostrils which are for breathing. 

It may sound like common sense but all too often you breathe through your mouth without realising it.

Close your mouth!

Do you wake in the middle of the night wanting a drink – you may have been breathing through your mouth. It is easily done and takes practise to unlearn the habit.

Nasal breathing automatically slows down your breathing activating your parasympathetic nervous system – which calms and relaxes your body. This helps you concentrate, manage stress and get good quality sleep.

The Nitric Oxide (NO) which is released during nasal breathing kills germs before getting to your lungs.

By breathing through your mouth you make use of your upper chest. Nasal breathing makes use of your lower chest and lungs where the majority of the blood vessels are which can transport the oxygen to your body.

Belly breath – when watching a baby breathe, you will notice that their tummy expands naturally as they are using their diaphragm.  As you got older, for various reasons, you learned to use your upper chest and opened your mouth.

If you are able to breathe better, more efficiently using your diaphragm and allowing your belly to expand. It will help your body to manage those stressors while simultaneously reaping the other benefits of nasal breathing.

Click here to learn more about the difference between nasal and mouth breathing and its benefits.

When you are feeling absolutely finished and exhausted, know that by closing your mouth and slowing your breathing, you are helping your body in far more ways that you can imagine.

Keep breathing, with your mouth closed.