By: By Chrissy McGuire CPA, CGA
It’s the beginning of your workday and before you even sit down, the multitasking has begun. You skim through the many subject lines of new emails, looking for what needs immediate attention, glance at your phone flashing to alert you of voicemails, all as a shiny new meeting request you haven’t even had time to accept yet “reminds” you that you’re expected in a meeting five minutes from now. Your heart starts to race, your stomach tightens, and you brace for yet another busy day.
Rather than accepting this frantic pace as normal and grabbing for that next cup of coffee, why not instead take control of this moment and steer the direction of your day in a positive direction with a simple, yet amazingly effective, tool: the power of deep breathing.
When we enter into stressful situations, our bodies respond, triggering the sympathetic nervous system and entering into a fight-or-flight response. Whether there is a real, physical threat or not, our bodies respond by quickening our heart rate, slowing digestion, shortening our breath, and releasing cortisol. The inherent power of deep breathing is that it signals to your nervous system that there is no threat, so it is okay to relax and respond to what needs your attention from a place of calm.
By breathing deeply we oxygenate our blood and slow our body down. The “smartest” parts of our brain—the cortex and limbic system—engage, t allowing for reflection and analysis, rather than a purely reactive response. All of this increases our IQ capacity and ability to think. By accessing the parasympathetic nervous system we can cue our bodies that we are not in danger or at risk, and we’re able to think more logically, creatively, and access our highest intelligence.
When we give ourselves a few moments to take some deep breaths, we are not only sending signals to our nervous system to relax. We are also giving our minds something to focus on, bringing our attention to the present moment and activity within our control. Presence—being right here in this moment—helps free us from worrying about the past or having anxiety about the future.
Deep breathing doesn’t have to be complicated! It really can be as simple as stopping what you’re doing and taking three deep, slow, intentional breaths. Conveniently, it can take place anywhere and can be done quite inconspicuously, especially helpful if you find yourself trying to calm and steady yourself in an unexpectedly stressful situation.
If you’re interested in learning more about deep breathing, view the short, guided exercise to help introduce you to the powerful shifts you can experience with just a few deep breaths. Hopefully, it helps you shift your busy day, move forward to tackle any challenges that come your way with grace and ease and be all that you can be.
CPA Assist provides confidential counselling services and 24/7 crisis support to Alberta and Saskatchewan CPAs, candidates, and their immediate families. To book an appointment through CPA Assist, call 1-855-596-4222 or email cpaforbes@telus.net.
Do you have a wellness story you want to share with your fellow CPAs? Email us at contact@cpa-assist.ca.