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| Purposeful Breathing, Like Ocean Breezes can Blow Away Anxiety |
One of my aortic dissection survivor friends, Rick Freeman sent me a pdf file of a study showing how breathing exercises can lower blood pressure. I've been exploring similar for a while too, and when I am tense if I focus on my breathing then I can feel the anxiety dissipate.
Which brings me to this morning. I was cleaning the clothes dryer lint filter and beginning to feel aggravated that I couldn't get the lint to start peeling off the filter screen. My agitation grew exponentially in a matter of seconds and I felt my upper arms and shoulders tensing. This is my typical reaction to 'little mundane chores'. Then I remembered reading the breathing study Rick had forwarded.
Taking a few slow, deep breaths I looked at the blue-greyish lint and filter screen and instead of trying to rip the damn lint from the filter screen I began to caress the lint, imagining the act as an exercise of beauty. Instead of grabbing what lint I could and shoving the filter back into the dryer, I slowly rubbed the screen, gently removing every last bit of lint from the shiny metal filter, telling myself this is a good and noble expenditure of my life's energies.
Just as an ocean breeze does, the act of imagining beauty in the cleaning of a dryer filter lint screen seriously lowered my anxiety levels, and I found that cleaning the screen was truly enjoyable, not frustrating as it were before.
I'm still a Type A maniac in many ways and always will be. My adrenaline fueled life contributed to my dissection. But today I am amazed at feeling moved to write a post about finding beauty and pleasure in cleaning a dryer lint screen.
Being present is something I am learning. Deep, slow and paced breathing is proving to be a useful tool in dealing with anxiety and controlling the pressure on my aorta and cardiovascular system. Thanks for the article, Rick.