Breathing is good

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
- Theodore Roosevelt

I have worked for years on improving myself. I took a "Search for Identity" class in high school.  I don't remember ever feeling satisfied with myself.  I enjoy watching a rose.  I would sit quietly and watch fish swim.  I took an evening to watch the moon rise and take pictures.  I enjoy many moments of being....I am content in the moment.  Then I go back to work on improving me.  Sometimes I feel like the hard I work to change the more I remain the same.  I make choices that keep me from doing what I believe is most important.  I play silly computer games.  I watch TV shows.  I dance.  I hum to myself.  Sometimes I hit a brick wall and don't know what to do.  Joel from impossible blog wrote a post on just that what do we do when we don't know what to do.
http://joelrunyon.com/two3/what-to-do-when-you-dont-know-what-to-do
The first word that jumped out at me was

Breathe...

When I worked at a junior high in the computer labs I often ate lunch with the other teachers.  Subs were pitied and joined us from time to time.  I remember sitting in the teacher's lounge munching my lunch.  A young gentleman walked in looking like he was ready to pull his hair out by fists fulls.  I asked him how his day was going.  His retort, "I am breathing."  I smile and nodded replying, "Breathing is good."  He stopped short and stared at me.  His whole face changed, "Yea, breathing is good."

Have you ever just sat down and focused totally on breathing.  How many muscles it takes....how the air can rush in through your nose and sometimes when the air is cool tickle your sinuses.  Fill your lungs to capacity and let it sigh out.  Sit back in your chair, close your eyes, and breathe.   My daughter teaches my zumba and stretching class.  Sometimes when we are working on something difficult she will remind us to breathe and sure enough I would be holding my breathe like some how depriving myself from oxygen will help.  Or sometimes I am so focused on keeping my head together, breathing is just one too many things to do.

Another thing I learned is that hyperventilation only takes 10% increase in breathing.  Changing the mixture in your lungs can cause a variety of symptoms.  This list is from:

 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hyperventilation/page3_em.htm

Hyperventilation causes the carbon dioxide level in the blood to decrease. This lower level of carbon dioxide reduces blood flow to the brain, which may result in the following nervous system and emotional symptoms:

• Weakness
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Agitation
• A feeling of being outside yourself
• Seeing images that aren't there
• Feeling as if you can't breathe

Overbreathing can also cause the calcium levels to drop in your blood, which may result in the following nervous system symptoms:

• Numbness and tingling (usually in both arms or around the mouth)
• Spasms or cramps of the hands and feet
• Muscle twitching

This is the list of symptoms that I told my doctors on more than one occasion.  It was a doctor at Burrow neurological institute that taught me how to breath in my hands to make sure I am not making life harder on myself.  My subconscious would pick up on the stress first.  My lungs would kick into hyper-drive and I would hyperventilate.  Breathing is good but I tend to over do it.   Slow down.  Breathe.  Refocus.  Feel.