Hello and welcome.
I'm Lexi Bebbington and I'm so glad you're here.
I'd like to talk about something that has the power to shift your state in seconds,
And that is your breath.
As a mindset coach,
I've seen firsthand how small shifts in the way that we breathe can create powerful changes in how we feel.
Most of us don't give much thought to how we breathe because it happens automatically running the show in the background.
But the way that we breathe is actually a direct line of communication to the part of our brain responsible for stress and anxiety,
The amygdala.
Now the amygdala isn't actually the enemy.
It's doing a very important job making sure we survive.
It has one mission to detect danger and keep us safe.
It's like a protective system built into your brain to make sure you survive and it's been doing this job very well for at least 200,
000 years.
The problem?
Well,
While the world has changed dramatically,
Our amygdala hasn't evolved very much over that time at all.
It was designed for a time when life or death situations were everywhere.
When hearing a rustle in the bushes could mean a tiger was nearby.
Back then,
An amygdala that reacted quickly and powerfully kept us alive.
But today?
Today,
There's rarely a real physical threat.
Instead of tigers,
We have emails,
Deadlines,
Social pressures,
And uncertainty.
But to the amygdala,
Stress is stress.
It doesn't know the difference between a life-threatening event and a delayed flight or a difficult conversation.
It just sounds the alarm,
Flooding your system with stress chemicals,
Making your heart race,
Your muscles tense,
And your thoughts spiral.
But here's the good news.
You can actually hack this response and the tool you're going to use is your breath.
The truth is,
The amygdala doesn't understand words.
It doesn't hear you when you try to talk your way out of stress.
But it does understand sensation,
Especially the rhythm and depth of your breath.
I like to call this language amygdalanian.
And when we speak it,
By slowing our breath and breathing deeply into our belly,
We're sending a powerful signal to our brain.
Stand down.
We're safe.
This is your personal tool.
Every time you breathe deeply,
You're telling the brain that there's no threat and your body can shift out of panic mode.
Basically,
You're reprogramming your stress response,
Retraining your brain to stay calm,
Even when life might feel a bit chaotic.
The difference between shallow,
Fast breathing and deep,
Slow breathing is huge.
When we're stressed,
We tend to breathe high up in the chest in short,
Quick breaths.
This tells the amygdala that something is wrong.
But when we slow the breath down,
Breathing deeply into the belly,
With long exhales,
It flips the script.
The amygdala takes that as a cue that there's no real threat.
The nervous system shifts out of fight or flight and into a state of calm.
It's simple,
But incredibly powerful.
And the more often you do it,
The more your brain learns that it doesn't have to overreact to every single little stressor.
You're essentially retraining your brain's natural response system,
Helping it become more resilient and calm.
When your brain is calm,
Something incredible happens.
Your thinking becomes clearer.
It's easier to focus.
Decision-making improves,
And problem-solving becomes more intuitive.
So,
When life presents challenges,
Tough choices or moments of stress,
You're better equipped to handle them with clarity and calm.
You're no longer reacting on autopilot.
Instead,
You're responding with intention and ease.
Now,
Sometimes stress isn't just about an overactive amygdala.
It can also be about emotions that need to be acknowledged.
But here's where we often get stuck.
We try to push feelings away,
Distract ourselves,
Or think our way out of them.
But emotions just don't work that way.
Instead,
What if we just noticed them?
What if,
Instead of fighting a feeling,
Simply allowed it to be there?
The next time you feel tension or anxiety rising,
Try this.
Instead of resisting,
Take a moment to observe.
Where do you feel it in your body?
Is it a tightness in your chest?
A buzzing in your stomach?
Just noticing,
Without needing to change it.
And then,
Keep breathing.
Deep,
Steady belly breaths.
Not to make the feeling go away,
But to create space for it.
Because here's the thing.
When we stop resisting our emotions,
They move.
They shift.
They soften.
And as you breathe through them,
You're resetting your body's natural response to calm the storm.
Now,
This isn't a one-time trick.
It is a practice.
And you don't have to wait,
Though,
Until you're overwhelmed to use it.
The more you come back to your breath throughout the day,
The more resilient your nervous system becomes over time.
So as you go about your day,
Remember,
Your breath is your built-in reset button.
You can return to it any time.
It's always with you.
And if you'd like to go deeper,
If you'd love to make this practice second nature,
Like a secret superpower in your back pocket,
I invite you to check out my five-day course,
From Frazzled to Free,
The Secret to Letting Go of Stress and Overwhelm.
Each lesson in that course is under 10 minutes long,
And it offers simple,
Easy-to-master steps that help you to turn this brain hack into a way of life.
Not as something extra to do,
But as a natural,
Effortless shift.
A way of moving through life with more calm,
Ease,
And clarity.
Thank you for being here with me today.
You're doing beautifully.
