I find that when I feel uneasy or sick I am told I need to reduce my stress and that stress is causing all my problems. The first thing I am told is to change the way I have always breathed and to do the exact opposite of what makes sense.

Diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing stresses me more and reminds me of trying to pat one’s head and rub one’s tummy at the same time as we did as children!! It involves expanding your belly as you inhale deeply through your nose, making your diaphragm fill your lungs more efficiently. This is so frustrating for me and stresses me even more. It does not relax me. I wrote a blog ages ago called Just Relax explaining how people telling me to relax or just breathe makes me more tense and worried. Now people tell me not to stress and to breathe in a way that I find very awkward.

Hence my title question what is more stressful. I know it is meant to help me to de-stress. I wonder if you can share what helps you de-stress and what makes you more anxious. I have tried meditation, massage, and essential oils, but they don’t work for me. People hassling me to stop stressing just makes me worse.

Does it annoy you when you feel okay and then people say do not stress, then you become stressed because of all the fuss by other people?

Maybe it is just me being super sensitive.

Leah 

A Moodscope member