Breath by Breath: Empowering Your Trauma Recovery

Step into the tranquillity of transformation with this episode of ABGW - Amazing, Brilliant, Gorgeous, Wonderful, where we redefine trauma recovery from struggle to strength. In "Rapid Rockets: Harnessing Deep Relaxation," we delve into strategies for infusing your day calmly, even amidst the whirlwind of a busy schedule.

Embark on a journey with us to discover the art of deep breathing, the grounding practice of progressive muscle relaxation, and the serene world of visualisation. We answer your burning questions, from how to weave these techniques into the tapestry of your daily life to the surprising benefits they can bring to your focus and productivity.

Let us guide you through creating mindful moments that transform ordinary pauses into oases of peace. Learn how to turn daydreaming into a powerful ally, and consider our tips for stretching away stress, even in the most mundane office setting.

This episode is not just about finding stillness; it's about empowering you to make relaxation a dynamic part of your life, so whether you're seeking a haven from the hustle or looking to enhance your well-being, tune in and let ABGW be your guide to a life where relaxation and resilience walk hand in hand.

And remember, the journey toward a more balanced life doesn't have to be solitary. Share this episode with friends who might also be seeking that spark of serenity, and join us as we continue to craft a narrative of healing and empowerment.

Support for this episode comes from Her Guru Coaching and Hypnotherapy, exploring the potential within. Discover more at herguru.co.uk.

As we bid you farewell, take the knowledge that your resilience is a beacon, illuminating the path to a life you adore. Until we meet again, may your inner force be with you, guiding your every step towards serenity and strength. Goodbye for now.

📋 Episode Chapters

(00:00) ABGW podcast explores trauma recovery and ideas for building resilience
(02:29) Deep breathing is known for reducing stress and improving mental health
(04:34) Progressive muscle relaxation helps reduce anxiety and promotes a peaceful inner world
(06:29) Studies have shown that visualisation reduces stress and anxiety
(08:24) Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way
(10:14) Research shows that regular stretching reduces muscle tension and mental fatigue
(18:28) This episode focuses on trauma recovery and resilience

🗣️ Quotes from Tik Nahim

"Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile."

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🗣️ Quotes from Jules Renard

"Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired."

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🗣️ Quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Transcript

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Empowerment in Healing: Your Trauma Recovery Path 
ABGW podcast explores trauma recovery and ideas for building resilience
Cheryl: Hello, everyone, and welcome to ABGW podcast. Amazing, brilliant, gorgeous, wonderful. Where we redefine trauma recovery from struggle to strength. Today we're in rapid rockets, extra episodes designed to answer your questions about deep, deep relaxation techniques. Okay, it. The whole idea is that you have actionable steps so you work smarter and definitely not harder. Just like Rachel. Today's episode is more than just a conversation. It's a stepping stone towards a life filled with empowerment and healing. And if you're ready to embrace change and take meaningful steps towards your trauma recovery and resilience, you are in the right place. We're here to delve into practical transformational strategies. And I invite you to commit now to take one action by the end of this episode, one that resonates with your journey. But remember, if you're not ready for this commitment, that's okay. Maybe today is not the day. And, that's okay. Your journey is yours to begin when you are ready. So, for those that, are staying here right now with me, let's explore how we can turn our struggles into strengths. Remember, your questions have come from social interactions I've had with you on Facebook and Instagram, along with private messages. And I've also included some answers that I think will be, useful for you. So let's dive straight in with amazing.
Cheryl: Brilliant, gorgeous, wonderful helping women just like you who are unhappy, perhaps even with your supposedly quote unquote good life.
Cheryl: This is a mum and daughter duo.
Cheryl: Not pulling any punches as we explore trauma recovery and ideas for building resilience so you work smarter and definitely not harder to create a transformational life, a life you love more often than not.
Deep breathing is known for reducing stress and improving mental health
Nyah: How can I practice deep breathing exercises during a busy day?
Cheryl: You can easily integrate deep breathing into your daily routine by, I suppose, finding moments of pause, such as while you're waiting in line, the bus, or during short breaks, and inhaling deeply through your nose, filling your lungs completely, then holding that breath for a few seconds and then exhaling slowly through your mouth. And this technique, known for reducing stress, is supported by studies in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, which found that deep breathing can significantly decrease that stress hormone cortisol. And there's a fitting quote by Tik Nahim. Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Because for me, it encapsulates the essence of this deep breathing. And considering the calming, focused breathing that was depicted by Elizabeth in eat, pray, love in those medication, know, it's amazing that you can make breathing a fun exercise. Use it as almost, I don't know, playful alarm as a reminder to breathe deeply. Even set an alarm maybe once every hour just to take a few moments just to breathe deeply. Who knows what could happen when you just set this intention to focus deeply during your busy day?
Progressive muscle relaxation helps reduce anxiety and promotes a peaceful inner world
Nyah: M what is progressive muscle relaxation? And how can I incorporate it into my daily routine?

Cheryl: So, for me, progressive muscle relaxation is because it's such a conscious thing, the fact that you have to think about what you're doing, that, thought of tensing and then relaxing each muscle group in your body, starting from your feet and moving forward upwards. Not only does it help reduce anxiety, but one of the best things that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine during short bakes and when you get up in the morning or before you go to bed. for me, progressive muscle relaxation is almost like a gateway into a quieter, more peaceful inner world, considering all the, beauty of the world in that peaceful moment on the inside. So consider the scene in american beauty where Leslie is lying in bed, visibly relaxing his body. It's remarkable how you can use this as a fun way to integrate peacefulness into your life and, maybe incorporate music to set the scene. But the thing is, you can do it anywhere, even in the office, sitting in your chair, you can just take a moment to focus on the inside, focus on your breathing to help reduce any anxieties that you may have. 
Studies have shown that visualization reduces stress and anxiety
Nyah: How can I use visualization to reduce stress during a busy workday?
Cheryl: Visualization. Visualization, how we can use our imaginations to be a powerful tool for stress reduction. So if you can, right now, and if it's safe to do so, find a quiet spot, close your eyes and imagine a peaceful scene and engage all your senses in deepening that experience. What you would see, what you would hear, what you would feel in this peaceful scene. Because studies have shown that visualization effectively reduces stress and anxiety. And to me, this is encapsulated in the quote, visualization is daydreaming with a purpose. There are many things that you can do that can help you visualize and make it more fun. Often when we try and visualize, we try and think about it too much. But what you can do is help yourself prepare by maybe creating a visual board of calming images. So creating something that then you can later visualize, or keeping a journal of your favorite visualizations. That's one of the reasons why I love journaling, because you can get lost in your own thoughts. The thing is, it's a place, your journal of non judgment. So it doesn't matter what you think or feel there. It's about experiencing stuff and, being able to reflect on those experiences.
Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way
Nyah: What is mindfulness meditation and how can it help me relax?
Cheryl: Mindful meditation just involves us focusing on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. And to me, this practice not only reduces stress, but improves our emotional well being. Because mindfulness means being awake, it means knowing what you are doing. And in the film the peaceful warrior, it's beautiful where he learns to focus on the present. And for me, we can, if we want to, integrate more mindfulness into our lives by being mindful during eating meals. Have you ever noticed sometimes we eat and we don't even realize what we have eaten because we haven't been mindful, and we then tend to overeat. Or another way is taking mindful moments during the day where you pause and genuinely observe your surroundings. How often could you do that? And what if you made a pledge to just increase the amount of time? Maybe just start with one moment and then increase it to two and then to three. But if you made that an intentional thing, mindful moment, can you imagine how much peace and relaxation that could bring to you? And isn't that nice to know that you can make that decision to do that right now?
Research shows that regular stretching reduces muscle tension and mental fatigue
This episode of, ABGW is brought.

Cheryl: To you by her guru coaching and hypnotherapy. 
Cheryl: Exploring the potential within.
Cheryl: Her guru provides both physical and mental fitness coaching and hypnotherapy services. You can find out more details by visiting herguru UK m.
Nyah: How can taking short breaks and stretching help me relax during a busy day?
Cheryl: Nyah M taught me how to do this, how to take short breaks and use that time for stretching because it significantly reduces muscle tension and mental, you know, I try and incorporate them through the day. I must admit, sometimes I'm not as good as I should be. But just the standing and stretching every hour can enhance your overall well being. And research shows that regular stretching helps to increase our mood because it helps us to be mindful, which in turn reduces stress. And you remember that quote by Jules Renard. laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. And in the film, I think it was called the office space. There's a humorous depiction of the need for breaks in a mundane office setting. And the thing is, you can make stretching fun by setting a stretch alarm every hour. I mean, I've got one of these fitbits that remind, me every hour to get up and stretch, but you can try all different things. You can even try a different stretch every day just so that you can focus on being relaxed and reducing that muscle tension and mental fatigue. Imagine that.
Nyah: Can any deep breathing exercises help improve my focus and productivity?
Cheryl: So for me, deep breathing is a fantastic way to clear your mind and enhance your focus, because you can manage stress and improve mental clarity by practicing deep breathing in various situations. Deep breathing not only can enhance your mental performance, but it's a, brilliant way, I think, to breathe because breathing is the finest gift of nature. Be grateful for this wonderful mind. I think it's in a beautiful mind. There's a scene where John calms his mind. and that's a great way that you can perhaps use deep breathing and incorporate it into your own life. And combine deep breathing with your favorite hobby. Or track your deep breathing sessions to see how you're progressing over time. A bit like mindful meditation. We start small, we set mini goals, and then as time progresses, we can notice more and more how we can improve and progress.
Nyah: How can I incorporate relaxation techniques into my work environment?
Cheryl: So, how to incorporate relaxation techniques into a work environment? Well, like I said, you can do stretching, walking, and deep breathing at work, because all those things can significantly boost, how you focus and ultimately how you're productive. But research has shown that workplace relaxation techniques enhance your job satisfaction and reduce the likelihood of you burning out. And it's not stress that kills us. It isn't. It's our reaction to it. And I remember a scene in the devil wears Prada which illustrates the need of relaxation in highly stressful environments. So it's important to make these techniques your own and engage with them, in a way that's right for you. So you might want to organize a daily relaxation minute with your colleagues, maybe at a start of a meeting. Can you imagine all of you in the meeting just before you start diving into the work? Just took 1 minute collectively to relax, just to go on the inside, closing your eyes, 

and, focus in on what you wanted to achieve in that meeting. What a difference that would make to, how effective our meetings are, that we all start them in a calm and relaxed place, or even creating a relaxation challenge in where you reward yourself for the amount of time you take to relax. Maybe that might be something as simple as allowing yourself 20 or 30 minutes to relax in the bath. That's your reward for all the time that you've allowed yourself to go on the inside during your day and focused on relaxation. 
Nyah: Can daydreaming help me to manage stress and maintain a healthy work life balance.
Cheryl: Daydreaming. I've spent my whole life daydreaming. And, for me, daydreaming is such a simple yet powerful way to manage stress. It's funny, isn't it? When I was younger, I didn't realize how much daydreaming actually helped me and allowed me. And can allow yourself to engage in calming daydreaming to improve well being. And, you know, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. And to me, it's important that we allow the power of daydreaming to help us achieve our personal goals. So to make daydreaming more fun, like as if it isn't already, you may want to keep a daydreaming journal. Remember, for me, journaling is all about allowing whatever is in our mind to escape onto the page. And, it's a place where we don't have to make judgments about what's going on. So maybe set aside a special daydreaming time. A, ah, time during the day where you allow your mind to wander and go where it needs to go in order to allow you to be more productive, stress free, and more have a more healthier work life balance. Cool.
This episode focuses on trauma recovery and resilience
Thank you for joining us for this episode of ABGW. Amazing, brilliant, gorgeous, wonderful on your journey of exploring trauma recovery and resilience so you have more of a life that you love more often than not. If you found this episode resonated with you in any way, please share this inspiration with your friends and stay tuned for more empowering content from ABGW. Remember, your resilience is not just a trait. It's a powerful force that shapes your life. So as we part ways, for now, may your force go with you, guiding and strengthening you every step of the way. Bye for now.