Sometimes life in a small business can get a bit chaotic.
What! You don’t believe me?
According to some, life as a small business owner is a blissful existence where you can relax and enjoy yourself while others do all the work for you.
Sadly that’s not the case.
It’s more like living in a whirlwind where you have to do everything and OCCASIONALLY you can find people to share the load.
That’s how the last couple of weeks have been.
I had a couple of days with medical appointments and my expectation was that my business partner, Andy, would be able to take over, after a careful briefing about what needed to be done.
As they say, “if you want to make God laugh, make plans”.
And so it was, I made plans and God laughed at them.
Just as I was sending Andy a message about the upcoming week, I received one from him saying he’d heard that his mother was ill and he needed to go to the UK, IMMEDIATELY.
And so things went a bit haywire.
I did get through the week and most of the things that needed doing were done so it was all good.
But, it did bring to mind a saying Andy commonly uses: “Remember to breathe”.
While it does sound a bit like stating the bleedingly obvious, there’s an important message there.
Being in a highly stressful environment often means that we are running on adrenaline.
One consequence of that is we take short shallow breaths which results in not enough oxygen being absorbed and so the brain becomes oxygen deprived.
Not so severely that we pass out (although that can happen) but enough to result in a poor decision-making capability, which then results in more stress due to making mistakes.
As well as Andy’s reminders I have a sticker on my computer monitor which says “REMEMBER TO BREATHE”.
So what’s this all about you ask?
I’m breathing, aren’t I? Breathe in, breathe out – simple. What’s the big deal?
The big deal is that there’s breathing and there’s breathing.
In yoga there’s a whole branch devoted to breathing techniques – called Pranayama.
It’s used from everything like beginner classes and simple relaxation techniques to exercises to raise the Kundalini (a powerful energy located in the base of the spine).
So if you find yourself feeling frantic, out of control and panicking, here are a few simple techniques to help.
By the way – you don’t need to be sitting in a strange posture or in a pristine environment – you can do these anytime, anywhere – which is usually how and when you need them most.
Danita’s technique
Breathe in through your nose
Hold your breath for 3 seconds (count “1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand”)
Breathe out through your mouth.
Hold your breath for 3 seconds (count “1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand”)
Repeat three times.
George’s technique
Another approach comes from George Faddoul, a friend and mentor of mine.
Breathe in to the count of four.
Hold your breath to the count of four.
Breathe out to the count of four.
Hold your breath to the count of four.
Repeat.
Andy’s technique
Breath in.
Breathe out.
Repeat.
I don’t know if there are significant differences in effect of these techniques – try them and see what works best for you.
Or there may be times or situations where one works better than the others – it’s all a matter of finding the techniques which you can use most effectively.
The Key To A Long Life
Finally, my key to a long life: Keep breathing.
If you stop doing that, all the suggestions about meaning and purpose, diet and exercise are pointless.
Thus the one true secret is – keep breathing (breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out….)