This past week was a tough one for me, mentally. I reached my threshold so many times but walked through it all, almost unscathed. This week’s NAN was supposed to be on something else entirely. But I feel an impulsive urge to write about breathing instead, although I am doubtful as to how best to present it in a way that is useful to you — I have erased the opening monologue several times, eventually settling for this.
You see, the normal heart rate for adults is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) but my average for most days last week was around 130. It is very easy to receive tips on how to defeat a lion, implementing those tips when you face the Lion is something else entirely.
A lot of things contributed to my over-the-top bpm, some of which were general anxiety, paranoia, insecurity, the effect of my second COVID-19 vax, and of course, dancing. In the midst of the conundrum, I did a lazy thing; instead of stopping to think about a healthy solution, I tried to immerse myself in activities to keep my mind away from my troubles. It barely worked.
It wasn’t until later in the week when I was talking to a beautiful woman (talking to beautiful women is a hack I should write about someday) that it occurred to me that I had not considered a very simple technique that could have helped me relax; breathing.
Breathing?
Of course, we all breathe, but breathing exercises targeted at calming one’s nerves can help a great deal. Blallab, a medical blog, wrote notably that “breathing exercises will help strengthen the cardiovascular muscles and improve blood pressure. Regular deep breathing also decreases the chances of stroke. Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve which reduces the ‘fight or flight’ response. Regular breathing exercises can improve focus and concentration.”
One of the fundamentals of meditation exercises is focusing on and controlling your breathing. So, I rediscovered an old method, one which I ironically shared with someone I love recently.
I returned to this simple technique and when a situation starts to overwhelm me, I would just start counting. Hopefully, as a new week starts today, I will be less anxious and have the tenacity to discuss more hacks and tips.
TEA
My friend Theophilus, after last week’s NAN on Herd Mentality, shared the Asch experiment with me. The summary of the experiment in herd thinking is that: “people conform for two main reasons: because they want to fit in with the group (normative influence) and because they believe the group is better informed than they are (informational influence).” You should read about it here.
There is a long read from the New York Times that I think you will find quite enjoyable. The article asks a simple question in its headline, ‘Who Is The Bad Art Friend’ but responses to the question have been diverse. You should read it and share your thoughts.
My friend, Mariam, also did a long feature for Al-Jazeera on Nigeria’s unregulated ‘egg’ industry. Quite insightful (and emotional).
I have not listened to any new podcast recently and neither did I see any new documentary. But I started binging ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and I tell you that as an adult with more insight and perspectives on a lot of things, I see better now. Like how the series explores climate change, income inequality, press freedom, repressive governments, misogyny etc. You might enjoy it too.
Until next week, have a peaceful existence.
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Be nice to other people, smile as much as you can, and live freely. Have a great week.
🤗🤗🤗