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To understand if and what we are wrong when we breathe, Dr. Puggioni recommends the following: "It can be useful to stand in front of a mirror, baring your chest, so as to be able to observe the movement of your chest and see how to breathe with the upper part of the abdomen and how to breathe with the chest». And then: "We will therefore see the diaphragm that goes up and down to allow the lungs to expand, and then as the rib cage opens outward to allow the lungs to expand. It is also necessary to control the shoulder movements, because often when there is optimal breathing, "accessory" muscles are used as a form of compensation ". So far you have learned that to support the best conversations through videoconferencing, the first thing to do is not being afraid of the video camera. Secondly, focus on breathing. To exercise use the mirror, as recommended, and observe the movements of your chest. Good breathing will help you control stress. "When we are in a state of anxiety or tension, it may happen to experience a feeling of difficulty in breathing, from a slight discomfort up to breathlessness. In these cases it is advisable to stop, do not panic and control the rhythm of the breath ". Breathing and anxiety are indeed directly connected: paying attention to breathing, therefore, we will keep our anxiety at bay. "This happens because, as humans, our body in tension conditions is inclined to stiffening all the muscles, to strengthen them and let them go. Today, we no longer apply this mechanism at a physical level, but we act on the psyche, in an unconscious way and consequently we breathe badly. " In the event of anxiety and stress, a bad breathing can also lead to more serious cases, vertigo and mental confusion. "Our brain in fact needs oxygen to better carry out its functions: but agitation brings us to breathe at a much faster rhythm than normal, thus storing carbon dioxide that makes ideas and brain performance foggy ». That's why it is so important to pay attention to breathing. As mentioned, to exercise you can observe the chest movements looking at yourself in the mirror. Through some breathing exercises, you can learn to breathe in the proper manner, in order to keep stress under control. Such activity is useful in varying situations. Also remember that when you work from home, it is good to pay attention to posture: try to keep your back straight and your feet firmly planted to the ground, with your knees at a right angle. Breathing is therefore directly connected to anxious and stress states: "The natural rhythm is 12 breaths per minute: deep breaths in which we inhale through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth, this allows us to oxygenate the brain well". A good rule is also to learn to distinguish an anxious state from other respiratory ailments. It is true, in fact, that anxiety can cause breathing difficulties, but before it leads to this anxiety disorder, it is a good rule to exclude any other potential issue. It is therefore necessary to ask a specialist for help and, only once any other respiratory pathology is ruled out, focus on the resolution of the problem. But how to deal with and treat anxiety and stress? A tip is to register for yoga courses, Pilates or tai-chi: although sports activity in general can actually help, they are especially martial arts and yoga to provide the main tools to learn to breathe correctly. Anxiety and breathing, as mentioned, are directly connected to each other. Voice in turn is connected to both: breathing, because it depends on it, and to anxiety since it connected to breathing. Through voice, it is in fact easy to convey the insecurity of the speaker! Secondly, it is good to learn how to use all our energies and focus on our voice, so as not to lose control. Learning to keep anxiety and stress at bay, even through breathing exercises, you can best govern emotions and voice. Learning to breathe in the correct way, through some exercises, the constancy of yoga and martial arts, you will acquire more safety and, as a result, you will learn how to better manage the sound of your voice. Summary In this unit, have we described the importance of voice in our communication exchanges. You have discovered that voice has almost totally replaced the body as a fundamental medium of our conversations. If in fact the non-verbal and para-verbal levels constituted 70% of our communication, digitalization of almost every aspect of our life makes use in particular of the vocal medium. Conferences, for example, are no longer face to face, but have become virtual. During these increasingly common video conferences it is normal to experience anxiety and stress: in these situations in fact the attention of our listeners is concentrated on us, and this can cause a state of deep unease. Our emotions emerge easily through our voice and it is therefore necessary to learn to manage it. Thanks to this unit, you have learned how it is possible to manage your emotions and that voice is a fundamental means of communication. You have also learned that there is an essential link between voice and breathing. Learning some simple breathing techniques, therefore, we can manage stress and moderate our voice. It is important to pay attention to breathing and posture in order to keep anxiety and stress at bay and concentrate, in this way, all our energies on our communication abilities.