People sometimes come to counseling in various states of stress and turmoil. When they ask for practical help, we suggest deep breathing. We suggest people breathe in and out slowly, paying attention to the feel of their breath in their airway, mouth, and skin. When we mention this as one coping skill for those with strong emotion, sometimes we are met with surprise or skepticism.
But we believe that breathing is one thing God gave us to help us survive. Obviously, it literally keeps us alive. But deep, focused breathing also helps our minds focus on the present moment. Depression tends to pull us into the past, and into our own thoughts in a way that disconnects us from the day to day. Anxiety causes us to stress about the future, so much so that we often miss what is going on now. Jesus reminds us in the gospel of Matthew not to worry about tomorrow, because today has enough trouble for its own (Matthew 6:24).
So focus on today, give deep breathing a try.
