Managing Stress and Emotions with Breathing Techniques

The stress and negative emotions of chronic liver disease can be a vicious cycle. Some patients experience stress and anxiety because of fear and self-blame around their diagnosis. For others, liver inflammation creates depression, anxiety, brain fog, and trouble sleeping, which can lead to irritable behavior, stress, and fatigue. Stress has been shown to increase liver inflammation and put people at higher risk of developing or worsening MASLD. To manage these emotions and symptoms, many people turn to unhealthy soothing habits, like eating comfort foods and drinking alcohol - and these can make MASLD even worse! Practicing breathing exercises is a great way to break that cycle by creating new healthy ways to cope with stress and negative emotions.

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Using your breathing to activate your parasympathetic (or calming) nervous system is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to bring stress to more manageable levels. You don’t need to set aside dedicated time for a meditation session to reap the benefits of the breath, although such sessions are indeed useful. All you need to do is a few breathing exercises when you feel your stress levels rise or when you feel overwhelmed.

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Practice these techniques using one of the exercises below.

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Diaphragmatic Breathing: 

• Find a comfortable place to sit with your feet flat on the floor. 
• Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Spend some time paying attention to your breathing - no judgment, just breathing! Are you breathing deeply? What part of your abdomen moves when you breathe?
• Now, take a deep breath, taking care to bring the air into your belly so your lower hand moves and your upper hand stays almost still. This takes practice, so don’t worry about doing it perfectly on the first try!
• On your next breath, do the same deep breath into your belly and this time try to imagine the breath as it moves through your body - down your throat, into your lungs, expanding your diaphragm. Hold that breath for four counts.
• Breathe out of your mouth for four counts.
• Repeat steps 4 and 5 for up to five minutes.

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After you finish your breathing exercise, do a quick check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Is there any difference in the way your body feels? Tension? Clarity?

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4/7/8 Breathing:

Another breathing technique you can use is called “4, 7, 8 breathing.”

• Simply take a deep breath in through your nose for a count of 4
• Hold for a count of 7
• Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 8.
• The count doesn’t need to be measured in seconds, but your “out” breath needs to be longer than your “in” breath.

This is a great, quick exercise to use anytime you’re feeling unsettled, stressed, or frustrated. It can be done wherever you are and without anyone knowing. Even just a few breaths can help you lower your stress level and reset your mind. Try it out next time you’re waiting in traffic! 

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