Breathe, this is not bad news. I swear this will help, just breathe.
I'm serious; the systems in the body that make up your breath matter. Before you even make yourself take a deep breath, you think about taking a deep breath. The existence of thought itself is our greatest attribute towards the imperfection that is health. Remember that no one is 100 percent perfectly healthy; that's the joy of it. There are healthy people, there are people we deem healthier than others, but rest assured, no one is 100 percent as healthy as they can be.
The thought of controlling your breath is where your breathing starts to improve. Don't believe thought can make a big difference? Start thinking right now about an ice cold glass of water on a hot day after sweating outside. Now, think about downing a handful of fresh picked blueberries, strawberries or raspberries after that ice cold water. The taste, the texture, the natural sugars, the juiciness exploding in your mouth and the flavors coating your taste buds. Now, wipe away the sweat from your forehead and take another drink of that ice water; wait for it.......wait for it...... five, four, three, two...one....and stop...you are salivating. You did not eat or drink anything in the last few seconds, but your brain turned on your digestive system because of your thoughts. You quite literally were just thinking about water and natural sugars and voila, that system turned on. Thinking about taking good deep breaths will naturally help you focus and apply your energy more efficiently.
Physical and mental health go hand in hand. In my experience as a health coach, there are two systems that operate on a parallel structure. Meaning, if you improve one, you improve the other. Controlling the breath is a good way to improve both at the same time.
So take a deep breath and get on with it.
Have a day that your grandfather would be proud of.
-Noah Sanderson