monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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chaining us to our ego and the social hierarchy is severed when breathing diaphragmatically
The discomfort from shallow breathing magnifies many addictive behaviors by making us
feel desperation Our breathing becomes shallower when we are hungry thereby strengthening
our cravings for food People use the phrase Im starving when they notice that their hunger
is affecting their breathing Similarly many people turn to cigarettes alcohol and anger when
they feel their breathing affected by unfavorable life circumstances When people use drugs to
change their emotional state they are really changing the state of their breathing
One can transform disordered breathing into quasihealthy breathing in minutes using
barbiturates sedatives or opiates However that effect is shortlived and the inevitable
withdrawal symptoms actually accentuate disordered breathing By contrast metronomeaided
paced breathing kicks in faster than drugs or alcohol and makes you a stronger person rather
than a weaker one Over time expect paced breathing to vastly increase your distress tolerance
and your capacity for emotional regulation
After started practicing paced breathing experienced a process of selfrecreation
At the end of this process had a new aura a new persona and a new relationship with others
The change within me elicited a different set of reactions from the people encountered
Strangers initiated pleasant conversations with me Individuals in crowded public spaces were
polite and at times even kind was more easily accepted in groups and committees found
that children and animals approached me without hesitation However it made some adult
males uncomfortable People who are competitive with you may assume at first glance that
your undaunted breathing pattern is a facade But even after a brief interaction they will
realize you are not faking it
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
You cant feign the poise made possible by diaphragmatic retraining Distressed breathing
on the other hand is a signal to predators that you are in panic mode When someone smells
fear they are actually sensing distressed breathing It tempts bullies to close in for the kill and
tends to intensify arguments into fights Diaphragmatic breathing does the opposite by
broadcasting assertive noncombative calm Diaphragmatic breathing safeguards you from
violence whereas thoracic breathing invites it
Many people only breathe easy in social situations in which they are with someone they
feel they can patronize and talk down to We should be breathing easy no matter who we are
with What people think about you how they are judging you and their current level of
displeasure should not be a factor in the equation that determines your ease of breathing
used to try to breathe more shallowly than everyone else around me to be polite This quickly
becomes dangerous to your health You may not feel comfortable with how secure you appear
to others when you breathe slowly and diaphragmatically You may feel there is incongruence
between it and your level of attractiveness strength or socioeconomic status Im writing to
promulgate the idea that there is never incongruity among these things
A part of us is afraid that breathing calmly around others is the ultimate insult We are
afraid that the other person will become angry if she sees us breathing too deeply We breathe
the most shallowly around the most dominant people in our lives This is partly because when
we breathe deeply our emotional reactivity decreases and our facial response time is delayed
Our faces become calmer and may appear less attentive You might feel that this makes you
look distant or disconnected
You will notice that you breathe at long intervals during a conversation that your face goes
blank and nonexpressive We need to get over the fear that someone will see us and think that
we look too calm As Chapter will discuss there should be no such thing as looking too calm
The best way to train this is to try to retain diaphragmatic breathing during all social
encounters It will become sincere with practice Dont let outside influences or internal fears
about them perturb your optimal breathing pattern
Breathe Diaphragmatically in Public
Diaphragmatic breathing in public is truly transformative When you first try it it will reveal
your tendencies for agoraphobia and social anxiety Within a few minutes you will start to
overcome them Heres what to do Take your breathing app with you to a restaurant coffee
shop caf picnic table or bench in the park Then using headphones listen to your breath
metronomes auditory breathing cues to practice paced breathing You will gradually feel
yourself letting go of social uneasiness As this new attitude becomes your default you will lose
your apprehension about potentially negative social outcomes making your outward
appearance more assertive and less defensive Other people will see in your face that you are
not afraid You will start to appraise the vast majority of people as harmless Instead of being a
potential assailant or judgmental critic each person will become just another face
Breathing Exercise Diaphragmatic Breathing in Public
Use your breathing metronome or paced breathing app in a public place with
headphones if necessary Good options include parks libraries malls and the block you
live on If you are moving notice how you feel obliged to shorten your breaths when you
Chapter Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals
pass by someone If you are seated notice the same when they approach you In either
case resist the instinct and continue paced breathing Notice how you feel like other
people are judging you for being too calm and realize how ridiculous that is
Alternatively try recruiting a friend to paced breathe with you
Breathe Diaphragmatically While Speaking
Once youve become familiar with breathing diaphragmatically in public try it in conversation
This is more difficult Many of us become short of breath during social encounters especially
when public speaking used to fully inhibit my diaphragm as soon as began speaking At first
tried workarounds like taking intermittent breaks from conversation to regain my composure
But that was socially disruptive What you want is to learn to breathe deeply and
diaphragmatically while speaking This isnt easy because you must formulate what you want to
say and simultaneously focus on monitoring your breath
The best way to start is to read aloud while breathing diaphragmatically It will likely be
uncomfortable at first because we all normally speak within a very narrow tidal range The trick
to calming your speech is to prolong your speaking time and ensure that anxious gasps do not
punctuate it The following exercise will guide you through the process note that it does not
use a breath metronome
Breathing Exercise Diaphragmatic Speech
Sit down with a good book Take a slow full breath in and then start to read aloud Keep
reading until you have no breath left to exhale Pause as you breathe in for five to ten
seconds and then resume reading Repeat this cycle for five minutes or for as long as you
like To do this you have to stop reading out loud for several seconds during the
inhalationsdo so patiently You should find that you inhale for somewhere between five
and seconds and that you speakexhale for between six and seconds Try to keep
your voice at the same volume and pitch even when you approach the end of your
exhalation It helps to speak in a calm friendly voice If you speak loudly and deeply while
doing this activity your voice will become louder and deeper with time This exercise will
make your extemporaneous speech balanced and collected
Find your limithow long you can read without inhalingand then repeat that level of
performance over and over To determine where that limit is try reading the remainder of this
paragraph without breathing in Continue until you cannot possibly speak another word There
should be a few seconds at the end where your voice changes appreciably and it becomes very
uncomfortable to speak Your voice will begin to waver and lurch You will sound like someone
in extreme respiratory distress and it may even start to feel like you just got punched in the

chaining us to our ego and the social hierarchy is severed when breathing diaphragmatically

The discomfort from shallow breathing magnifies many addictive behaviors by making us

feel desperation Our breathing becomes shallower when we are hungry thereby strengthening

our cravings for food People use the phrase Im starving when they notice that their hunger

is affecting their breathing Similarly many people turn to cigarettes alcohol and anger when

they feel their breathing affected by unfavorable life circumstances When people use drugs to

change their emotional state they are really changing the state of their breathing

One can transform disordered breathing into quasihealthy breathing in minutes using

barbiturates sedatives or opiates However that effect is shortlived and the inevitable

withdrawal symptoms actually accentuate disordered breathing By contrast metronomeaided

paced breathing kicks in faster than drugs or alcohol and makes you a stronger person rather

than a weaker one Over time expect paced breathing to vastly increase your distress tolerance

and your capacity for emotional regulation

After started practicing paced breathing experienced a process of selfrecreation

At the end of this process had a new aura a new persona and a new relationship with others

The change within me elicited a different set of reactions from the people encountered

Strangers initiated pleasant conversations with me Individuals in crowded public spaces were

polite and at times even kind was more easily accepted in groups and committees found

that children and animals approached me without hesitation However it made some adult

males uncomfortable People who are competitive with you may assume at first glance that

your undaunted breathing pattern is a facade But even after a brief interaction they will

realize you are not faking it

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

You cant feign the poise made possible by diaphragmatic retraining Distressed breathing

on the other hand is a signal to predators that you are in panic mode When someone smells

fear they are actually sensing distressed breathing It tempts bullies to close in for the kill and

tends to intensify arguments into fights Diaphragmatic breathing does the opposite by

broadcasting assertive noncombative calm Diaphragmatic breathing safeguards you from

violence whereas thoracic breathing invites it

Many people only breathe easy in social situations in which they are with someone they

feel they can patronize and talk down to We should be breathing easy no matter who we are

with What people think about you how they are judging you and their current level of

displeasure should not be a factor in the equation that determines your ease of breathing

used to try to breathe more shallowly than everyone else around me to be polite This quickly

becomes dangerous to your health You may not feel comfortable with how secure you appear

to others when you breathe slowly and diaphragmatically You may feel there is incongruence

between it and your level of attractiveness strength or socioeconomic status Im writing to

promulgate the idea that there is never incongruity among these things

A part of us is afraid that breathing calmly around others is the ultimate insult We are

afraid that the other person will become angry if she sees us breathing too deeply We breathe

the most shallowly around the most dominant people in our lives This is partly because when

we breathe deeply our emotional reactivity decreases and our facial response time is delayed

Our faces become calmer and may appear less attentive You might feel that this makes you

look distant or disconnected

You will notice that you breathe at long intervals during a conversation that your face goes

blank and nonexpressive We need to get over the fear that someone will see us and think that

we look too calm As Chapter will discuss there should be no such thing as looking too calm

The best way to train this is to try to retain diaphragmatic breathing during all social

encounters It will become sincere with practice Dont let outside influences or internal fears

about them perturb your optimal breathing pattern

Breathe Diaphragmatically in Public

Diaphragmatic breathing in public is truly transformative When you first try it it will reveal

your tendencies for agoraphobia and social anxiety Within a few minutes you will start to

overcome them Heres what to do Take your breathing app with you to a restaurant coffee

shop caf picnic table or bench in the park Then using headphones listen to your breath

metronomes auditory breathing cues to practice paced breathing You will gradually feel

yourself letting go of social uneasiness As this new attitude becomes your default you will lose

your apprehension about potentially negative social outcomes making your outward

appearance more assertive and less defensive Other people will see in your face that you are

not afraid You will start to appraise the vast majority of people as harmless Instead of being a

potential assailant or judgmental critic each person will become just another face

Breathing Exercise Diaphragmatic Breathing in Public

Use your breathing metronome or paced breathing app in a public place with

headphones if necessary Good options include parks libraries malls and the block you

live on If you are moving notice how you feel obliged to shorten your breaths when you

Chapter Breathe Deeply Smoothly Slowly and on Long Intervals

pass by someone If you are seated notice the same when they approach you In either

case resist the instinct and continue paced breathing Notice how you feel like other

people are judging you for being too calm and realize how ridiculous that is

Alternatively try recruiting a friend to paced breathe with you

Breathe Diaphragmatically While Speaking

Once youve become familiar with breathing diaphragmatically in public try it in conversation

This is more difficult Many of us become short of breath during social encounters especially

when public speaking used to fully inhibit my diaphragm as soon as began speaking At first

tried workarounds like taking intermittent breaks from conversation to regain my composure

But that was socially disruptive What you want is to learn to breathe deeply and

diaphragmatically while speaking This isnt easy because you must formulate what you want to

say and simultaneously focus on monitoring your breath

The best way to start is to read aloud while breathing diaphragmatically It will likely be

uncomfortable at first because we all normally speak within a very narrow tidal range The trick

to calming your speech is to prolong your speaking time and ensure that anxious gasps do not

punctuate it The following exercise will guide you through the process note that it does not

use a breath metronome

Breathing Exercise Diaphragmatic Speech

Sit down with a good book Take a slow full breath in and then start to read aloud Keep

reading until you have no breath left to exhale Pause as you breathe in for five to ten

seconds and then resume reading Repeat this cycle for five minutes or for as long as you

like To do this you have to stop reading out loud for several seconds during the

inhalationsdo so patiently You should find that you inhale for somewhere between five

and seconds and that you speakexhale for between six and seconds Try to keep

your voice at the same volume and pitch even when you approach the end of your

exhalation It helps to speak in a calm friendly voice If you speak loudly and deeply while

doing this activity your voice will become louder and deeper with time This exercise will

make your extemporaneous speech balanced and collected

Find your limithow long you can read without inhalingand then repeat that level of

performance over and over To determine where that limit is try reading the remainder of this

paragraph without breathing in Continue until you cannot possibly speak another word There

should be a few seconds at the end where your voice changes appreciably and it becomes very

uncomfortable to speak Your voice will begin to waver and lurch You will sound like someone

in extreme respiratory distress and it may even start to feel like you just got punched in the