TBSS2 - Reducing Your Stress: One Breath at a Time

The World Health Organization promotes that “health is not the mere absence of disease or infirmary, but a state of well-being at the physical, mental and social levels.” The COVID-19 pandemic has lead to increased stress, anxiety, depression and burnout among dental healthcare professionals. As healthcare providers, it is essential that we take care of our own mental well-being if we are to serve our patients effectively and have a happy, healthy dental practice and life. The purpose of this presentation is to become familiar with what researchers have discovered about how and why the mental well-being of healthcare workers has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the audience will learn some simple, effective tools to improve the state of their mental health. The presentation will share how our emotions affect our breathing and our minds and how we can use our breath to control or affect our emotions and thought patterns, i.e., our mental well-being. The interactive component of the presentation will introduce the audience to two-to-three breathing practices that can be used personally and shared professionally with difficult, anxious patients to help calm their minds. Finally, a short meditation will guide the audience to a relaxed, calm state of mind. The presentation will conclude with recommendations from the newest research on breathing — how to breath healthfully and most effectively from James Nestor’s book, “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.”