Breathing Exercises For Anxiety

The link between breathing and your emotional state has been well known for a long time, and breathing techniques have therefore been used in different forms of meditation and such like for many, many centuries. Aside from meditation one of the main uses of breathing techniques is to help combat stress and reduce anxiety.

The most important thing to remember here is that the earlier you use these techniques the more effective they will be. If you are having a full blown panic attack then the only option available to you in terms of breath control is the old breathing into a bag method, because at that stage you just do not have the self control left to be able to do anything else. But if you can notice the signs and act early then you will be able to intervene more effectively. This is also true of general stress and anxiety as well as panic attacks - if you notice your anxiety levels building, or if you know that you are going to be put in a situation where this is likley to be the case, then try to do something about it sooner rather than later.

 The more oxygen you bring into the body and the more carbon dioxide you eliminate the more your body gets geared up for action. That means higher energy levels, and if you are not actually engaged in strenuous physical activity this will often manifest as nervous energy or anxiety. This is why breathing into a bag helps, because you reduce your oxygen intake and retain more carbon dioxide (because you are inhaling it again after exhaling it).

So - fast breathing and big deep breaths are more likley to increase anxiety. Slow and shallower breaths will reduce anxiety and help you to relax.

1.  Take a moderately deep in breath, tyring to breath as slowly as possible without feeling like you are really straining to hold it back.
2. Pause briefly
3. Exhale in a long slow sigh, consciously trying to relax the muscles of your chest, shoulders and neck as you do so, and trying to prolong the exhalation and exhale as fully as possible (again without feeling like you are really straining).
4. Pause briefly again
5. Breath normally, but use this long slow sigh to help you switch to a slower, shallower rhythm than before.

 Slow diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing is a more extended technique for reducing anxiety and tension that is good to use as preparation for something you know is likley to make you tense and nervous. Learn more in this article on Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises.

 High levels of anxiety usually go hand in hand with negative patterns of thinking. The more you can stop this negative thinking the better things will be. One way to do this is to try to silence your thoughts for a moment to break the cycle, and you can do that by simply focussing your attention on your physical surroundings.

Before using one of these technique say to yourself as forcefully as you can - STOP! And then while you perform it try to be as aware as you can of the sights and sounds around you. The more your attention is taken up with focussing on this sensory input, the less brain power you will have left to use for worrying about things.