Many people who have serious anxiety issues suffer from lung related symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, producing excessive mucus, obsessing about lung cancer and many other psychosomatic effects. What not many people realize is how the key to beating anxiety might be the lungs… rather, proper utilization of the lungs. You can go a long way towards managing your anxiety once you learn how to manage your breathing. Read this article for a simple breathing exercise that you can start using right away.
Before telling you about this trick though, there’s something else we should remind you: be kind to your lungs. If you smoke, you should really think about reducing your daily dose or even altogether quitting. Besides being harmful to your lungs, smoking always makes your anxiety worse. Sure, you may feel more relaxed after having a cigarette… but honestly, do you think that’s the real thing? Or maybe it’s actually just a silly disguise? If you think about it, smoking doesn’t really help you relax… it just keeps you from getting stressed. And most often you will indeed get stressed unless you smoke; so be mindful of that vicious cycle, if you’re serious about managing your anxiousness.
If you’re a regular smoker, the supply of oxygen in your lungs (as well as throughout the entire body) will be gradually reduced. That’s exactly the opposite of what you need to do, in order to keep your anxiety at manageable levels. What you have to do is get a higher supply of oxygen, and you can head in the right direction by becoming an adept of deep breathing exercises. These exercises will help improve your lung capacity and reduce your anxiety quickly, even as they promote increased oxygenation, alertness and well-being. At first glance it may seem overly simplistic, but if you try it you will quickly realize how powerful and genuine this method of relaxation is.
Here’s how to use your lung capacity as the key to avert anxiety: breathe gently and deeply. As much as possible, keep your focus on the air coming in and out off your lungs, throughout the entire exercise. Breathe in from your nose as you slowly count to ten. Imagine the fresh air is cleansing your lungs, as though it was a special natural medicine (which it is). Cherish the air filling your lungs, and hold your breath for just a few moments before releasing it. As you slowly breathe out from your mouth, making a slight sound through your lips; imagine you’re breathing out all your frustrations and preoccupations. This is deep breathing medication; if you do it for just 10 minutes, it will help you feel a lot better provided you put yourself into it, of course.
