Most people with severe anxiety problems experience symptoms such as hyperventilation or shallow breath; what they don’t know is that proper breathing can be one of the most powerful weapons in their anti-anxiety toolkit. Learning deep breathing exercises can be extremely helpful in managing anxiety and helping someone overcome their fears and worries. If you have problems with anxiety and you’re looking for a simple way to help you reclaim your well-being, it’s important that you start paying close attention to your own breath.
Whenever you have an anxiety attack or otherwise experience strange symptoms caused by anxiety, you should closely watch your breath: you will realize that when you’re feeling stressed, it tends to get rapid and shallow; in some occasions you might also find yourself hyperventilating. When you realize this, it’s the best possible time to practice your deep breathing exercises; you will be very happy when you realize that sometimes this simple trick can be enough to keep you relaxed and in control of yourself.
In case you haven’t studied deep breathing exercises, you should rest assured it’s nothing fancy. Essentially, you want to breathe as slowly and deeply as you comfortably can; also, you want to inhale from your nose and exhale from your mouth, and you should pace yourself and make a gradual transition from shallow to deep breathing. Remember, this is supposed to reduce your anxiety… so if you feel relaxed while you do your exercises, then you know it’s working; at first, each breath cycle should take no longer than 10 or 20 seconds, and as you progress in each session you should aim for breathing increasingly slower until you take almost one minute per each full cycle (inhale, then hold your breath for a few moments, then exhale).
This strategy for managing anxiety through your breath may sound too simple to be true… but you really should try it, there’s a good chance you’ll be positively impressed with the results. Granted, it may not be enough to definitely control your anxiety disorder, but this exercise will be extremely useful as part of your recovery. And it’s something that you’ll want to keep using in your normal life, as a relaxation trick. In fact, don’t wait until you get a moment of increased anxiety to practice your deep breath; try doing it right away: just be still for 10 minutes and watch your breathing. Don’t try to force it; just watch as your breathing gets slower and slower, and let yourself be carried away from the constant nagging of your own mind.
