4 Easy Breathing Exercises For Anxiety Relief

There are plenty of reasons to be anxious in our hectic, over-scheduled world, and it seems that anxiety issues are a common part of life. Even though the task list seems long, and obstacles keep stacking up against you, it is possible to deal with your life without letting the stress of it all affect you negatively.

One of my clients would experience irrational fears accompanied by heart-pounding panic on an almost daily basis. Even though she was on medication, the worries and fears were overwhelming for her, and she felt helpless to do anything about it.

In my office we practiced several breathing techniques that she could do at home or wherever she felt like she was losing her power to her anxiety symptoms. After several weeks of using the exercises, she felt calmer and more at ease in her own skin. Everyday tasks and issues didn’t seem so unmanageable and she was more capable of facing responsibilities and finding the joys in her life.

There is a very simple reason why breathing techniques work for anxiety and panic attacks. Think about it – oxygen is something you can’t live without for very long. Our bodies interpret restricted breathing with danger because we often hold our breath when our fight or flight response is initiated. Suddenly our body is on alert, and our adrenaline levels spike.

This is an effective, primitive mechanism that is constantly working in the background to keep us safe. However, in our fast-paced, productivity driven lives, our psyche is interpreting all of our worries and negative thoughts as dangerous – like they’re real – and we’re on high alert all the time. It doesn’t take long for our nerves to be ultra-sensitive and soon everything is worthy of a panic attack.

When we breathe through our noses, we give every cell in our body the signal that we are safe. If you were in danger it would be very difficult to sit calmly and breathe deeply. It is important to realize that your worries and thoughts are not really threats, and that our problems are not as dangerous as we make them out to be. My clients have found much relief with the following exercises. They are easy and best of all you can do them almost anywhere, anytime. What a relief.

Centering Breath

When you need to just re-group for a moment and find your center, try this easy breathing exercise. Sit quietly and close your eyes. Focus on the middle of your chest right below your ribs. Tune into your breath and notice how your ribcage wants to expand in all directions. Deepen your breathing to fill your lungs and push out all of the air on the exhale. Observe this for a moment then begin to inhale slowly and count to four. Hold your breath for an equal count of four and then exhale for a count of four. Repeat for up to five minutes. Open your eyes and notice how your body feels.

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