Breathing Exercises For Anxiety

Breathing exercises for anxiety won’t cure anxiety but will certainly help you take control when you feel anxious.

With practice, you can learn to de-stress yourself in almost any situation, simply by breathing through the nose and engaging the diaphragm in slow, deep breathing movements for a few moments...
This is the most simple of all breathing exercises for anxiety.

What happens when you are anxious?

When you are anxious, your breathing becomes quick and shallow. Not enough oxygen reaches your organs, including your brain, and you start to hyperventilate...

You can’t think properly...

You can’t work out the best way to deal with the situation...

Your breathing becomes even more shallow and fast...

And you can even have a panic attack!

Focusing on your breathing is your first defence against an impending anxiety attack!

The best is to include breathing exercises in your daily routine so that you have the technique at your finger-tips in an emergency.

Breathing Exercises for Anxiety

Try this exercise when you feel the tell-tale signs of panic, stress and anxiety...

• Stand with your feet slightly apart.
  
  
• Let your arms hang at your sides. As you inhale, raise your arms slowly out to the sides, palms up, and over your head.
  
  

• Exhaling, clasp your fingers and turn your palms toward the ceiling or sky.
  
  
• Now inhale again, stretching up and tilting your head slightly back.
  
  
• As you exhale, drop your head down and let your arms slowly return to your sides. Repeat this exercise several times.

Try the yogic Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise. It is great for restoring balance between mind and body. It is also very relaxing but you do need to practise it on a day-to-day basis before using it in a crisis.

The Power Breathing Technique

This exercise comes from Paul Wilson, author of 'Instant Calm'.

• Take in a deep breath through your nostrils. Do this without exertion, neither raising your shoulders nor puffing out your chest.
  
  
• Hold it for a second. 'Force' the oxygen into the extremities of your body such as your hands, feet and skull.
  
  
• Slowly breathe out, noisily, through your lips. Repeat a few times -smoothing out the inhalation and exhalation so that there is one apparently seamless inflow and outflow of air.
  
  
• As you breathe out, feel the tension melting from your body into the floor.
  
  
• As the breathing becomes more automatic, concentrate on that tension passing from your body, through the soles of your feet (if you're standing), or through the skin of your back (if you're reclining) into the floor.

With practice, this exercise will make you feel familiar with the sensation of breathing powerfully.

"Apart from its health-giving benefits, the beauty of Power Breathing is that it soothes the nerves and quickly induces a state of peace and calm,"

Using breathing exercises for anxiety is real DIY stress relief.

Use your breath to make your everyday living better!

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