Anxiety can make you feel on-edge, restless, and sometimes terribly breathless too.
If the carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange get disrupted, anxiety may lead to panic attacks, increased fatigue, and other emotional issues.
Breathing exercises can help alleviate anxiety while reducing the chance of anxiety and panic attacks.
What are Breathing Exercises? How Do They Work?
Although breathing is a natural process that occurs without thought most of the time, humans have the ability to control their breathing.
Breathing exercises have proved to be useful in relieving stress and anxiety. Breathing can help you feel calm and relaxed by lowering your blood pressure and bringing your mind to peace.
Here are some common breathing exercises that can help those with anxiety:
- Try lengthening your exhales by first pushing all the air out of your lungs, then take a deep breath and exhale for a little bit longer than the time you took to inhale. Practice this for 4 to 5 minutes while either sitting, standing or lying down.
- Reduce the amount of effort your body needs with each breath through abdomen breathing. Simply place one hand over your stomach while lying down and the other hand over your chest. Now inhale and exhale through your nose while filling your stomach with breath instead of your chest and ribcage area.
- Practice focused breathing in a comfortable spot while sitting or lying down. For this, notice closely how you feel when you breathe, take slow and deep breaths while you do this. Stay focused on the movements of your body and imagine each of your breaths washing over you gently like a wave. Do this for several minutes until you feel relaxed.
In case your anxiety pangs are too much to handle alone, don’t hesitate to contact a psychotherapist for additional support.