Calm breathing is a powerful relaxation technique and is a way to stop over-thinking when stressed. It is difficult to sing and to worry at the same time! It is also difficult to feel stressed while we are slowing down our heart rates using calm breathing techniques. When we concentrate and focus on our breathing, it can help calm our bodies and minds.
Our breathing changes when we are anxious. We tend to take shorter, quick, shallow breaths. We might even hyperventilate when anxious which makes us feel even more anxious! To gain control over our breathing requires that we slow down our rate of breathing and alter the way in which we breathe. Calm breathing involves taking slow, deep, regular breaths ideally while we count which gives us something on which we can focus.
The purpose of calm breathing is not to avoid anxiety but to help us control our anxious feelings (we need anxiety in our lives it’s part of being human and alive). Ideally choose a time where you will not be interrupted. If you are seated, rest your arms on the sides of your armchair or on your lap. Inhale (through your nose) to a count of four, hold for two and exhale (through your mouth) to a count of six. Pause slightly before breathing again.
Try to allow yourself up to five minutes three times a day when you initially start to practice calm breathing but a couple of minutes is better than no minute!
Practice while feeling relatively calm so you can use this new skill when you next feel anxious. You will need to feel comfortable breathing in this (new) calm way before using it when feeling stressed or anxious. It takes patience and practice but you will gradually master it.
Once you are comfortable, start using calm breathing in situations that cause anxiety or when you are trying to sleep. You can do it while driving (but keep both hands on the steering wheel and your eyes wide open!).
Sitting upright may increase the capacity of your lungs to fill with air but lying down on your back can work well too.
Try to breathe in to and from your tummy or abdomen. Your shoulders and chest area should be fairly relaxed and still. Let go of the tension you feel in your shoulders or face with every exhalation. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your tummy. When you breathe calmly and deeply you will find that only the hand on your tummy rises (as you inhale) and falls (as you exhale), the hand on your chest will not move, demonstrating that you are breathing deeply ‘into’ and ‘from’ your tummy rather than your chest.
Try to take a few deep breaths regularly throughout the day – every time you enter or leavea. certain rom, this means that you will calm your system without it becoming a chore or something you feel you must do – it becomes a healthy habit. We put on our shoes or socks and that’s a good time to take a couple of minutes to breathe slowly and calmly.
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