No-fuss anxiety tips #2: Breathe Anxiety Away
Sit back, relax
Let yourself connect with your breath
Welcome to the second blog in this no-fuss series on anxiety, made up of 20-short articles with simple tips and techniques for managing anxiety, drawing on therapeutic thinking from a range of psychological and psychotherapy theories. In this blog, we’ll take a look at ways to breathe anxiety away, or at least feel like you’ve got the upper hand on your anxiety through breathwork practices.
What these tips won’t do is explore the origins and purpose of anxiety for you – this type of deeper exploration is what counselling offers. That said, having strategies for managing anxiety is a great place to start. Each article is designed to be quick read, no-fuss. So, let’s get into technique number two: breathe anxiety away.
Breath: An essential form of self-support
Breathing is your basic support system. You’d be in a poor place without it! In times of stress and difficulty, simply focusing on breathing can restore a sense of inner capability and calm.
When you experience anxiety, your brain’s limbic system prepares your body for the actions needed to keep you alive – including fight, flight and freeze. This is a direct response to the fear or threat you’re facing. Your heart rate increases, muscles tense, and digestion slows. Most aspects of your nervous system cannot be consciously controlled. Breathing is unique in that, through conscious breathing, you can regulate your nervous system and win back some degree of feeling in control.
There are many different breathing exercises you can practice. They’re often referred collectively to as “breathwork” - ways you can work with our own breath to improve your wellbeing.Here’s two breathwork options which may support you today when you notice the sensations of anxiety:
Slow down:
When you’re relaxed, your breathing slows down. By slowing down your breathing, you can affect other bodily systems so that heart rate decreases.
Find a comfortable sitting position and place your feet flat on the ground.
Let your breath flow as deep down into your belly as is comfortable, without forcing it.
Try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Breathe in gently and regularly. Some people find it helpful to count steadily from 1 to 5. You may not be able to reach 5 at first.
Then, without pausing or holding your breath, let it flow out gently, counting from 1 to 5 again, if you find this helpful.
Keep doing this for a couple of minutes.
Square breathing:
This technique requires us to concentrate on our breathing and can bring a greater sense of balance and harmony.
Begin by slowly exhaling all your air out…
Then, gently inhale through your nose to a slow count of 4…
Hold at the top of the breath for a count of 4….
Then gently exhale through your mouth for a count of 4….
At the bottom of the breath, pause and hold for the count of 4.
Noticing the effect of breathwork on your nervous system
If you’ve given either of the breathwork practices described above, take a moment to check in with yourself. What do you notice following the practice? Are there any sensations you are aware of? How are your thoughts just now? And are there any emotions emerging for you having given the breathwork practice a try? We can think of this information as data -and this can be useful in spotting what does help and support you manage your anxiety.
Next steps?
If this mini-blog on breathwork for anxiety has caught your interest, you may like one of my other blogs on mindful breathwork for anxiety &/or 3 simple breath practices for anxiety.
There’s also plenty of other anxiety themed blogs in this mini series to take a look at - blog #3 is next and focuses on self-compassion for anxiety.
And, if you’d like to talk through how counselling can help you towards a deeper exploration of your anxiety, feel free to make contact with me, Claire Law.
I’m a BACP Senior Accredited Psychotherapist offering professional counselling and psychotherapy in Preston, Lancashire and online for adults based in the UK.
We can talk through how online counselling or face-to-face counselling at my therapy room in Preston could be helpful for you in managing your anxiety and getting to the roots of what lies behind your anxiety. I’d love to hear from you.