How to Use Deep Breathing for Stress Relief

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Anxiety, tension and stress can cause you to feel wound-up, agitated, and even to hyper-ventilate. If you want to learn a technique to calm down instantly, try deep breathing. I'll explain how to do it and why it's healthier than the way you are probably breathing now.

Instructions

a desire to calm down and/or breathe in a more beneficial way
willingness to practice deep breathing techniques

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- 1
  
  WHY DEEP BREATHING?
  
  We breathe automatically, without thought or concentration, about 20,000 times each day. Most of breathe fast and shallow. This affects whether we produce the oxygen necessary to energize us and support our mental/physical well-being.
  
  Breathing is adversely affected by many things: Poor posture. Fatigue. Strong emotions. Muscle tension. Stress. Smoking or pollution. Excess weight, allergies or congestion, and other medical conditions.
  
  Deep breathing releases tension and clears your mind. It is also believed to improve blood quality, digestion, brain and heart function, nervous system function... all due to better oxygenation.
  
  There are many theories and techniques on proper technique for deep breathing. Try several and decide which approach(es) feel good and work best for you.
- 2
  
  BETTER BREATHING with AWARENESS and PRACTICE
  
  - Want to find out if you're a shallow breather? Here's how: Put the palms of both hands against your lower abdomen. Exhale all your air. Then take a big breath. If your tummy GOES OUT when you inhale, and air feels like it is flowing in deeply to the bottom of your stomach, you're doing it right. For most of us, though, that's not the case.
  
  - Mindful breathing is something we can do for ourselves with no equipment, preparation or assistance.
  
  - It takes practice and concentration at first. Unless you meditate or practice yoga, you may never have paid attention to how you breathe. Three exercises to begin to learn deep breathing are below.
- 3
  
  'FILL YOUR LUNG SLOWLY IN STAGES' EXERCISE
  
  - Sit or stand comfortably but with good posture, not slouched or leaning.
  - Close your mouth and breathe only through your nose.
  - Inhale deeply, first filling the lower part of your lungs, then the middle section, then the upper section.
  - Hold your breath for a few seconds and feel the fullness of your lungs.
  - Exhale very slowly. Relax your abdomen and chest. Repeat.
- 4
  
  'BELLOWS BREATHING' EXERCISE
  
  If you've seen a fireplace bellows, you know how it works, it delivers pressurized air in a quick, controlled quantity to a controlled location. This exercises mimics the movement and control of a bellows--but with your mouth and lungs. This is a fast-paced and noisy exercise, but good for you. It can leave you feeling invigorated, with a little burst of energy.
  
  - Inhale and exhale very quickly through your nose. Keep your mouth closed. Make your breaths in and out the same duration, but as short/quick as possible.
  - Try to do three in/out breaths per second. This will cause quick movement of the diaphragm, like a bellows. Then breathe normally after each set of 3 in/out breaths.
  
  The first time you try this exercise, only do it for 10 to 15 seconds. Each time you practice this, increase your time by five seconds, until you get to a full minute.
- 5
  
  'FEEL YOUR BREATH thru YOUR STOMACH' EXERCISE
  
  - Begin by sitting up straight in a chair with good support. Don't arch or strain your back.
  - Exhale fully through your mouth. Put your hands on either side of your stomach, right above your waist.
  - Breathe in slowly through your nose, at the same time pushing your hands OUT with your stomach. This seems counter-intuitive; you may THINK that when you breathe in, your stomach should go in, not out. Done properly (stomach out while breathing in), this ensures that you are breathing deeply and taking in maximum oxygen. Visualize that you are filling your body with air from the bottom up.
  - Hold your breath for a count of two to five. It will be easier to hold your breath if you keep holding out your stomach.
  - Breathe out through your mouth slowly, feeling your hands move back in as you slowly contract your stomach. Exhaling takes a little longer than inhaling.