Anxiety: Deep Breathing Can Help to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Panic
/Anxiety: Deep Breathing Can Help to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Panic by Jennifer Brady, LCSW
We often do not think much about our breathing, but it can actually play a large role in reduce stress, reducing anxiety, and reducing panic attacks. Our breathing becomes shallow when we start to feel anxious or stressed. This means we are not taking as big of deep breaths. When that happens, our brain signals to our body that there must be danger arousing our sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system activates anxiety, putting us into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. Taking deep breaths is a way to tell our brain to tell our sympathetic nervous system there is no danger and to pull us out of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. Deep breathing allows more oxygen to flow to your body which can calm anxiety.
Ok, But How am I Supposed to Take Deep Breaths? Is There a Way to Do It?
Anxiety Counseling
Here are 4 different breathing techniques that may reduce anxiety.
4-7-8 Breathing – First, empty the lungs of air by exhaling. Inhale through nostrils for 4 seconds. The hold breath for 7 seconds. Exhale for 8 seconds with an audible “whoosh” sound. If possible, try to do this for 4 rounds.
Alternate Nostril Breathing – Hold right thumb of the right nostril and inhale through the left nostril. At the top of the inhalation, close the left nostril with right ring finger. Exhale through the right nostril. Continue with inhaling through the right nostril, closing it off with the right thumb and exhaling through the left nostril.
Box Breathing (also known as 4 x 4 Breathing) – Inhale through your nose while counting to four. Pause for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Pause for a count of four. Repeat this cycle for three to four rounds.
Progressive Box Breathing - Inhale through your nose while counting to four. Pause for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Pause for a count of four. Do for another cycle. Then inhale through your nose while counting to five. Pause for a count a five. Exhale for a count of five. Pause for a count of five. Do another cycle. Then inhale through your nose while counting to six. Pause for a count of six. Exhale for a count of six. Pause for a count of six. Do another cycle.
Be Kind to Yourself
Be kind to yourself while practicing deep breathing. It can take some time before you notice anxiety reduce. Give yourself some credit for trying something new. Deep breathing takes time to get used to. Practice deep breathing even when you are not anxious or stressed. It will then become more familiar to you to use for when you are feeling anxious.
Anxiety Therapy Can Help
These breathing techniques are not in place of therapy. They are merely strategies to try to reduce anxiety. If you are struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, or stress, anxiety therapy and CBT therapy may be helpful. Currently, Azalea Counseling & Wellness, LLC is offering online mental health counseling for adult which you can participate in anywhere in CT. For more information on online therapy, click here. To read more on anxiety therapy, click here. Click here to learn more about panic attack treatment. To read more on individual therapy, click here. Call or email today, for a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we are a good fit.
Azalea Counseling & Wellness, LLC provides individual counseling for adults in Colchester, CT and it’s neighboring communities including Amston, Andover, Bozrah, Chester, Columbia, Coventry, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Lyme, Franklin, Glastonbury, Haddam, Hebron, Lebanon, Lyme, Mansfield, Marlborough, Middletown, Montville, Moodus, Norwich, Portland, Salem, Westchester, Willimantic, and Windham.