Did you know that slowing your breathing helps you calm down, and that taking a few minutes to do breathing exercises can help relax your mind and body, making it easier to cope with stress and anxiety?
In fact, it’s almost futile to try to put mindset or focusing techniques into practice when your nervous system is dysregulated. It’s like putting whip cream on poop and expecting it to taste good — pardon the metaphor! Basically, you just cannot ignore or override a dysregulated nervous system!
It’s scientifically proven that breathing not only helps us calm down in a moment when we’re activated, but also makes it easier to access and use what we’ve learned.
For example, if you have a presentation or exam coming up, doing one of these breathing techniques will help you think and access the information more clearly.
We also know that continued shallow breathing can actually do the opposite, keeping our bodies in a cycle of stress and affecting everything from our mental to physical health. When we are stressed, we tend to close down in a number of ways and, while this can feel protective, it often deprives us of needed emotional, cognitive and physical resources. It can even make us more likely to get sick.
Here are four simple breathing exercises you can do to relieve stress anywhere and anytime. Try using them daily, whether you are clearly feeling stressed or not. If you practice them as a maintenance practice, it will be easier and more efficient for your body to acclimate right away. You can also use any of these breathing techniques whenever you feel impatient or frustrated (like waiting in line), or in moments when you feel uptight, overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious.
Box Breathing
This exercise is a classic. You can do it while sitting or lying down.
1. Exhale all the air from your lungs while counting to four.
2. Hold for a count of four, keeping your lungs completely empty.
3. Inhale a deep, full breath for a count of four.
4. Keep your lungs full for a count of four.
Repeat for at least 4 rounds but reduce or rest if you feel light-headed.
4-2-6-2 Breathing
I learned this technique from emotional healing coach, Karena with helloinnerlight.com as an effective way to calm my sympathetic (fight + flight) nervous system and activate my parasympathetic (rest + digest) nervous system when I feel activated or stressed. Sometimes I do this one when I’m with people who I feel tension with and and they don’t even know I’m doing it. It really helps!
1. Breathe in for a count of 4
2. Hold for a count of 2
3. Breathe out for a count of 6
4. Hold for a count of 2
Repeat 5X.
Next,
1. Breathe in for a count of 4
2. Hold for a count of 2
3. Breathe out for a count of 8
4. Hold for a count of 2
Repeat 5X.
You’ll find it becomes easy to keep adding 2 counts to each exhale after 5 repetitions of each set.
Relaxing Yoga Breathing
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Your eyes can be slightly opened or fully closed. Press the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and open your mouth slightly. Exhale until all the air is released from your lungs.
1. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for 4 – 8 counts (you can work up to 8 counts as your lung capacity increases).
2. Hold your breath for 7 counts.
3. Exhale very slowly for 8 counts.
Repeat steps 1-3 four times.
Falling Out Breath
I actually found this one on the Noom app and really like it for helping to release physical tension from my body.
1. Take a deep breath in, filling your lungs as much as possible.
2. At the top of your breath, take one more sip of air.
3. Exhale with a big, out-loud sigh (“HHHAAAAA”) as you release the air.
Do this for 1-2 minutes.