Breathing Exercises to Immediately Relieve Stress.
It’s normal to experience stress, we all do. It is a part of everyday living. Stress is a physical reaction to a thought or feeling. Breathing exercises can be a powerful way to manage that stress and is one of the first things that I help clients with when we work together. It is quick and easy to grasp, you can do it anywhere, and it is free! Best of all it offers physical and mental health benefits.
How can deep breathing help with stress?
Studies have shown that regular deep breathing promotes relaxation and eases your response to stress. Stress is your body responding to a danger or threat, real or imagined. Your body releases stress hormones, getting you ready to pounce into action, otherwise known as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response.
During this response, you may feel overwhelmed, agitated or panicked. Your muscles tense up, your heart pounds and your breathing may quicken.
It’s normal for your breathing to become fast and shallow when you feel stressed- often with sensations of tightness or heaviness in your chest. But if you take slow, deep breaths using the muscle under your ribs (called the diaphragm), it can help you relax.
This breathing is sometimes called ‘diaphragmatic breathing’ or ‘belly breathing’. It helps your body and mind to move from the tense fight-or-flight state to a calmer more relaxed state. Breathing more slowly and deeply enables you to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) which is a network of nerves that helps the body relax.
Because deep breathing can make you feel more relaxed, breathing exercises can be useful in situations that make you feel stressed. For example, if you experience stress ahead of an important meeting at work, try practicing some of the breathing exercises set out below.
Deep breathing can also offer relief if you become stressed unexpectedly, such as when painful symptoms flare up, or when negative thoughts catch you off guard and make you feel anxious.
Here are some breathing exercises to try!
Belly breathing
Check in throughout the day and become aware of how and where you are breathing. Is your breathing fast? Slow? Do you feel it in your chest? The breath coming in through your nose? Your belly rising? Awareness is the first step toward change. If you become anxious or have stressful feelings, slow your breath down and direct the air into your tummy. Breathe slightly deeper than usual without overfilling and continue doing this for a couple of minutes.
You can experiment with just breathing in through the nose and out through the nose or in through the nose and out through the mouth. The main thing is that you slow everything down.
Box breathing
This simple breathing technique is known as box breathing. The exercise’s four steps make a box shape.
To begin box breathing, sit or stand with your back straight. Or, if you prefer, you can lie down with your arms by your side. Choose whatever position feels most relaxing.
Close your eyes if it feels okay for you.
Take a moment to relax your shoulders, release any tension in your jaw and let your body settle. Then follow the steps below:
Breathe in slowly to a count of four. If you want to, place your hands on your belly and feel it expand like a balloon.
After breathing in, hold your breath for another count of four.
Breathe out slowly and steadily through your mouth, again counting to four in your mind.
After breathing out, hold your breath again for another count of four.
Go back to step 1 and repeat the process for as long as you want to.
4-7-8 breathing technique
Based on an ancient yogic breathing method called pranayama. People say it helps them to cope with stress and to fall asleep more quickly.
Sit comfortably with a straight back. Or, if you’re using this exercise to help you fall asleep, lie down instead.
Throughout the session, your tongue should be resting gently against the roof of your mouth, just behind your top front teeth.
When you’re ready, follow the steps below:
Breathe in silently through your nose for a count of four.
After breathing in, hold your breath for a count of seven.
Breathe out forcefully through your mouth for a count of eight, making a ‘whoosh’ sound as you let the air out. This may be easier if you purse your lips.
Go back to step 1 and repeat the process up to three more times, for a total of four rounds.
As a beginner, you might feel a bit lightheaded at first. This is normal. At first, Start with four rounds at a time. As you get used to the exercise, you can do it up to eight times.
Remember breathing more deeply can help reduce stress, lower your heart rate and improve your sleep, so why not have a go!
If you need support managing your stress- book a call with Lindsay today Contact
