Breathe In, breathe out, but is it as easy when you are stressed?

Jun 27, 2023

Have you ever noticed that you take shallower breaths and breathe quicker when stressed or overwhelmed? Yet, when you feel calm and relaxed, have you noticed how your breathing is often smoother and deeper?

Breath has a massive impact on how we feel and can make a big difference when we feel stressed or overwhelmed. Unfortunately, many of us don’t know how to use our breathing patterns correctly to improve our relaxation.

This seems crazy. Someone is saying you do not know how to breathe correctly. That is because we do not consciously think about it until something changes our natural state. This could be due to fear, excitement, overwhelm, stress, etc. These impact us on how much we breathe and at what rate.

If you want to minimise stress and be overwhelmed with breathing, you’re in the right place. Let’s get started.

Deep Breathing for Stress

Deep breathing is one of the best ways to reduce stress in the body. When you inhale a deep breath slowly, you tell your brain that it’s time to calm down.

Your brain then sends this message to your body, reducing the feelings of stress and panic that may show in the form of sweating, heart palpitations, stomach-churning and shaking.

Breathing deeply helps to reduce your blood pressure and minimise tension. It’s also an excellent way to remove your focus from what’s bothering you. The key is figuring out how to manage your breathing correctly and finding the right technique that suits and feels comfortable for you.

How To Do Breathing Exercises

There are various breathing exercises you can do to relax. One of the most common is slow belly breathing. If you’ve never practiced breathing exercises for stress before, start with this simple activity.

Start by sitting in a relaxing and comfortable place. You can also lie down if this makes you more relaxed. Put one hand under your ribs on your stomach and the other somewhere on your chest. Take a deep breath and feel your belly pushing outwards. Your chest should stay still.

Gently, breathe out slowly, as though you were trying to whistle. Feel the hand on your belly going in as you breathe out, and use that pressure to help push all the air out. Do this between 3-10 times. Take it slowly with each breath.

While you’re doing breathing exercises, pay attention to how you feel, both on a physical and emotional level. This will help you become more mindful, which is a valuable tool when working on reducing your stress.

You can also add visualisation to your breathing exercises. What I mean is, you can imagine you’re exhaling all the negative feelings, tensions, stress and negative thoughts in your body and breathing in the clean, fresh air that will spread to every cell in your body.

How to Improve Your Breathing

After mastering belly breathing, you might try more advanced breathing exercises. Alternatively, stick with the strategy you feel works best for you.

There’s no right way to go about things. It is all trial and error until you are happy. Try to put aside a little time into your breathing exercises every day, as this should help you to improve your breathing, especially if you can make the same time as you are more likely to keep practicing that way.

If you’re struggling with your breathing exercises or not seeing the results you’d like straight away, consider some of the following tips:

● Use meditation guides: Smartphone apps can guide you through a deep breathing session step by step. Sometimes, having someone talk to you through the process is more accessible than doing it yourself.

● Add music: Relaxing music can help give you the meditative experience you want. Avoid anything with lyrics, as they might cause you to focus on the words rather than the flow of the music itself.

● Try aromatherapy: The right scents can make a huge difference in how you relax. Use lavender or valerian oils in a diffuser in your home. This is a great way to relax your mind and body when you need to calm down and work on your breathing.

Ensure you are somewhere that no one will disturb you, and even better, let anyone who lives with you know not to interrupt you while you do this. You don’t want to be distracted from your focus when trying to get used to different ways of breathing.

In fact, if you have others who live with you, whether family or friends, you can practice together, making for a very calm household. Who would not want a peaceful home?

Use Your Breathing Techniques

Once you master breathing techniques, you’ll find overcoming stress and anxiety much easier. All you need to do is get some practice, and you’ll be on your way in no time.

Here are a couple of techniques to get you started. If you want to know more about other techniques, contact me and let’s chat to decide the best way forward for you.

Box breathing is a simple technique a person can do anywhere, including at a work desk or anywhere safe. It is called box breathing to encourage people to think about a box as they do it.

Ø Sit comfortably in a chair, feet flat on the floor if possible.

Ø Close your eyes and breathe in through your nose for a count of four.

Ø Hold your breath for four.

Ø Breathe out for a count of four.

Ø Hold your breath for a count of four.

Repeat this process at least 3 times or up to 5 minutes.

This next breathing technique aims to reduce anxiety and it helps with sleep issues. It is called the 4-7-8 technique.

Ø Breathe quietly through the nose for 4 seconds.

Ø Holding your breath for a count of 7 seconds.

Ø Exhaling forcefully through the mouth, pursing the lips, and making a “whoosh” sound for 8 seconds.

Repeating this process up to 4 times.

Tony Gordon