Stress And Anxiety – 4 Beneficial Breathing Techniques

Did you know that when you are stressed, your breathing changes? Stress and anxiety are mechanisms of survival. They “urge” us to flee from things that our minds consider dangerous.

On the other hand, we must not forget that stress and anxiety affect the nervous and sympathetic systems in a very intense way.

This is why, when we experience these emotions, the pulse increases and the breathing becomes irregular. All these symptoms increase our risk of suffering a heart attack, experiencing angina pectoris or even a stroke.

Improper breathing means that the body does not receive the amount of oxygen it needs, which can cause additional problems. Therefore, it is essential to better control our emotions and learn how to breathe properly. After all, proper breathing is synonymous with a healthy life.

In today’s article we present 4 breathing techniques that will be very helpful to fight stress and anxiety.

1. “Square” breathing

“Square” breathing, also known as “samavriti pranayama”, is the simplest of the techniques we present to you today. You can try it at night when you’re in bed, 20 minutes before you fall asleep. With its help you will relax and your sleep will be more restful. Here’s what you need to do:

Instructions

• Sit in bed with your back straight and your legs crossed.
• Take a deep breath for 3 minutes, trying to relax at the same time.
• Then inhale for 3 seconds, hold your breath for another 3 seconds, and finally exhale for 3 seconds.
• Rest for a few moments.
• Repeat the previously presented exercise (inspiration, breathing and expiration), but this time allocate 4 seconds to each stage.

You can repeat the exercise until you reach 7-8 seconds. It all depends on your personal skills and needs.

2. Abdominal breathing relieves stress and anxiety

If you think about it, the “square” breath only involves swelling of the chest. Abdominal breathing allows you to focus on your diaphragm. This is an effective way to treat tension, stress and anxiety.

Instructions

• Lie on the bed or sofa.
• Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Inhale deeply through your nose for 3 seconds.
• Focus on how your abdomen swells and your chest stretches.
• Then exhale slowly for 4 seconds.

Ideally, perform 10 repetitions, focusing on the “magic” point (ie the diaphragm).

3. Alternative nasal breathing

Alternative nasal breathing is strange when you try it for the first time. For this reason, we advise you to practice it a little every day, so that you gradually discover its benefits. As soon as you get used to alternative nasal breathing, you will notice two things:

• It will be easier for you to channel and eliminate stress and anxiety.
• You will be able to focus effortlessly on the current moment.

Instructions

• Sit down in a comfortable position with your back straight.
• Relax for a few minutes.
• Then cover your right nostril with the thumb of your right hand.

• Inhale deeply and slowly through your left nostril.
• As you feel that you can no longer breathe, cover your left nostril with the ring finger of your right hand.
• Exhale through your right nostril.
• Perform the exercise again, changing the nostrils. After you feel that you can no longer breathe on your right nostril, cover it and exhale on your left nostril.

At first, alternative nasal breathing will seem complicated, because you have to cover one of the nostrils and open the other. However, as you get used to it, the  exercise will become easier and more relaxing.

4. “Consistent” breathing

“Consistent” breathing is another technique that helps us channel stress and anxiety, but requires exercise and patience. Take into account your skills and needs when trying it. As soon as you master it, your body will have certain benefits.

• “Consistent” breathing involves breathing 5 times a minute.
• In this way, you optimize your pulse and relax your nervous system. “Consistent” breathing is a very useful way to channel tension.

Instructions

• Sit down with your back straight.
• Put a watch in front of you.
• Your goal is to inhale and exhale air 5 times in a minute.
• We advise you to start by testing your ability to control your breathing.
• If you can’t limit yourself to 5 breaths per minute, start with 6 or 7.
• But in the end you have to be able to inhale and exhale 5 times in 60 seconds. When you succeed in doing this, you will begin to feel much better.

Do not hesitate to try the breathing techniques presented in this article, and stress and anxiety will not bother you for a long time!