Reduce anxiety with breathing techniques

It may seem odd to teach something as basic as breathing...

...but most of us do not breathe as efficiently as we could, and sometimes creates problems for us. When we are stressed, anxious, angry or over-activated we tend to breathe in too much air, and the breaths that we take tend to be shallow, landing in our chests. Breathing in this way maintains that feelings of stress and anxiety because our breathing is closely tied to our autonomic nervous system, which has a lot of influence over the way that we feel physiologically. By simply attending to our breath we can effect change over the way that we feels.  

One way that you can begin to feel less stressed and anxious is to JUST NOTICE your breathing. Notice as your chest moves outwards as you take in air, and then as your stomach expands. It is important that you breathe enough air all the way in to your belly for it to expand as you breathe in.  Notice your collar bones lift up as you breathe in deeply.  

By taking in big full breaths like this we feel more calm and relaxed than if we take in breaths that reach only into our chests. 

Try also counting seconds as you inhale and as you exhale to see how long you spend on each. By noticing that you are spending more time breathing in or out you can begin to balance your breathing so that inhales and exhales take the same amount of time.

When our breathing is balanced we feel more balanced.