Breathing exercises to relieve stress and anxiety. 3 simple exercises

Breathing exercises to relieve stress and anxiety. 3 simple exercises

Every breath can become a medicine. The main thing is to know the principles of action and follow the recipe.

How is stress related to breathing? To understand, you need to disassemble the interaction of two departments of the nervous system: sympathetic and parasympathetic. It turns out that inhalation and exhalation significantly affect them. By doing them correctly and consciously, we get the opportunity to manage our condition.

physician, psychosomatologist, neuropsychologist, specialist in working with anxiety.

The sympathetic nervous system is activated when we are in danger. Its function is to implement one of the “hit/run” defense strategies. The parasympathetic system is responsible for homeostasis. When it is active, the body is in a state of replenishing resources: rest, digestion, etc.
With prolonged stress there is overexcitation of the sympathetic nervous system and inhibition of the parasympathetic. The vagus nerve is disturbed. This is the tenth pair of cranial nerves, regulating a huge number of body functions.
Breathing is the only window through which we access the vagus nerve and the entire parasympathetic system. We can use it to regulate their function.

The main task is to switch the body from sympathetic to parasympathetic. How do we do that? We need to remove the signs of “stress breathing”.

Ekaterina Tur: Under stress, breathing becomes chesty, fast, shallow. As long as this mode persists, the sympathetic nervous system will be active. To slow it down, you need to breathe deeply with your abdomen. This is what gives the switch to parasympathetic.

Deep abdominal breathing helps relieve stress in the moment. To get through a difficult situation without consequences for the body. It’s also a tool for releasing tension when the cause is not obvious. We are talking about the state of anxiety.

Ekaterina Tur: In case of anxiety I advise abdominal breathing techniques, which are counting. These are the modes: “square”, “4-7-8” and “6-3-9”. First, they allow you to stabilize the emotional state. Second, they teach you how to breathe correctly on a regular basis.

General settings

• Assume a comfortable position. You can sit or stand.
• Relax. Disconnect from the anxiety trigger.
• Place your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your stomach. This will help control the regimen. The chest should not rise. The abdomen should be slowly inflated and deflated.
• Inhale through the nose. This is an important breathing pattern. Here triggers the rhinocardial reflex – control of the rhythm of heartbeats.
• Exhale through the mouth. The lips can be folded into a tube.
• The length of the inhalation, exhalation and delay should be guided by the count provided by the technique.
• Perform about 5-10 cycles, observing how you feel.
• Do the exercise consciously.

Technique “Breathing by square”.

• Inhale, counting to four.
• Hold the breath for four counts.
• Exhale, counting to four.
• Hold the breath for four counts.

The technique can be supplemented with visualization – draw a square with numbered corners. Taking a breath for four counts, we will slide our gaze from the first to the second. On the delay – from the second to the third. On exhalation – from the third to the fourth. On the last delay of the cycle the gaze will return to the first corner.

Technique “4-7-8”

• Inhale, counting to four.
• Hold the breath for seven counts.
• Exhale, counting to eight.

Technique “6-3-9”

• Inhale, counting to six.
• Hold your breath for three counts.
• Exhale, counting to nine.

Ekaterina Tur: With any of the described techniques, having made at least five conscious cycles, you will receive gratitude from the body. There will be relaxation. Bonuses will be: prevention of lung diseases, improving the mobility of the chest, activation of cerebral circulation, etc. If you combine breathing with meditation, you get the perfect mix of options. Both for stress elimination and stress prevention. It is important to remember that in case of serious distress and increased anxiety, you should consult a specialist – a psychologist or psychotherapist.