Breathing Exercise
Breathing techniques if used regularly, can reduce the body’s physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, calming the mind.
When relaxed we take around 15 breaths per minute, but when stressed our nervous system becomes activated and our breathing speeds up producing more oxygen in our bloodstream. This can cause stress related symptoms such as dizziness, feeling faint, numbness and breathlessness. An effective way therefore to help with stress and mental health is to regulate the oxygen in our body through the use of breathing techniques.
Follow these few steps to regulate your breathing and find calm:
Make yourself as comfortable as you can. If you’re sitting or standing, place both feet flat on the ground, roughly hip width apart.
Without forcing it, breathe in and let your breath flow down into your belly. Try to feel your belly expand and contract whilst your chest remains static. (You might find it useful to place one hand lightly on your chest and the other on your belly).
Try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Breathe in gently and regularly to a count of 4, hold for 2 seconds. Then gently release the breath out over 4 seconds, pause for 2 and repeat. Follow along with the video below to help find your breathing pattern.