Breathe to Help Overcome Anxiety.

Did you know that when you get anxious you unconsciously hold your breath?… This of course won’t help anxiety but can actually heighten the symptoms and dictate the severity of an attack – often triggering other emotions like fear, confusion, stress and anger. Anxiety brings a feeling of being out of control, so it stands to reason that I want to take steps in a direction where I can reclaim control over myself. Holding our breath results in erratic, fast or shallow breathing – adding to our anxious state. If I want to take back control, it’s important that I at least learn some breathing techniques as a strategy. There are many free sites on the internet that offer simple breathing techniques, so it pays to do a bit of research if you want to take back control. Simply focusing on my breath enables me to draw attention away from the anxiety and direct it towards my breathing. In this state, I can apply a firm brake and consciously slow down my breathing – ‘starving’ stress and anxiety, while ‘feeding’ inner control and calm. Consciously breathing can prevent you from spinning out of control.

Another helpful technique is to pay close attention to your own behaviour, becoming aware of your thoughts, your words and your actions – prior and during an attack. For example, you may notice your breathing speed up, or you may speak or move faster, you may feel nauseous or become confused in your thoughts or negative in your attitude. This identifying process is necessary in order to make positive, permanent change. Monitoring my own behaviour together with conscious breathing, are two strategies that I’ve successfully worked with to manage and help overcome anxiety – in myself and in others. It’s a tool I use to transform anxiety into calm. However, like any other type of practice, commitment and consistency are the key to becoming proficient in that skill. Regular ‘training’ improves my breathing and my mental awareness, as I work towards an anxiety free life. So be pro-active, not re-active.

Meditation is another wonderful management tool to check myself and to regulate my breathing. You know, breathing is something we must do to survive, yet the practice of it is so under-valued and taken for granted. Consciously breathing is simply re-learning what we already know, though we learn to appreciate it’s importance on a completely new level. When we were born, we instantly knew what to do – breathe deeply and calmly. Watch how a baby’s abdomen (not chest) expands and contracts when they breathe – we’ve just forgotten how to do this, as we ‘matured’ and began taking life too seriously… When calm breathing becomes a special part of your life, you will be able to prevent much anxiety. As you learn to identify many triggers that may have left you anxious in the past, life once again becomes enjoyable. As conscious breath becomes your first nature (as nature intended) you will be able to breathe your way through any ‘stressful’ situation – avoiding anxiety altogether.

Tip 1: As soon as you feel yourself becoming anxious, purposely stop and apply a firm brake! Place your hands on your belly and gently breathe into them – picturing fresh air going all the way down into your abdomen. As you breathe in, your belly should expand – pushing towards your hands. As you breathe out, gently let your belly contract away from your hands. The best example of healthy even breathing is the example of a baby. Watch how their abdomen expands and contracts when they breathe – as opposed to most adults who have become shallow breathers and breathe into their chest. Keeping your hands on your abdomen helps for soothing and grounding, while helping guide your breath towards that area, rather than to the chest.

Tip2: Avoid stressful situations or known triggers that make you anxious (at least until you have your breathing under control. If unavoidable, do yourself a favour – prepare yourself as best as possible, have all your strategies in place and ASK for support. Ask someone you trust to help you work through an anxiety or panic attack, should one occur. You can prep them before hand and educate them on what they need to do – just in case 🙂