Breathing
Last year, I had my first panic attack. At the time, I was dealing with the highest amount of anxiety I’d ever had. I had messed up on something important, and even though it could be easily fixed, at that moment, my body started to react. My heart rate spiked, my breathing started to become labored, and I was shaking. Thankfully, I noticed what was happening. I started to try and even out my breathing. In through the nose...out through the mouth. Over and over, until I had calmed down. Then came the tears. I probably sobbed for about 10-15 minutes, something I rarely do. I was so distraught about my anxiety, and I was stressed to the max.
But, let’s go back to what helped in that panic attack - breathing. I could’ve easily continued spiraling down the hole of despair. It’s never easy, but taking control of your breath can be so helpful. This doesn’t just go for panic/anxiety attacks, it’s for every part of our day. Anytime you’re feeling elevated stress levels, taking a moment to just inhale and exhale can work wonders.
Breathing allows you to release the negative emotions and thoughts instead of keeping it bottled up inside. It also just increases oxygen flow throughout your body. There are two types of breath - chest and diaphragmatic. Chest breathing is what is used when sprinting or during a race, times of exertion. We tend to automatically resort to this kind of breathing when in stressful situations, but it can actually cause your body to tense up. Instead, we should shoot for diaphragmatic breathing. It’s much more efficient and helpful, leaving you feeling more relaxed instead of tense.
So what does diaphragmatic breathing look like? Get into a comfortable position. Close your eyes if you’d like. Start breathing slowly and deeply in and out through your nose. Focus on filling and emptying out your abdomen. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. When you breathe, try to make the hand on your stomach move more than your chest. This will help you differentiate between chest and diaphragmatic breathing and focus on breathing from the right place. After some practice, you will naturally be able to breathe from your diaphragm and won’t need to do this particular exercise.
Our days can often be filled with stressful situations. Whenever you notice yourself starting to get worked up, stressed out, or anxious. Just take a couple minutes to breathe. If you wear a smartwatch, a lot of them even have a breathing exercise you can do. It will instruct you on breathing in and out. You will notice your heart rate lowering and a sense of calm if you prioritize your breathing. Try to make it a goal to work on deep breathing and see how it affects your everyday stress and anxiety levels!
Reference: Peterson, L. A. (2017). Decrease Stress by Using your Breath. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/decrease-stress-by-using-your-breath/art-20267197.
Challenges/Points:
Breathing can help with anxiety attacks and everyday stress and anxiety.
Diaphragmatic breathing is more helpful than chest breathing.
Work on your breathing this week. When you’re in a stressful moment or you feel yourself start to get worked up, take a moment to breathe in and out.
Questions:
Have you ever had a panic attack or are currently dealing with them?
Have you practiced deep breathing as a way to destress?
When do you notice yourself to be the most stressed?
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