I’m starting with one of the simplest, but often forgotten things we can do to calm our mind and body, and something we can do literally anytime, anywhere! – breathing.
Hard to believe it but the way we breath really does have a big impact on how we feel and deep breathing (using your diaphragm) is actually one of the quickest and most effective ways to calm a busy, stressed or anxious mind.
The facts
Often people are so used to taking short, shallow, breaths they don’t even realise they are doing it. Research shows that people actually often use less than half their breathing capacity. This is especially true when feeling anxious and stressed because when you experience stress, your ‘fight of flight ‘response kicks in. You may even be able to think of times when you have held your breath to stop yourself from crying or ‘exploding’ with anger?
This is actually the opposite of what we should do. Taking short, shallow breaths that originate in the chest reduces our ability to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide and can actually create or exacerbate feelings of anxiety. It can also increase our heart rate and blood pressure, impair our thinking and prevent us from properly using all of our respiratory muscles which can lead to cardiovascular issues.
When you breathe deeply on the other hand, you send a message to your brain to relax which is then forwarded to the rest of your body. When this signal from the brain is received, the negative symptoms such as increased heart rate and high blood pressure start to reduce. These symptoms are then replaced with a sense of calm, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety (it can even prevent an anxious moment escalating into a panic attack). When breathing deeply you also rely on your diaphragm instead of just your chest, so your neck and chest muscles relax, and you engage your abdominal muscles which means a larger amount of oxygen can reach the cells and organs in your body.
Deep breathing also helps us to be more mindful and present, and by breathing deeply through the negative feelings and emotions we experience we are better able to release them so they don’t stay stuck in our body / energy field, creating issues for us later on (more on this later).
Are you breathing properly?
The easiest way to determine your usual breathing pattern is to put one hand on your tummy, near the waist, and the other in the middle of your chest. As you breathe, notice which hand raises the most.
If you’re breathing properly, your tummy should expand and contract with each breath (and the hand on it should raise the most). It’s especially important to be aware of these differences during stressful and anxious times when you’re more likely to breathe from your chest.
So why not try it?
Breathing exercises don’t have to take a lot of time out of your day. Even just a few minutes at regular intervals or when you are feeling your stress / anxiety levels rising can help. I have included a few ideas here in the attached images you could try and decide what works best for you. This includes:
Box Breathing
- Breathe in to the count of four.
- Hold the air in your lungs for the count of four.
- Breathe out to the count of four.
- Hold your lungs empty for the count of four.
- Breathe in and repeat the pattern for as long as needed.
Belly Breathing
- Place one hand on your upper chest and the other hand on your belly, below the ribcage.
- Allow your belly to relax, don’t clench your muscles.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose. Make sure you are breathing deeply using your diaphragm. If you are you will be able to feel your stomach rise with your hand as you breath. The hand on your chest should remain relatively still.
- Exhale slowly through slightly pursed lips.
- Repeat as long as needed.
Mindful Meditation Breathing
You may also like to add a visualisation (mindfulness meditation). You could for example imagine breathing in calm, positive energy and breathing out the anxious / stressed / angry energy (choose whatever suits the feeling / emotion you are aiming to release). Repeat this until you feel calmer and have released the negative energy / feeling. I will do future posts on meditation and grounding for more visualisation ideas.
Try it with your children too!
Practicing breathing techniques also works well with children and can help when they need to focus, or calm down. It’s a good idea to practice the techniques when they are calm first though so they take in what you are trying to teach them e.g. you could practice at bedtime or when they get up in the morning. For breathing activities for children see https://journeytoinnercalm.com/children.
How being more conscious of my breathing has helped me in mind, body and spirit
Being more conscious of my breathing in my day to day life has helped me to stay calm and think more clearly in a variety of situations at both work and home (when preparing for a big presentation, or dealing with the kids tantrums for example!). I think shallow breathing was also contributing to the neck and shoulder pain I experience when sitting at the computer all day at work. I noticed I was holding myself tense at the computer and forgetting to breathe properly when I was particularly busy. I have now stuck a little post it note on my screen to remind myself to breathe throughout the day!
Breath work can also be a spiritual practice which can allow you to move beyond your mind and body and help you connect to your inner self. When I started this journey one of my objectives was to rely more on my internal guidance system (intuition) when making decisions in life, rather than looking externally for feedback which I found I was often doing. I now use deep breathing to help with this as it forces me to slow down, quiet my mind and tap in to that intuition without all the ‘mind chatter’ I often have! (More on tapping in to your intuition later).