Why You Should Give Deep Breathing a Chance

Hi there.

The most common thing I here when I suggest deep breathing for anxiety is "That doesn't work for me." Here are some common things you might misunderstand or be doing wrong that makes it ineffective:

• Assuming that all it takes is one time for it to work.
• Giving up when you have distracting or anxious thoughts while you do it.
• Not taking into consideration your surroundings.
• Breathing incorrectly.

​
So here is what you should be doing:

• Practice it twice a day for ten minutes for at least 2 weeks.
• Accept that you will have thoughts that are distracting but refocus your attention to your breath and the relaxed state you are in/aim to be in.
• Practice your breathing in a quiet environment away from external distractions.
• Breathe in through your nose, holding it for a few seconds, then a deep exhale through your mouth, keeping your shoulders down and a relaxed posture throughout.

The goal of deep breathing is to address the physiological reaction to anxiety and accustom yourself to the state of feeling relaxed. Once your body knows what it feels like to be relaxed and how to achieve it, you can enact it as one of the tools in your coping skill set! It is quite effective, accessible and easy to learn!

Dr. S