Breathing for Stress Reduction
When we’re feeling tense, anxious, or generally off, we may feel at the mercy of our powerful emotions. However, with some practice and patience, you may find that you can counteract those uncomfortable feelings with slow, deep, controlled breathing.
First, a note about breathing: Many of us practice shallow breathing in our day-to-day lives. In other words, when we inhale, our breath rarely goes farther than our chests, and we quickly exhale from there. However, to truly encourage your body to relax physiologically, it is best to breathe from your diaphragm – also known as belly breathing. There is some great information about it here.
How do you know if you are breathing from your diaphragm? Try this: Lay down on your back. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Inhale slowly and deeply. You may notice your chest rising. This indicates that your breath is primarily going into your chest. However, try to breathe such that you feel your belly rising beneath your hand. When you feel the expansion of your belly, you know you’re starting to breathe from your diaphragm.
It takes some practice to get the hang of it at first, but it’s worth the effort. Breathing from your diaphragm allows your parasympathetic nervous system – the part of your nervous system that promotes calm and relaxation within the body – to play a more prominent role in your emotion regulation. This type of breathing maximizes the oxygen uptake by your blood, meaning your cells get a greater concentration of that much-needed fresh air. This gas exchange is just one of the many internal mechanisms that help your body relax on a physiological and mental level when you breathe from your belly.
You can compound the impact of deep belly breathing by combining it with slow, controlled breathing patterns. The next time you feel stressed, try the following techniques, breathing from your diaphragm if possible:
1. Count how many seconds it takes for you to inhale fully, and then try to match your exhales to that same time span. For example, if you inhale to a count of 4, try to exhale for a count of 4 as well.
2. Try “7-11” breathing: Inhale for a count of 7, and exhale for a count of 11 (or any count longer than your inhale). The goal is to make your exhales slightly longer than your inhales, which also activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
3. Try either of the two breath patterns above – but at the peak of your inhales and exhales, hold your breath for a moment. For example, you could inhale for a count of 4, pause for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, and pause for a count of 4.
Continue with any of these patterns for a few minutes and notice how you feel. Of course, never control your breath so much that you feel uncomfortable, panicky, or light-headed – if that happens, then definitely reduce or modify the breath counts to what works best for your body. With time and practice, you may find that deep, controlled belly breathing can be a powerful stress-busting tool!
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