Breathing techniques
Why do therapists care about deep breathing? Simple answer: deep breathing helps us calm down. More complex answer: it helps us regulate our emotions, meaning it gives us the ability to manage the way we feel. When you are stressed, anxious, scared, depressed or angry, deep breathing can decrease the intensity and duration of these negative feelings. Over time, if implemented regularly, deep breathing can decrease the frequency of these uncomfortable emotions, as well.
In addition to emotion regulation, deep breathing has a host of other benefits including, but not limited to, the following:
lower blood pressure;
improved sleep;
faster recovery from exercise;
lower heart rate;
increased ability to focus;
reduced tension in neck and shoulders;
improved concentration;
lower levels of cortisol;
decreased fatigue; and,
improved respiratory performance;
10 Deep Breathes
Let’s do this right now.
1. Inhale deeply and exhale completely.
2. Good. Do that again. Inhale and exhale.
3. Breath in and out.
4. Inhale and exhale.
5. Let’s inhale and exhale again.
6. Another deep breath in and out.
7. Slowly breathe in. Slowly breathe out.
8. Inhale and exhale again.
9. Again, long, slow, deep inhale, and long, slow, deep exhale.
10. One more big breathe in, one more big breathe out.
How are you feeling? What changes in your thoughts, feelings and/or physiology are you noticing?
Some people worry about the technique they use to deep breathe. “Should I place my hands on my stomach?” “How long should I hold the breath?” “Do I need to pause between breaths?” Good news. There’s no right or wrong way to breathe. If you’re alive, you’re doing it right.
Give your self the opportunity to take 10 deep breathes, once a day. See if it makes a difference after doing it each day for a week.
Box Breathing, 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 or Square Breathing
A quick way to reduce stress is box breathing. This is also sometimes called 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 breathing or square breathing. No matter the name, this swift and strait forward breathing technique can be implemented virtually anywhere, at any time.
Here’s how you do it:
Inhale for 4 seconds. Hold that breath for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 4 seconds. Wait 4 seconds to inhale.
Repeat for as many breaths as you like.
4-7-8 breathing/Hot Cocoa Breath
When you are anxious or stressed, an exhale that is longer than your inhale can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which can help you calm down and relax. Here are two ways to help you do that.
The first is called 4-7-8 breathing.
Inhale to the count of four;
Hold the inhale for seven counts; and
Exhale to the count of eight.
If you don’t like counting when you engage in a breathing technique, another way to breathe in this manner is to imagine you have a cup full of your favorite warm beverage, such as coffee, a chai tea latte or hot chocolate. Imagine that before your take your first sip of this delicious drink, you savor it by deeply inhaling the scrumptious aroma, trying to hold in its delightful scent for a few moments, then slowly exhaling as if you were exhaling through a straw.
Breaths in Between
A technique that can decrease stress and improve overall health is increasing the amount that you deep breathe. A straightforward way to implement this is to take a few deep breaths in between activities.
Here’s what I mean.
Let’s say you need to run errands. If you are driving a personally owned vehicle, before you start the car, take a deep breath. Then start the car and drive as normal. Before getting out of the car, take a deep breath. After leaving the store, take a deep breath. Before entering the Department of Motor Vehicles/Secretary of State/Bureau of Motor Vehicles, take 10 deep breaths. After you leave the DMV/SOS/BMV, take a deep breath. When you return home, before entering your house, take a deep breath. After you return a text, before you start making dinner, take a deep breath. Before you eat, take a deep breath. When you are done eating, take a deep breath. Continue to take deep breaths as you transition between activities.
Whether your next activity is checking your email, taking your dog for a walk, making dinner, watching TV, going to work, take a deep breath before you begin. You can use one of the aforementioned breathing techniques, such as box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, or you can just inhale deeply and exhale completely. Then, before staring your next activity, take a deep breath. If you want, you can take a few deep breaths or 10 deep breaths between activities. The idea is to intentionally pause for a few seconds while engaging in an activity that will improve your overall wellbeing.
