Breathing techniques can help ease anxiety, lower stress levels, and enhance mood. They’re easy to learn and can be performed anywhere—whether that means at the office, at home, or wherever else life may take you!
This framework assessed four components of intervention implementation: population category (youth, healthy adults, high-anxiety or clinical populations), breath practice pace (slow only, fast only, or a combination of fast and slow breath practice with or without ANB/UNB), training method (human-guided or device-guided), and duration and number of sessions for evaluation.
1. Deep Breathing
Deep breathing can help calm anxiety and relax the body. Unlike shallow breathing, which fills only your chest area, deep breathing involves using the diaphragm to breathe all the way into your stomach—whether that be sitting on a chair, lying down on the floor, or standing up. Some find it easier to practice deep breathing in a quiet environment where other noises or distractions won’t disturb their practice.
Use this technique whenever you notice stress building or before an upcoming stressful event such as a doctor’s appointment. Consider incorporating it into your routine so you can depend on it whenever necessary.
Sit comfortably, lengthening your spine and relaxing your shoulders. Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest; when inhaling, watch the hand on your belly rise while the one on your chest moves minimally; as an exhale occurs, purse your lips (similar to when whistling) for six seconds as an exhalation occurs and breathe out again.
2. Inhale for a Long Time
Life can bring with it anxiety in many forms; social fears, physical health issues, financial stressors, relationship strains, and world events may all combine to trigger anxiety. When this anxiety becomes overwhelming, it is known as panic disorder.
Breathing exercises can help ease anxiety by altering your body’s rhythms. Yogic breath regulation (known as pranayama) involves techniques that modify the ratio between inhalation and exhalation; studies have proven this breathing technique significantly decreases psychological and physiological stress levels.
Sit in a comfortable position with eyes closed. Breathe slowly through your nose for two seconds while feeling your abdomen expand. Exhale slowly through pursed lips for four or more seconds through your mouth before inhaling again through your nose for two more.
Repeat this cycle until it feels comfortable for you. To increase its benefits, pair this breathing technique with visualization or relaxation exercises such as tensing and relaxing muscles. Focusing on something physical, such as your socks against your feet or chair arms, may also help. Alternatively, smartphone apps and online resources may provide guidance through this process.
3. Exhale for a Long Time
No matter their resilience level, everyone reaches a point in life where they feel overwhelmed by what’s going on around them. This could include health concerns, financial pressures, or family conflicts at home; larger events like natural disasters and pandemics happening globally; or simply worry over work relationships or home life.
Breathing techniques can be powerful tools in helping us regain control over these feelings and interrupt the cycle of anxiety and physical symptoms. Rhythmic breathing techniques such as 4-7-8 breathing are recommended as an integral component of yoga practices; one such example would include inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, then exhaling for 8 seconds; it has been said this type of rhythmic breathing may help decrease anxiety levels while aiding sleep.
Long exhale breathing, a technique commonly practiced in mind-body practices like yoga, may also help to alleviate stress. More research should be conducted into whether different breathing ratios have any measurable impact on physiological stress levels among healthy adults; numerous mobile apps support such techniques.
4. Breathe in a Different Way
Alternate nostril breathing (also known as nadi shodhana) can also help alleviate anxiety by disrupting negative patterns of thinking that exacerbate stress and promote relaxation. Start by sitting comfortably, opening up your chest, placing two fingers from your right hand on your forehead just above your eyes, and inhaling through one nostril and then exhaling through another until you feel relaxed enough. Do this up to 10 cycles, or until you have reached desired relaxation.
Lion’s breath (also referred to as bellows breathing) is another effective breathing exercise for relieving anxiety. This technique involves inhaling through your nose for four counts and exhaling for seven counts before repeating this sequence four more times with breathing out for eight counts in between. You can perform this exercise while sitting up or lying down.
Many calming breathing techniques have been shown to stimulate your vagus nerve, helping promote relaxation while also regulating your heart rate, mood, and digestion. All the breathing exercises mentioned above are quick, easy, and effective—making them perfect for use during real-time situations to combat anxiety.
5. Breathe in a Different Place
Whenever you feel tense or anxious in the moment, try these easy breathing techniques to relax both body and mind. Regular practice of these exercises will help prevent anxiety from taking over, so you’ll be better equipped to manage stress when it arises.
One such breathing technique is diaphragmatic breathing (also referred to as belly breathing). It is an easily learned method with evidence supporting its efficacy at alleviating subjective and physiological stress effects in healthy adults. To practice diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing), simply assume a comfortable seated or lying-down position and inhale through your nose for four counts, exhale for seven counts, and repeat this cycle for at least a minute before exhaling through your mouth for four counts and four again!
Alternating nostril breathing (also referred to as nadi shodhana) involves sitting comfortably with a straight back or lying down and using this breathing technique with the index and middle fingers of the right hand placed together under the eyebrows for support while inhaling through one nostril and exhaling from another for several minutes before relaxing and repeating it a few more times before stopping.
