I know what you’re thinking. “I already know how to breathe, it’s probably the first thing I learnt how to do. Like, ever.” But did you know that by concentrating on your breathing for just a few minutes, you can reduce feelings of anxiety and stress that can pop up when school, work, or just life in general start to weigh you down?
How are breathing and stress related?
When you breathe in, your body absorbs oxygen from the air around you, and when you breathe out, it gets rid of carbon dioxide.
When you’re stressed, your body can subconsciously take smaller, shallower breaths from the diaphragm, meaning you’re not taking in enough oxygen or getting rid of enough carbon dioxide, disrupting the natural flow.
This imbalance of gases in the body can increase feelings of stress and anxiety because you’re feeling physically tense.
Learn more about how breathing impacts the mind/body connection in this video.
So what’s the solution?
Fortunately, we are in control of our own breathing, so the power is in our hands!
Controlling our breath by shifting from short, upper chest breathing to long, abdominal breathing is key. The best way to achieve this is by placing a hand on your chest and a hand on your stomach. Try to concentrate on slowly expanding your stomach, whilst keeping your chest still.
To best practice abdominal breathing, Better Health recommends sitting in a quiet area for 10-20 minutes to concentrate on your breathing. This allows you to collect yourself and relax, overcoming the physical and therefore mental feeling of anxiety.
With each breath, allow any tension in your body to slip away.
Make sure you sit and enjoy the feeling you get from taking big breaths, allowing yourself to feel calm and relaxed.
Want to try it out? Try following this simple breathing exercise to feel more calm and relaxed.
