Deep Breathing Exercise for Stress and Anxiety

As per research, deep breathing exercises are great to relieve stress and anxiety. Image by : Shashi Chaturvedula

Stress is an inevitable part of life. In fact, stress plays an essential role in being the motivator to get things done, making us more productive.

However, being stressed constantly and chronically does not get anyone anything other than diabetes. It’s one of the major causes of poor health outcomes. Therefore, it’s crucial to control your stress.

But I know it’s easier said than done.

So, how can you take control of the situation?

Stressed or not, practice deep breathing every day. Breathing is such a great natural stress reliever. Use it!

How?

This post is going to answer that question.

What Happens When You Are Stressed Or Anxious?

When stressed, our body releases the stress hormones– cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones get back to normal levels once the stressor is eliminated or dealt with.

However, sometimes we constantly worry about things, our bodies stay in a state of stress for a long time. This leads to elevated levels of cortisol chronically.

Persistently elevated hormone levels are responsible for the long-term harmful effects of stress on our bodies.

The release of adrenaline in our circulation leads to a rise in blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. Our muscles get tensed, and other physiological processes activate, making us extra-attentive and more prepared to face a dangerous situation. These signs let our brain know that we are stressed and anxious.

Since our breathing gets faster, proper depth of breathing can’t be reached and our breaths get shallow.

So, breathing during stress is fast, short and shallower. Therefore, our brain perceives “fast and shallow” breathing as an indicator of stress.

The Role Of Breathing In The Perception Of Stress

Researchers have found a set of “spying” neurons located in our brainstem that keeps an eye on our breathing pattern. This set of neurons is called the Pre-Botzinger complex.

 The pre-bot zinger complex is a group of neurons that connects our respiratory centre with the emotion centre– forming a connection between our emotions and our breathing pattern.

As mentioned earlier, it acts as a spy. It means that it does not directly cause a change in breathing or initiation/suppression of the stress response. Instead, it reports to the brain about the change in the breathing pattern.

So, whenever there is a change in our breathing pattern, say fast and shallow, this complex reports to the rest of our brain that the breathing pattern has changed to fast and shallow, and the rest of the brain perceives it as a stressful situation since that is what our brain has evolved to think.

How Does Deep Breathing Exercises Relieve Stress And Anxiety

When we practice deep breathing, we intentionally make our breath deep and slow, i.e. stop the fast and shallow breathing pattern. This way, deep breathing helps normalise our breathing pattern.

The Pre-Botzinger complex picks up this change in our breathing pattern and reports to the brain that breathing is deep and slow, which is perceived by our brain as ‘I am not in danger anymore’. Our brain then proceeds to calm the fight or flight response down.

This way deep breathing changes our consciousness from a stressed state to a calm state by basically tricking our brain.

Studies have also shown that deep breathing decreases the level of stress hormone in the circulation–further promoting calm.

Anyone can practice deep breathing as a part of their self-care routine. If you struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related issues, deep breathing exercises can be immensely beneficial for you. Be mindful of the fact that these practices do require some patience– which is normal.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale

Abdominal Breathing Technique

Also known as belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing.

Set Up The Mood

Before starting the process, create a suitable environment to practice deep breathing. You can consider it as a form of meditation. So:

1. Sit alone in a room. Lock the door if necessary, and tell others in the home to not disturb you for 10 minutes. Put your phone on silent, and switch off your TV. Remove any distractions to better focus on your breathing pattern.
2. Wear comfortable clothing. Avoid clothes that feel constricting or create tension in your muscles.
3. You can either sit down or lie down. I prefer to lie down because that helps me check my abdominal motions better (you will see why in a bit). Use a mat or your bed; it will work either way.
4. You can go fancier depending on your preferences, like dimming the lights or lighting up some scented candles or aroma diffusers. These are not a must, but you can add them if they help you relax.
5. It’s a great idea to practice breathing exercises at the same time every day and let your body set up the natural clock. Add it to your schedule so that you don’t end up skipping.

Here’s How You Should Breathe

Nature has provided us with a specific muscle for breathing– the diaphragm. Natural breathing is diaphragmatic breathing.

When you use the diaphragm properly for breathing, your abdomen will expand more than the chest. 

1. Lie down comfortably, and let the mood set it.
2. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
3. Start with an exhale.
4. Then take a slow, deep breath in. Inhale for a few seconds.
5. Then hold your breath for a few seconds.
6. Then slowly exhale for a few seconds. Make sure that the exhale is twice as long as the inhale.
7. When you are breathing, note the movement of your hands. Your hand over your abdomen should go higher than your hand over your chest. This is something that may require some extra effort and concentration to do especially in the initial days of practice.
8. You can also repeat the word “peace” with each exhale if you are doing this for meditation purposes.

Remember: expiration should be longer than inspiration, and there should be a brief period of holding your breath.

To help you with this, you can use the 4-7-8 method: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 and then exhale for 8 seconds.

You can do shorter breaths if you can not inhale, hold or exhale for too long. The only thing to keep in mind is that your exhales should be twice the length of your inhales.

Another thing is that you should inhale through the nose, but you can choose to exhale through the nose or pursed lips. I suggest you try both and see which feels more relaxing to you.

Also, you can stretch your muscles a bit if you feel an area of muscle is tense. Doing this helps me relax a little bit more.

Anxious people might find it difficult to control their breath but remember it’s normal. Just keep practising. Practising deep breathing regularly helps it become a second nature, and you can then apply it well when you need it the most. 

The Ideal Time Of The Day To Practice Deep Breathing

So, is there an ideal time for practising breathing?

Yes and no. 

No, because the time you practice deep breathing will not affect the efficacy of the process. The results will be the same no matter when you do it.

And yes, because you should practice deep breathing when you can or need to do it.

For example:

1. If you have time in the morning, you should do it in the morning.
2. If you get anxious early in the morning from the thoughts of all the work you have to get done, you should do it in the morning.
3. If you have difficulty falling asleep, you should do it at night, before bed.
4. Apart from your routine scheduled practice, you can perform deep breathing when you are having an episode of anxiety or stress, if you are finding it difficult to fall asleep on a particular day when you are having difficulty concentrating, and even when you are having food cravings.
5. If you are someone who is quite often very anxious, you may do it twice a day or as needed.

So really it is just all about your requirements. Setting a particular time each day will ensure you perform it once daily. Doing it at a set time will help you make it a habit.

Conclusion: Deep Breathing Is A Simple Yet Effective Practice

It is essential to take care of yourself, and self-care in the modern world starts from managing your stress levels. 

We are all blessed with a natural mechanism to deal with our stress and anxiety. So why not take advantage of it?

Following a simple self-care routine that includes 10 minutes of breathing exercises will benefit you greatly and enhance your wellness. 

Set a time, set up the mood, and follow the easy steps of deep breathing. You may find it difficult to follow in the beginning, but with practice, you will get better at calming yourself down with breathing exercises.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

Deep breaths are like little love notes to your body. — Unknown

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© Quirky Writes 2018

Updated: November 2024