Breathing Exercises to Reduce Anxiety

• Have you ever felt anxious and restless for no apparent reason? Your heartbeat and breathing become rapid, and you feel like something is wrong, but you don't know what.
• It can be an overwhelming feeling, even crippling at times. I know because I've been there.
• When you're in that anxious negative loop, it's very difficult to come out. That is unless you have mastered the right techniques to deal with it.
• That's where breathing exercises for anxiety relief come into the picture.
• By regularly and consistently practicing breathwork, you can control your breathing and calm your anxiety. There are many techniques you can use and this post lists 11 of the best ones.
• But first, let's understand how deep breathing helps with anxiety.

Why Should You Try Breathing Exercises for Anxiety?

• Slow or deep breathing has several physiological and psychological benefits, including stress and anxiety relief. According to the latest anxiety statistics research, showed that breath work has positive effects on mental health and stress relief.
• The simple reason why deep breathing is beneficial for anxiety is this:
  • When you are anxious or having a panic attack, your body's natural response is to take short, shallow breaths.
  • By deep breathing, you change your body's response, which affects your mental state as well.
• By taking deep breaths, you curb your body's response to anxiety and signal your brain that everything is fine. When your body relaxes, your mind automatically gets the cue and it also relaxes.
• I know, it's a simplistic explanation of a complex phenomenon, but that's all that matters. Deep breathing calms your nerves and helps manage anxiety and anxiety disorders.

11 Best Breathing Exercises for Anxiety Relief

• Now that you understand how effective deep breathing can be, you need the right breathing techniques that you can master. Here are 11 of the best breathing exercises for anxiety that you can choose from.
• I recommend trying them all, choosing 2 or 3 that work best for you, and mastering them with regular practice. Here you go.

1. Anxiety Breathing 4-7-8 Technique

4-7-8 Calm Breathing Excercise | 10 Minutes of Deep Relaxation | Anxiety Relief | Pranayama Excercise

• The 4-7-8 technique is one of the most popular and best breathing exercises for anxiety relief. It follows the principle of deep, rhythmic breathing to calm the nervous system and is also called "the relaxing breath" for the same reason.
• To try this breathing exercise, please start by sitting in a comfortable position with your back straight. Then, follow this process:
  • Inhale deeply till a mental count of four
  • Hold your breath in for a count of seven
  • Exhale slowly through your mouth making a whoosh sound, and keep a count of eight
• The idea is to exhale for twice as long as you inhale. This may seem unnatural at first and you may struggle to hold your breath for that long. Trust me, it gets better with practice.
• However, if you're really struggling, just divide the duration for all by two and inhale for 2, hold for 3.5, and exhale for 4. This way you'll maintain the same rhythm while taking deep breaths that are comfortable for you.

3. Pursed Lip Breathing

Mindful Breathing: Pursed Lip Breathing

• This is one of the simplest breathing exercises for anxiety that you can practice several times a day. It doesn't have to be a daily ritual, and you can practice it anytime you’re feeling anxious or having an anxiety attack.
• How does it work?
  • Sit comfortably and relax your neck and shoulders
  • Inhale through your nose for two seconds, keeping your mouth closed
  • Exhale through the mouth for four seconds with puckered lips
  • Repeat for as long as it takes for you to calm down
• Regular practice of this breathing exercise not only helps with anxiety but also improves your lung health.

5. Resonance Breathing

Coherent Breathing Timer - 5 Breaths Per Minute | 6 Seconds in / 6 Seconds Out | With Bells

• This is one of the simplest breathing exercises for anxiety that you can practice several times a day. It doesn't have to be a daily ritual, and you can practice it anytime you're feeling anxious or having an anxiety attack.
• The goal? To calm your nerves by helping you breathe slowly and deeply.
• If it sounds too easy, remember that most people take 12 to 20 breaths per minute. So, be prepared for it to be a conscious effort, but trust me it will pay off.
• Here's how you do it:
  • Sit or lie in a comfortable position
  • Inhale through your nose for a count of 6
  • Exhale through your nose for a count of 6
  • Repeat
• It's one of the simplest breathing exercises for anxiety as you don't have to remember too many things. Just breathe in and out for six seconds each and tha's it.

7. Deep Breathing

Take a Deep Breath

• With so many breathing techniques to try, it becomes difficult to choose. Trust me, I know how difficult it is to make a choice when you have myriad choices—it can be overwhelming.
• Let me simplify things for you. If you don't know where to start, just take a deep breath.
• Deep breathing is a less structured breathing technique, one that anyone can try at any time. Here's how:
  • Sit or stand in a relaxed position
  • Take a deep breath in, move your elbow back, and let your chest expand
  • Hold your breath for a few seconds, as long as is comfortable for you
  • Slowly exhale through your mouth or nose and let your posture relax and chest contract
  • Repeat till you feel calm and relaxed

9. Box Breathing (4-4-4 Breathing)

Box Breathing Exercise | TAKE A DEEP BREATH | Pranayama Series

• This is a breathing exercise that was first used by the US military to manage stress. It involves visualizing a box with four equal sides while performing breathwork, which also has four main steps.
• Here's the process.
  • Inhale through your nose to a count of four
  • Hold your breath for a count of four
  • Exhale through the nose to a count of four
  • Hold for four seconds before you inhale again
  • Repeat for as long as you feel comfortable
• Since you have to do each step for four seconds, it's easy to remember. By focusing your mind on counting and the breathwork you will be able to let go of your anxious thoughts.

11. Bear Breath for Children's Anxiety

Bear Breaths | Breathing Exercises for Kids Mindfulness (Children Anxiety Relief Meditation)

• If you have kids who suffer from anxiety, then this is the perfect breathing exercise to try. As it involves hand gestures mimicking a bear, it adds a fun and engaging element to the breathing routine.
• Also, who says it's only for kids? Why don't you try this and let go of your anxiety and frustration by growling like a bear?
• This is how you should do it:
  • Stretch your arms up and then out, as far as is comfortable
  • Take a deep breath in through your nose while stretching your arms
  • Hold your breath for a while
  • While exhaling, bring your hand in front of your chest and form bear claws, while making a growling sound through your mouth
  • Repeat the process a few times

12. The Original Breath Builder®

The Original Breath Builder® is a versatile tool designed to enhance breath control, benefiting various aspects of health and performance. Here's how it can help:

Health Improvement: Aids in managing health issues by promoting better breathing techniques.

Musical Performance: Helps musicians, especially those using reed instruments like the flute and clarinet, achieve better lung control, hold long phrases, and hit high notes with ease.

Athletic Ability: Enhances athletic performance by improving respiratory efficiency.

Innovative Design: Features a continuous flow of air, eliminating the need for adjustments and providing a seamless breathing experience.

Proven Reliability: With over 50 years on the market, it's still the latest innovation in breath control and performance.

Bonus Tips to Reduce Anxiety

• Breathwork or breathing exercises are one of the few most effective ways to manage anxiety. Let's discuss some other useful techniques you should know.
  • Grounding Techniques: These aim to bring your attention back to the here and now by helping you focus on your physical environment. These are extremely effective during anxiety attacks and are often the first things experts recommend in such situations.
  • Meditation:  Practicing mindfulness and building a regular meditation  practice can help improve your physical and mental health in the long term. Unlike grounding or breathing exercises, which are often reactive, this is a proactive way to reduce stress and anxiety in the long term.
• Remember, effective anxiety management involves various things working in tandem. You need to build a regular and consistent routine to keep your anxiety at bay.
• That's why we built the Anxiety Checklist app to help you build that routine. You will find guided breathing, daily check-ins and CBT-informed tools to help you relieve stress and keep your anxiety in check.
• Also, try various psychotherapies like Hypnotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to better deal with your anxiety.