Anxiety is unpleasant work. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it and can completely derail your day. Millions of people live with the struggles of anxiety every day, and while it’s always best to seek the advice and support of a mental health expert when it comes to managing your healthexist simple tips you can adopt that can help.
It sounds strange, but breathing is one of the best available tools we have for calm a racing mind. Below, we explore exactly how and why it’s helpful in managing anxiety.
How to breathe through anxious feelings
We recently spoke with science journalist James Nestor, author of the book Breathing: the new science of a lost art, on the physiological impacts of different ways of breathing. And according to him, when it comes to anxiety, the way we’re naturally inclined to breathe is actually a detriment to our state of mind and sense of well-being:
People who are anxious and people who have asthma will traditionally breathe through their mouths and traditionally overbreathe. And by breathing too much, you’re increasing your heart rate. You are causing inflammation. You’re putting yourself in a really stressful state, which is not good. It just makes you more anxious.
Instead, when you feel anxious, James says the trick is to try to slow down your breathing and breathe through your nose.
The wonderful thing about breathing is that you can use it to stimulate a state of rest and relaxation on the parasympathetic side of your nervous system. So one of the most helpful breathing techniques I’ve learned that people with anxiety, asthma, depression, even people who have chronic lung inflammation and other issues use, is to inhale at a rate of about five to six seconds. Don’t stress about your half second break or whatever. And exhale at the same rate. Now, if you’re breathing this way right now, what’s happening is that you’re allowing your body to function at peak efficiency. You are increasing oxygen to your brain. You are increasing circulation in your extremities and your heart rate is going to drop. And your blood pressure. I found that my blood pressure can drop 10-15 points after a couple of minutes of breathing this way.
James cautions that because of the relaxed state you can feel in, it’s probably best not to practice it in situations where you need to be extra alert, like while driving or before an important meeting. But if you’re in a safe place and you really need to calm down, you can take this simple breathing exercise for anxiety one step further.
If you want to relax even more, the longer you exhale, the more you are turning your nervous system into that relaxed state. So if you inhale to a count of four or five and now let’s exhale to a count of 10. That seems very long, but exhale very calmly. You can place your hand on your heart as you do this and you can feel your heart rate slowing down. Breathe in again to account for about four or five. Exhale to about 10.
It is important to note that breathing through the nose is key. by James, it is profoundly better for your health than mouth-breathing because our intricate naval cavity is shaped in a way that helps filter and defend the airways from harmful particles like allergens and, yes, viruses. Breathing through your nose also moisturizes the air you are inhaling and increases the amount of oxygen entering your system.
So the next time you feel an attack of hyperventilation coming on, remember: breathe in through your nose for 4-5 seconds, and breathe out through your nose for 5-10 seconds.
Guided breathing exercises for anxiety.
If you need help working through your first few breathing exercises, here are some guided options that should get you on your way.
Headspace has a selection of meditations focused on anxiety and breathing exercises in offer. You can see a playlist of options here:
Sydney psychology practice The Indigo Project also has a ton of great resources online. Here They share tools for managing anxiety, including a breathing exercise, and on Spotify, they also have an anxiety playlist ready for when you need it.
Calm has a “breathing bubble” available on their website that visually guides you through an anxiety breathing exercise. Find them here.
If you or a loved one needs support, help is always available. Call Beyond the Blue at 1300 22 4636, or Life line on 13 11 14.
This article has been updated since it was first published.
