Breathe Exercise for Anxiety
Lets be honest, nobody likes anxiety and here is another truth - it doesn't get better, you do. You can put in the time and self love to help YOU get better, feel better and be better. Here is a simple exercise you can do daily to help relieve anxiety through the use of breathe.
When you are first learning this breathing exercise you may find it easiest to practice lying flat on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hip length apart. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen.
Hold your breath and count to 10.
Then breathe out and think’ relax’ to yourself.
Then inhale slowly through your nose for 3 seconds. The hand on your abdomen should rise whilst the hand on your chest should stay relatively still.
Then exhale through your mouth for three seconds, making a whooshing noise as you breathe out. Think “RELAX” as you exhale. The hand on your abdomen should fall as you exhale.
After a minute of breathing in and out in a six-second cycle, hold your breath again for 10 seconds
Keep repeating this process for 5 minutes.
Once you feel you have mastered the technique lying down, then start practicing slow breathing whilst sitting or standing. Then you will be able to do slow breathing to relax yourself wherever you are in public.
Do this deep breathing for 20 minutes a day and any time when you feel yourself becoming anxious. Depending upon your commitments you might need to break up your 20 minutes during the day into 4 x 5 minutes relaxation segments or 2 x 10-minute relaxation segments.
