Breathing for relaxation

Just a quick one - does anyone else find when anxiety is overwhelming that deep breathing exercises make things worse? I find myself struggling for air as I’m more conscious on how I should be breathing. It gets to the point of hyperventilating. Does anyone have any suggestions or similar experiences?

Parents
  • Maybe start off first just acknowledging your breath, before you move onto the exercises. Is it fast or slow? Is it deep or shallow? Where do you breathe from? If I breathe from my stomach, I find this to give me more deep intake of air rather than the shallow breathing which comes from the chest. This helps to slow my breathing down. Sometimes when I have done the breathing exercises at yoga it makes me out of breath as I'm trying to do it in time with the instructor rather than in time with my own breath. This doesn't make me feel relaxed! There's a good app called Insight Timer. It has loads of meditations and breathing exercises on it. Maybe try them too when you're not anxious as a way to practise being calm in every moment not just when the stress hits.

    One technique I find which is really calming -

    1. Cover your left nostril and breathe IN through the right nostril.

    2. Cover the right nostril and open the left. Breathe OUT through the left.

    3. Breathe IN through the left

    4. Cover left nostril and open the right. Breathe OUT through the right nostril.

    5. Repeat

  • Nice one.il have to keep memorizing this one as your right really calming.i have trouble with other breathing exercises as I hyper ventilate. My memory is awful so il keep on looking at your instructions for this one.many many thanks for this.stay safe.

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  • Nice one.il have to keep memorizing this one as your right really calming.i have trouble with other breathing exercises as I hyper ventilate. My memory is awful so il keep on looking at your instructions for this one.many many thanks for this.stay safe.

Children
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