Breathing Exercises
Help Calm Anxiety and Promote Relaxation
Breathing exercises are very important. They will help you
learn to calm your anxiety and promote relaxation in the body
and mind. By mastering breathing exercises, we can then limit
the effect stress and anxiety will have on our mind and body.
When stressed or anxious our breathing automatically becomes
irregular. Many times people are not aware that their breathing
patterns can create symptoms within the body that are
frightening and this causes more anxiety in the end simply
because what the person is feeling is not understood. Another
word for over-breathing is hyperventilation.
Hyperventilation does not increase the amount of oxygen in
the blood.... instead it reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in
the blood. It is the reduced amount of carbon dioxide in the
blood that causes the most uncomfortable symptoms in panic
attacks. Many people think they are not getting enough oxygen
but instead they are getting too much caused by their breathing
patterns.
Some symptoms of hyperventilation include but are not
limited to:
Although the symptoms of over-breathing (hyperventilation)
are physically distressing, they are NOT dangerous. However,
when we interpret the symptoms as dangerous, it only increases
our fear that something more serious is wrong, causing the
person suffering to hyperventilate more and this only prolongs
their symptoms and makes them more intense.
It's important to recognize that whether we think about it or
not, our bodies breathe - we can actually control our breathing
pattern when we recognize the symptoms of hyperventilation in
our own bodies. Some people have developed a bad habit of
over-breathing, they do it naturally without thinking about it.
However, this bad habit can be changed and corrected through
proper breathing techniques.
So, whether or not hyperventilation is a result of an
anxiety/stress response or a bad habit it can be changed
therefore reducing the uncomfortable symptoms a person feels
with over-breathing.
Many of the same methods used to treat anxiety disorders also
work for depression. CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) has also
been proven to work for people who are suffering with mild to
moderate forms of depression. The Steps To Recovery offers
methods you can use at home to help yourself. However, some more
serious forms of this disorder require prompt medical attention.
People that are unable to function normally in daily activities
are advised to seek help from a qualified psychologist. They can
obtain a list of qualifying providers through their primary care
physician.
To do this follow these simple steps:
1. Find a place where you can sit down comfortably.
2. Focus all your attention on your breathing and notice
your pattern.
3. Breathe in slowly for 2 seconds.
4. Breathe out slowly for 4 seconds.
5. Repeat to yourself "relax".
6. Continue until symptoms of over-breathing disappear
There are many other types of breathing methods that also work well.
The one I listed above is the basic one that I used because at the time, it
was the easiest to remember. Dr. Andrew Weil , a well known physician and
author , gives some pretty good advice on other
breathing methods that are helpful.
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