One of these simplest ways to calm yourself down when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or scared is to focus on your breathing. It sounds so simple, yet we tend to forget to do it in the heat of the moment. Can breathing actually affect our mood and make us feel calmer? When people are under stress, their breaths often become shallow and quick. This can increase their heart rate and make them feel even more stressed. Deep breathing is a learned skill that takes some practice, but once you’ve mastered it, you’ll have a great tool that allows you to be more in control of your emotions.
What are the benefits of deep and controlled breathing? Well, we often can’t change the stressful situations we find ourselves in, but we CAN change the way we react to them. Deep breathing is a productive way of dealing with heightened emotions and increased stress levels. When someone makes you feel angry, breathing before you react can be a wonderful way to control your impulses. You’ll have time to lower your heart rate and your stress before reacting to your anger.
Here’s how deep breathing is done:
1. Sit up straight with your feet on the floor and one hand on your belly (right above your belly button). Or lie down, facing up and place your hand right above your belly button
2. Breathe in deeply and slowly through your nose, counting to 3 in your head. You should feel your hand rise.
3. Hold the air in for 3 seconds
4. Exhale slowly through your nose while saying a soothing word to yourself. Some examples are “calm” or “breathe” or “relax.” You should feel your hand lower while exhaling
5. Continue breathing this way for 10 breaths
Consciously controlling our breathing in times of stress takes practice. You should practice this technique every day, even when you already feel calm so that it begins to come more naturally to you. You will find that concentrating on your deep breathing will reduce your stress and improve your overall mood! Next time you’re feeling anxious, JUST BREATHE!
What are examples of times when deep breathing has positively affected your stress level or anger management? What are other breathing techniques that work best for you? Feel free to answer these questions in the comments below!
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2 comments
I like the idea of using deep breathing as a way to relieve immediate stress. Besides in really angering situations, I also sometimes deep breathe even when I am not angry, but rather at regular times in the day–like on my commute in the subway or on the bus. I find it helps anchor me and introduces consistency into my day!
I agree, I find the more I practice breathing when I’m not stressed, the more I can remember to do it when things get stressful. Love the step by step guidance!