Breathing techniques for anxiety all have a similar goal in mind though the execution may vary. Their aim being to calm you down and reduce or prevent anxiety and panic from welling up inside you.
You may find yourself experiencing the physical symptoms of your anxiety. Breathing techniques for anxiety can be one of your first lines of defence to combat and overcome your anxiety.
Practice is the all important factor. You must practice breathing techniques for anxiety before you need them. This will give you the confidence you need to execute the techniques in the midst of a difficult and anxiety inducing situation without worrying about trying to remember how to carry them out or increase your anxiety if you feel you are not doing them right.
Remember, breathing techniques for anxiety are only as effective as the up front effort you put into them.
One common technique is Deep Breathing.
Deep breathing, otherwise known as diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing and even belly breathing, is a different way of filling your lungs with the all important oxygen to the way most of us breathe on a daily basis. We tend to breathe using the shallow breathing method, also called thoracic breathing or chest breathing.
Deep breathing uses the diaphragm muscle located between the chest cavity and stomach cavity to expand the lungs and is characterised by the expansion of the belly, or abdomen, as air rushes in to fill the lungs. By using the diaphragm to breathe, the air is drawn into the lungs as the lung cavity expands and fills the whole lungs rather than just the top area as characterised by shallow breathing.
Deep Breathing Inhaling:
The most effective and most common inhalation method to aid anxiety relief while using Deep Breathing is through your nose.
You should inhale slowly and deliberately through your nose giving you the necessary control over your breathing and help prevent hyperventilation which would more than likely make your anxiety worse rather than better.
As you inhale, make sure you make every effort to fill up your lungs to maximum capacity. Feel the stretch all the way down to your diaphragm at the bottom of your chest. You should keep going till you can't take any more in. This can be achieved easily when using your diaphragm correctly.
Deep Breathing Exhaling:
Simply put you want to get rid of all the air you have just taken in. However there are different ways to do that but not all will help keep you calm.
Again, prevent hyperventilation by slowly exhaling. If you exhale too fast you ware more likely to enter into a rapid cycle of breathing which will not help your anxiety in the least.
Take your time and exhale through your mouth, not your nose. Your actions should also be deliberate and controlled as before.
There is a fine line between taking too long to breathe using these breathing techniques for anxiety, and getting it just right. Taking too long will leave you breathless after a short time and gasping for air. Breathe too quickly and you may get light headed and more anxious.
Deep Breathing Technique:
Your aim is to breathe in such a way that you begin to feel calm and relaxed. A good rule of thumb is to count to ten as you inhale, hold for five and then count to ten as you exhale. However you may need to modify this slightly to suit yourself.
To tell if you are breathing correctly, put one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. As you breathe, shallow breathing will cause your chest to rise first and farthest, however deep breathing has the opposite effect in that your stomach area will expand first and higher than your chest.
With practice you will learn how to control this technique and put it to good use. There are many breathing techniques for anxiety though this is one of the most popular. Maybe in your own search you will discover other great breathing techniques for anxiety.
Find out more about curing your panic and anxiety by taking a look at these instantly available solutions right now and start down the road to recovery and freedom immediately.
Also, visit http://www.socialanxietydisorderguide.com/ to find out more about dealing with anxiety.
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