Breathe Away Anxiety & Stress – With a Single Breath

Do you want to reduce stress and bring your anxiety down in a matter of seconds? This short breathing technique will do just that. 

 

When we feel stressed or anxious, our body perceives danger and readies itself to stand and fight or to run by activating the sympathetic (fight/flight) side of the nervous system. We experience an increased heart rate, faster breathing, higher blood pressure and blood rushes from our gut to our limbs. In this state of threat, the body is not interested in digestion, recovery or reproduction and the parasympathetic (rest/relax/recover) has taken the back seat.

 

This danger response stimulates a whole cascade of chemical changes in the body, including increasing the stress hormone, cortisol. Fortunately, when the perceived danger is gone then the sympathetic response reduces and the parasympathetic side of the nervous system steps up to recover the body from the effects of the stress.

 

Unfortunately, most of us live in a constant state of sympathetic nervous system dominance. The parasympathetic side does not get enough of a chance to recover the body and the body suffers. Living in this sympathetic side of this system long term is like driving your car with your ‘foot to the floor’ for decades without taking it for a service. This can create significant damage to the body manifesting as symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, weakness, low tolerance to exercise, irritability and fertility issues. It can progress to health issues such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and high blood pressure.  

 

Below is a simple and very fast breathing technique for you to practice to reduce stress and anxiety and bring your nervous system back towards the parasympathetic side, reducing the effects of chronic stress and cortisol on your body. 

 

The Physiological Sigh

The technique involves a double inhale through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth.This breathing technique can be used any time of day, anywhere, so give it a try.

1. Take a full inhale through the nose, allowing your belly to expand forward away from your spine as if you are filling your abdomen with air. Aim to breathe in for 2 seconds.
2. Add a quick strong intense inhale to fully expand the lungs.
3. Allow a slow, long exhale through mouth. Aim for an out breath 2-12 seconds.
4. Repeat as many times as necessary

Note: The out breath can be through your mouth or nose, so try each and different times and see which works better for you.

 

For more information on breathing technique, check out my breathing retraining protocol. If stress is an issue for you please check out this article and video about the 5 mistakes people make handling stress, and what to do instead.