Deep Breathing for Relaxation

Stress is a normal part of everyday life.  We all experience stress in our regular lives, as we encounter many stressors throughout the day.  Not all stress is bad.  Some stress is necessary to motivate us to complete tasks or to perform our best.  Too much stress can be harmful to your physical and mental health.   Excessive or prolonged stress compromises your immune system, so you may get sick. You may develop heart disease, depression or an anxiety disorder from too much stress.  Learning how to breathe deeply can help your body and mind to relax.

Breathing and Stress

Your breath reflects the amount of tension you have.  When you are stressed and tense, your breath is from the chest and becomes quick and shallow.  Breathing from the chest can make you hyperventilate or feel more nervous because you exhale more carbon dioxide in comparison to taking in oxygen.  When you are relaxed, breathing is more slow and deep from the abdomen.  Abdominal breathing increases the amount of oxygen to your brain and promotes calmness and relaxation.  The following exercise will teach you how to breathe deep from your abdomen.

Abdominal Breathing Exercise

1. Place one hand on your abdomen in the area beneath your rib cage.
2. Inhale slowly through your nose to a count of five.  (Count slowly “one….two….three….four….five”.)  Imagine the air going into the bottom of your lungs.  Your abdomen will rise when air enters your body.  The chest rises very minimally when deep breathing.
3. After inhaling completely, pause for a brief moment.
4. Exhale slowly through your nose to a count of five.  (Count slowly “one….two….three….four….five”.)  Your abdomen will go down as air leaves your body.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for a total of 10 times.  Try to keep your breathing smooth and regular.  If you begin to feel light-headed, stop for about a minute, then try again.

Try not to stress about doing the deep abdominal breathing perfectly.  Be kind to yourself as you learn this strategy.  It takes practice.  As you become more comfortable with the practice of deep abdominal breathing, you may extend the duration of time inhaling and exhaling.  Try to work towards deep breathing for 5 minutes for greater relaxation.  Try practicing the deep breathing technique every day, so you will know how to deep breathe to effectively calm down when you are stressed.

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