Treating Anxiety with Breath Work/Deep Breathing

Anxiety is a naturally occurring response in our bodies to stress, it is what occurs when we encounter stressful and potentially life threatening stimuli in our environments. Some anxiety that occurs in the moment is natural it does not become a disorder until the anxiety is inappropriate, we are unable to manage it or it is interfere in our ability to live our lives. A simple truth in life is some anxiety is good and can be motivating. However, it is also often overwhelming.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (2023) generalized anxiety has a prevalence rate of 0.9% among adolescents and 2.9% of adults in the United States with women and adolescent girls having 2x the likelihood of developing it. Also, people of European decent and those that reside in high income countries are more likely to meet full criteria for a diagnosis of GAD.

One of the most effective ways to manage anxiety, stress and overwhelm is through deep breathing. When we talk about deep breathing we are talking about using deep breathing to calm our nervous system. The aim of deep breathing is to assist in slowing the heart rate and decreasing arousal symptoms (e.g. increased heart rate, sweating, tears). The following exercises are ways to implement deep breathing into your daily life.

4-7-8 Breathing

Find a comfortable position. Inhale while counting to four. Hold breath for a count of seven. Exhale for a count of eight. Repeat until you feel calm.

Belly Breathing/Diaphragmatic Breathing

Find a place to comfortable lay down. Place your hand on your belly. Inhale using the diaphragm to breath into your belly rather than your chest so that you hand rises. Exhale allowing your hand to fall with your belly. Repeat for several minutes.

Balloon Breathing

Imagine you are holding a balloon to your lips. Breath slowly through your nose. Breath out as if you are attempting to blow up the imaginary balloon. Continue to repeat as needed.

Using these techniques will help to decrease feelings of anxiety in the moment. Continuing to working with a professional to process and address anxieties that are occurring in your life will help with more long term healing.

References:

American Psychiatric Association: (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.) Text Revision.