11 Breathing Exercises to Calm Anxiety and Improve Mental Health

Are you somebody who has been struggling with anxiety but can’t comprehend how breathing exercises help anxiety or the reasons for it or find any solution? If so, you’re not alone. Anxiety has been around as a mental health ailment for decades and has been affecting tons of people around the world. According to WHO stats, about 3.6% of people around the world have anxiety disorders. Moreover, it was found that due to covid-19 pandemic, the percentage has increased by 25%.

But what exactly is anxiety? Anxiety can be defined as a state where a person feels suffocated and a feeling of fear, stress and apprehension creep over that person’s mind. In some people, anxiety can take a more severe degree and can even lead to panic attacks and heartaches.

Factors Triggering Anxiety

There are different types of anxiety reactions that one can experience. Similarly, different factors trigger anxiety. Some people might get triggered by stress; it may include business stress or personal matters.

Furthermore anxiety can also be caused by genetics or any previous drama. For example, if a person has a genetic condition where any of the family members were diagnosed previously with depression, anxiety or any related mental health disorder, probably, the person will also have symptoms of anxiety. Lastly, environmental factors or a person’s surroundings can also cause anxiety. For example, some people have crowd anxiety which makes them feel nervous, confused or suffocated when they are in a crowded area.

11 Exercises that Help to Calm Anxiety and Improve Mental Health

Although anxiety can be terrifying, it can be controlled with breathing exercises for anxiety. Breathing exercises can be defined as type of exercises through which a person can manage to calm themselves which heals their mental health and relieves anxiety. You can practice breathing exercises to calm down your mind and relax your body as well as control any fear that you might feel at that particular moment. Here is a list of 11 breathing exercises that you can use to ease down your anxiety symptoms.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is a breathing technique in which a person focuses on breathing through his diaphragm rather than the normal breathing process. You can exercise diaphragmatic breathing by simply lying straight on your back, with your knees bent and your head supported. Now place one hand just below your ribcage and the other hand on your upper chest. Now feel the air going inside your body when your belly rises and exhale when you feel that.

2. Deep Breathing

Another technique that you can exercise during an anxiety attack is deep breathing. In this type of breathing, you sit in a comfortable place and start breathing more deeply but slowly. The trick for deep breathing is to focus on breathing solely other than anything else.

3. Mindfulness Breathing

Breathing exercises mindfulness can also be practised to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety. It is simple yet powerful. Mindfulness points towards opening up your mind to positivity and focusing on the postitive energy and breath rather than focusing on the negative feelings that you were feeling while having an anxiety attack.

4. Controlled Breathing

Next, we have the controlled breathing technique. In this type of breathing exercise what you do is you count your breathing inhales and exhales while holding your breath for a couple of seconds when it is inhaled. It is suggested to hold your breath for 4 to 5 seconds before you exhale.

5. Nose Breathing

You can also practice the nose breathing to control your symptoms of anxiety. As the name suggests, you breathe solely from your nose and you need to keep your mouth closed.

6. Square Breathing

Square breathing also known as box breathing can be an excellent technique to manage your anxiety. To start with this, sit in a comfortable position and gently inhale through your nose while holding it in for 4 seconds. Now after 4 seconds exhale slowly and wait for 4 seconds to inhale the next breath.

7. Breathing Technique 4 7 8

Controlling your anxiety symptoms is all about diverting your mind. You can do it through breathing technique 4 7 8. To perform this technique, start counting from 1 to 4 and inhale in the 4th second while holding your breath till you count 7 and then exhale while counting to 8 that is within the next one second. Repeat the exercise for a few minutes and your anxiety will be controlled.

8. Morning Breathing

Morning breathing exercise is probably one of the most effective techniques. This breathing exercise can be done early in the morning right after waking up. What you need to do is take a few deep and slow breaths after waking up and that should do the trick.

9. Guided Breathing

Next, we have the guided breathing exercise. It is a form of meditation breathing technique that a person can take from several sources including online guides or by professional therapist.

10. Muscle Relaxation

Another very effective technique to reduce the anxiety symptoms is muscle relaxation. Muscle relaxation exercises can be done by tensing the muscles in your feet and fingers and then releasing them. As you release your fingers after tensing them a few times, it will keep releasing the tension in your body.

11. Imagery Exercise

Next, we have the imagery exercise technique. This is a very effective exercise for people who are good at visualizing things. You can start by closing your eyes and visualizing calm scenarios and situations in your mind. Once you start imagining positive things, your mind will automatically relax, forgetting about the anxiety.

12. Lion’s Breath

One bonus technique that can be exercised to control anxiety is the lion’s breath. This technique can be exercised by inhaling a deep breath and then ailing while sticking your tongue out. It should make a HA sound when you exhale.

Tips that can help you get the most out of your Breathing Exercises

• The first step is to exercise regularly. For any practice to be effective, you need to exercise regularly. Breathing exercises for anxiety will be more effective if you do them daily. What you can do is set aside a few minutes in your day to do some designated exercises.
• Continuing our previous step, it is important to mention that doing it regularly does not mean overdoing it. You need to take your breathing exercises routine slowly. One Day at a time.
• We cannot stress this enough but you need to find a very comfortable position to practice your breathing techniques. If your body is not in a comfortable position no matter how much exercise you do, it will go in vain.
• Lastly, stay focused. The hidden secret of making breathing exercises work is to stay focused on your exercise rather than letting your mind wander in places it shouldn’t be.

Conclusion

Although anxiety is a prevalent mental health disorder, it can be controlled with certain exercises including breathing exercises. You can include several breathing exercises for anxiety in your daily routine to help you calm your nerves and stay focused while alleviating anxiety symptoms.

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