Many clients come to me with a lot of anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty falling asleep, or feeling keyed up. One of the things we talk about is the "stress response" and its effects on the body - both short term and long term. Then we talk about how to induce the "relaxation response" and how controlling your breathing can achieve that. I've decided to share my handout on this breathing technique so you can use it too.
Breathing exercise to trigger the relaxation response
As you learn how to use this technique, it is helpful to find a comfortable place to sit where you can close your eyes. Once you’ve mastered this technique and are able to trigger the relaxation response through breathing, you will be able to use it anytime and anywhere.
Second, it is also helpful to visualize a place that feels safe and peaceful to you so that while you are trying to calm yourself down, you have a place you can imagine yourself in. For example, you could be lounging on a beach watching the waves, hiking through a forest, sitting atop a mountain, or hiding under the sheets in your bed. Any scenario works as long as it’s your safe space.
Third, some people also benefit from thinking of some positive thoughts or positive statements while they do this breathing exercise. It is not unusual for our minds to wander back to whatever is making us anxious, so you can use these positive thoughts to redirect your attention back to your breathing. For example, if you’re worrying that you’ll never calm down, or that the breathing won’t help, replace those thoughts with positive ones such as “this too shall pass,” or “I am in control,” or “calm calm calm.”
Finally, as you breathe, try to keep your breathing smooth and try to breathe using your whole abdomen - lungs and belly. When we are anxious, our body breathes shallow and only from the lungs, so placing a hand on your belly to remind yourself to take full breaths is helpful.
So here is the exercise: close your eyes, think of your safe place, and breathe in slowly while counting in your head. When your lungs and belly are comfortably full, breathe out slowly to the same count. How deep the breath is doesn’t matter - it will naturally get deeper as the relaxation response kicks in - don’t waste energy worrying about that. All that matters is that the breath in is the same length as the breath out.
Don’t worry if it seems too complicated to do all at the same time - the visualizing and the positive thinking and the counting. Use whichever aspects of this exercise work for you. Some people don’t need to count, and some people are distracted by the visualizing. Some people combine these together, like counting with a positive thought “one calm two calm three calm.” These are guidelines to help you figure out what will work for you.
I recommend practicing this twice a day - once when you get up, or sometime during the day, and once before bed. The more you practice it, the easier it’ll become, and this will be a tool you can use in any stressful, anxiety provoking, or angering situation from here on out.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this technique.
Breathing exercise to trigger the relaxation response
As you learn how to use this technique, it is helpful to find a comfortable place to sit where you can close your eyes. Once you’ve mastered this technique and are able to trigger the relaxation response through breathing, you will be able to use it anytime and anywhere.
Second, it is also helpful to visualize a place that feels safe and peaceful to you so that while you are trying to calm yourself down, you have a place you can imagine yourself in. For example, you could be lounging on a beach watching the waves, hiking through a forest, sitting atop a mountain, or hiding under the sheets in your bed. Any scenario works as long as it’s your safe space.
Third, some people also benefit from thinking of some positive thoughts or positive statements while they do this breathing exercise. It is not unusual for our minds to wander back to whatever is making us anxious, so you can use these positive thoughts to redirect your attention back to your breathing. For example, if you’re worrying that you’ll never calm down, or that the breathing won’t help, replace those thoughts with positive ones such as “this too shall pass,” or “I am in control,” or “calm calm calm.”
Finally, as you breathe, try to keep your breathing smooth and try to breathe using your whole abdomen - lungs and belly. When we are anxious, our body breathes shallow and only from the lungs, so placing a hand on your belly to remind yourself to take full breaths is helpful.
So here is the exercise: close your eyes, think of your safe place, and breathe in slowly while counting in your head. When your lungs and belly are comfortably full, breathe out slowly to the same count. How deep the breath is doesn’t matter - it will naturally get deeper as the relaxation response kicks in - don’t waste energy worrying about that. All that matters is that the breath in is the same length as the breath out.
Don’t worry if it seems too complicated to do all at the same time - the visualizing and the positive thinking and the counting. Use whichever aspects of this exercise work for you. Some people don’t need to count, and some people are distracted by the visualizing. Some people combine these together, like counting with a positive thought “one calm two calm three calm.” These are guidelines to help you figure out what will work for you.
I recommend practicing this twice a day - once when you get up, or sometime during the day, and once before bed. The more you practice it, the easier it’ll become, and this will be a tool you can use in any stressful, anxiety provoking, or angering situation from here on out.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this technique.
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