To me, anxiety and worry are BODY reactions.  I don’t think I’ve ever had someone say “I think I’m anxious.”  People almost always talk about how their body feels.

“My chest gets tight!”

“I feel like something bad will happen!”

“My hands get clammy and I sweat!”

Since this is a body reaction; one of the first coping skills I teach is deep breathing techniques for stress.  The coolest thing about it is that with practice, you can do this skill without anyone noticing! I’ve put together this list of pointers to help you try this out at home:

Location, Location, Location...

Get in a comfortable and quiet place.  This could be a favorite chair, bed, or even outside under a tree.  Wherever you are comfortable is fine.

If you live with other people, then tell them you need some time and space to yourself.

“Hey, I need 15 minutes by myself.  

Can you guys quiet down for a few minutes?  

Thanks for giving me some space!”

How Are You Doing?

Once you are comfortable in your quiet place, note how stressed or anxious you feel.  I’ll usually ask clients to give me a rating out of 10 (1 is not stressed/anxious at all and 10 is the most stressed/anxious you’ve ever been). Write this down somewhere. You’ll need it a little later.

Breathe With Me

(If you read that as a song lyric, here’s ten bonus points)

Now close your eyes and take in a slow, deep breath through your nose so that your belly goes out.

Once your breath is at the ‘top’; pause for just a brief moment.  This might be a millisecond or less. Don’t hold your breath.  Just pause.

Now exhale.  Slowly let the air pass back out of your nose.  

Try to make your breath out longer than your breath in

As long as your breath out is longer than your breath in, that’s the sweet spot!

Congratulations!  You did your first deep breath!

If you are feeling anxious or worried, then try this for 5 minutes.

Give it a shot and notice how the benefits of deep breathing may leave you less anxious or stressed!

Good luck!

In respiration,

Chris