HealthInfo Canterbury
Calming breathing techniques
Continued over-breathing can leave you feeling exhausted or on edge. This makes it more likely that you'll respond to stressful situations with extreme anxiety and panic. Gaining control over your breathing involves both slowing your breathing rate and changing your breathing style.
- Ensure you're sitting or lying comfortably and have uninterrupted time to relax.
- Breathe in gently (through your nose if possible).
- Breathe out gently, through your nose.
- After you've breathed out, allow a short pause before you breathe in again.
- A natural relaxed breathing pattern is gently in – gently out – then a pause. All your breathing should be through your nose.
Try to practise at least once a day at a time when you can relax relatively free from distraction. Try to set aside some time each day.
This technique can slow your breathing and reduce your general anxiety. It can even help to reduce your anxiety when you're in an anxious situation.
If you have anxiety and have panic attacks, you might like to try a belly breathing exercise. In this technique you learn to breathe out fully and take proper deep breaths using your diaphragm and not just your chest muscles.
On the next page: Progressive muscle relaxation
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed October 2020.
SourcesReview key: HIRLT-102470
