How Deep Breathing helps reduce anxiety at any time of the day!

With every passing day, we strive for more and more to climb up the corporate ladder quickly. This healthy dose of determination can be good, but if you let it take the better part of your health, it can lead to mental health diseases.

What if I tell you that you can handle your stress and anxiety using the tips that follow?

All of us feel that breathing is second nature to any living organism. Breathe in, breathe out…the cycle continues. Is it that simple?

Now, every organ in your body needs oxygen to function correctly. The more the amount of oxygen in your body, the better the organs perform. Thus, effective breathing can help you achieve better functioning of your body and help sleep better, improve your immunity, improve digestion and help reduce stress levels.

Most of the time, we do shallow breathing. Shallow breathing is very constricted and not suitable for your overall health. Deep-breathing, on the other hand, releases pleasure-inducing neurochemicals to elevate your mood and combat physical pain.

How does breathing work?

Breathing is a natural process during which we inhale O2 and exhale CO2. The lungs play an important role during the entire process. The amount of lung capacity we use during our breathing determines how efficient our bodily functions work. If you breathe properly, then your lung capacity automatically increases.

So, how to practise deep breathing?

So, if we have to ensure that our lungs are engaged to their total capacity, we need to breathe into our abdomen and not simply the chest. In ancient times, doctors recommended that air be voluntarily in the lungs to cleanse the body of all impurities.

Deep breathing is the most feasible way to quell anxiety and stress. The best part about it is, you can do it at any place and at any point in time during the day. It is also called abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Deep breathing lowers your blood pressure and helps reduce stress.

Deep breathing seems to engage the full force of your stomach, abdominal muscles and diaphragm when breathing. When we breathe in, the diaphragm becomes flat, and the chest cavity enlarges, while when we breathe out, the diaphragm relaxes, and the air is forced out of the body. The diaphragm plays a significant role in the entire process of inhalation and exhalation.

Deep breathing is a rhythmic exercise. It involves breathing through the nose and holding your breath in for three to four seconds and then three to four seconds out.

What are the steps of Deep Breathing?

The following steps can help you start with practising deep breathing:

• Make yourself comfortable by sitting or lying down.
• Start focusing on your breath; generally, breathe for the first few seconds. Ensure to inhale and exhale through your nose.
• Now, take a slow deep breath. Try to ensure that you breathe in through your nose and feel your belly expand.
• Hold your breath in this position for three to four seconds.
• Now, breathe out through your nose.

That is all! It is how simple deep breathing is. The number of benefits of deep breathing exercises is enormous. If you start this activity starting 10 mins every day, the number of benefits on your physical and mental health are very many.

Benefits to Deep Breathing

• Deep breathing helps you release 70% of your toxins: So, 70% of your body’s toxins are supposed to be released via breathing. Thus, if you are not breathing effectively, then the other organs in your body will have to work overtime to remove these toxins from your body. Hence, you might become ill in the long run.

When exhaling, you release CO2 from your body, which is a natural waste of our body. After it has passed through your bloodstream, it carries along with the toxins.

• Deep Breathing Exercise helps reduce anxiety and tension: Have you ever noticed what happens to your body when under stress or tension? Simple, your muscles constrict, and your breathing becomes shallow. Thus, you can ensure that the required amount of oxygen enters your system and is supplied to the various organs when you breathe.
• Deep breathing exercise helps massage your organs: The diaphragm movements help massage organs like the liver, stomach, small intestine, and pancreas. When your diaphragm ascends, it massages the heart.

Creating a Routine To Help you perform Deep Breathing

• Choose a place where you can visit every day to focus on your breathing.
• When you initially start, don’t be too hard on yourself. Start with focused breathing for 5–10 minutes.
• Try to practice the breathing exercise once or twice a day, preferably during the same time every day.
• Try to choose a focus word or imagery to help you focus more on your breathing.
• After you have practised it for about 21 days, start to gradually increase the time you spend doing deep breathing.

Final thoughts

The above breathing exercises will help you evolve better. In the given times, stress seems to have become an everyday thing in most of our lives. If we do not keep a check on our stress levels, it can take a toll on the daily functioning of our lives. Engaging in deep breathing can be a life-changing experience for you like it has been for my family and me.

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