Breathing for stress control

At some point in our lives, we've all been told to 'take a deep breath & count to 10', usually by a friend or colleague who senses we are getting stressed about something. Without really knowing why, they are repeating the traditional wisdom. It is useful, but will probably take more than 1 breath to have the desired effect. Since breathing is something we do all day every day, you would think we'd be pretty good at it. Let's face it, we can do it in our sleep. The truth is, we're not. In fact most of us rarely breath correctly when we're awake.



So let's talk about correct breathing for a bit. By breathing properly, we supply our body and brain with more oxygen. This makes us more physically and mentally alert. Think of the burst of alertness we feel after yawning. Good breathing comes from the diaphragm, a sheet of muscle that lies under the lungs. When we breathe,  this muscle pulls down, increasing the space in the ribcage and causing the bottom of the lungs to expand. This is the part of breathing where the belly pushes out. When you see the belly move, you know you are bringing air right down deep into the lungs. The next part of the deep breath causes the ribcage to move up and out, creating more space for the middle and tops of the lungs to expand and fill with air. The final part involves a slight raising of the shoulders and chest. Most people don't breath deeply enough, and usually only fill the top or bottom to their lungs.

The good news? Learning to take a complete, deep breath will usually trigger a relaxation response in the body. This complete breath is the building block of a wide variety of relaxation exercises. Some of these exercises are geared towards an 'instant' calming effect. If you suffer from panic attacks, try the exercise here, and let me know how much it helps.

The complete breath.

1. Think of the lungs as having 3 parts; top, middle & bottom
2. Concentrate on filling the lungs from the bottom by pulling down with the diaphragm and pushing the abdomen out
3. Fill the middle part by expanding the chest cavity by raising the ribcage & chest
4. The top part is filled by further raising the chest and also the shoulders
5. the 3 stages should be one continuous motion
6. Hold this inhalation for a few seconds
7. Flatten the stomach, this pushes up the diaphragm and empties the bottom part
8. Lower the chest and shoulders, emptying the middle & upper parts
9. Bring the navel (belly button) towards the spine; this empties the remaining air from the lungs
10. Pause for a moment
11. Let go of all muscular action and the lungs will start to refill with an inrush of air;  repeat this sequence 10 times

Note that both inhaling and exhaling should be slow and steady. Ideally, try to take 30 to 40 deep breaths like this per day. It can help if we associate the deep breathing exercise with a common daily event, such as the phone ringing, and do it before/after each call.  Some people with a very stressful daily routine place a marker on their watch, reminding them to breath deeply every time they look at it. Try this for 7 days straight and see how it works for you.

UPDATE: To make it easier, try synchronising your breathing with the animation in this post!