3 Breathing Techniques to Help with Feelings of Anxiety and Stress

Breathing. We do it all the time. We generally don’t even have to think about it. It’s automatic. Did you know that we can consciously harness our breath to help us during the fast-paced rhythm of modern life? Finding moments of calm during a day (or evening) can feel like a rare gift. Yet, one of the most accessible and powerful tools for grounding ourselves lies within—our breath. It’s always with us and we don’t need to remind ourselves not to forget to bring it! Calming breathing techniques offer a simple, natural way to ease stress, centre the mind, and restore balance. Whether you’re navigating a hectic workday, managing anxiety, or seeking a mindful pause, learning to breathe with intention can transform tension into tranquility. In this blog, we’ll explore 3 practical breathing methods that nurture calmness, enhance well-being, and reconnect you with the steady, soothing rhythm of your own breath.

One important note before I continue – if you try any of these techniques and you feel light headed, dizzy or uncomfortable, stop immediately and return to your normal breathing rate.

BOX BREATHING (4-4-4 breathing)

The first technique and probably the most widely known is box breathing. It’s a quick and relatively easy way to help reduce the feelings of anxiety when they show up. And it can be great for stress relief. The beauty of this technique is that it’s easier to remember, will provide distraction from your thoughts while you practice it and it’s calming.

• Breathe in through your nose for the count of 4

• Hold your breath for the count of 4

• Exhale through your nose for the count of 4

• Hold your breath for the count of 4

Repeating this sequence for a few rounds can help to reduce your heart rate while at the same time distracting you from the anxiety invoking situation. This technique can be practiced anywhere, while you’re sitting down, lying down or standing up – and the best part is no one even needs to know that you are doing it.

EXTENDED EXHALATION

Longer exhalation can be helpful in those times when your fight flight response has been activated. The basic technique just requires you to breathe out for longer than you breathed in. This helps bring the calming branch of your autonomic nervous system back online which is what is needed once your system starts moving to fight flight. There are a couple of different versions of this so I will share my go to one here.

• Breathe in through your nose for the count of 4

• Hold for a couple of seconds

• Exhale through your nose for the count of 6

Repeat this sequence for a few minutes and see how you feel afterwards. Hopefully you will feel a sense of calm as your parasympathetic nervous system becomes more dominant. Some recently published research indicates that 5 minutes of this type of breathing each day can help people improve their mood and may be an effective way to manage stress (Balban et al., 2023). If you would like to check out this research you will find the reference down below.

NADI SHODHANA – ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING

Not that I should have favourites but this is my favourite of the three. It does take a little bit more effort and concentration that the first two above but definitely worth it in my opinion. Nadi shodhana is a yogic breathing technique typically practiced to help with anxiety and very useful to help calm the mind before sitting for a meditation session. This one is good to practice while sitting down as it does take a little longer than the previous techniques (although no reason why you couldn’t practice this while standing). Once settled and ready to begin, take your index and middle finger and place them on the spot between your eyebrows. From here the technique begins:

• Use your thumb to push down on the right-hand nostril to close it slowly inhale through your left nostril until you can inhale no more.

• Hold this breath momentarily while you release the hold on your right nostril and close the left nostril by gently pushing down on this nostril with your ring finger. Once closed, exhale through the right nostril until all the air has been expelled, and hold momentarily.

• Next, inhale through the right nostril until you can inhale no more, and hold momentarily while you release the ring finger from the left nostril and close the right nostril with the thumb.

• Once the right nostril is closed, exhale through the left nostril completely and momentarily hold before the next inhalation through the left nostril.

Repeat this sequence from the first step – inhale through the left nostril, exhale through the right, inhale through the right, exhale through the left. When I was learning this technique my teacher suggested a sequence of 15 rounds, but work out what is best for you. There is no minimum or maximum, just continue until you feel a sense of calm.

These are only 3 breathing techniques which may be helpful to bring calm – there are plenty more out there and there is more research being done to back up the benefits of breathwork. But as I mentioned at the start of this blog, if at any point you feel uncomfortable, dizzy or lightheaded – stop. Deep breathing isn’t for everyone and in some cases can be counterintuitive. Listen to your body and what it needs and only do what feels comfortable for you.

Deep breathing can become a resource for some people as a calming strategy. Practicing any calming strategy at different times during the day or evening can be helpful, not just in those times when stress or anxiety shows up. By practicing these techniques regularly, especially during times when you are feeling calm and balanced, you may find them easier to recall during times of distress or overwhelm. And if you practice these in the morning before starting your day, it could potentially help lessen the impact of any stressful or anxiety producing situations you encounter during the day, and help to maintain balance throughout the day.

Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised psychological advice. If you are concerned about your mental health, please get in touch to make an appointment or seek support from another qualified mental health professional.

REFERENCE

Balban, M. Y., Neri, E., Kogon, M. M., Weed, L., Nouriani, B., Jo, B., Holl, G., Zeitzer, J. M., Spiegel, D., & Huberman, A. D. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895