Let’s talk about why breathing matters. When you are calm, your body is in “rest and digest” mode. This means your breathing is normal, your muscles are relaxed, and your heart is beating at a normal rate. “Rest and digest” mode is preferred because it helps you to think and make good choices. When you experience a stressful event, your body goes into “flight, fight, or freeze” mode. During “flight, fight, or freeze” you may find your muscles tense, your heat rate speeds up, and most importantly, your breathing may become quick and shallow. But, the good news is, you have the power to bring yourself back to “rest and digest”. Deep breathing allows more oxygen to get to your bloodstream which opens capillaries, causing stress to reduce and your body to calm down.
Here’s a great article that explains the science behind breathing : https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-breathing-brings-better-health/
This article is far more scholarly but it’s great: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6137615/
A few tips for learning to take deep breaths:
1.) When you breathe in imagine you are smelling a flower. Your mouth should be closed.
2.) Breathing out is like blowing out a candle. Try to slowly release the air you breathed in.
3.) When you are taking a deep breath, it should be intentional–long and slow.
Deep breathing using props:
1.) Use bubbles–blowing a bubble requires a long, slow breath.
2.) Stuffed animals–lay down with a stuffed animal on your tummy and watch it rise and fall while you breathe
3.) Use a feather–breathe in and slowly breathe out going down one side of the feather
My favourite 4 count breath:
MindUP
MindUP is offering free resources for you to use at home! Try the guided brain break 3 times a day to reduce stress and anxiety.