Chapter Seven:
Powerful 90-Second Exercise to Lead your Body into a State of Calm

Here is a way that you can change your external environment: practice deep breathing. Read on to understand why breathing can contribute to anxiety symptoms. Then make sure to do the powerful 90-second exercise below to start leading your body into calmness!

How you breathe may be contributing to your symptoms. Studies show that anxiety sufferers tend to take shallow breaths from their chest. This can lead to hyperventilation. Hyperventilation is breathing more than the body needs. It causes a loss of carbon dioxide in the blood and can result in intense physical symptoms that are very similar to panic attacks.

        If you tend to hyperventilate, wouldn’t you know it? Probably not. You may take shallow, frequent breaths and not even realize it. Hyperventilation does not mean that you necessarily need to be breathing loudly or visibly gasping for air. So, although you may not realize it, the way you breathe could be causing many of your symptoms.

    How do you breathe now? Take a breath and observe yourself. If your chest or shoulders move when you breathe, you’re probably breathing from your chest.

   How do you stop a tendency to hyperventilate? Through deep breathing. Some experts consider deep breathing to be the most important step anxiety sufferers can take in reducing symptoms and promoting overall health. Deep breathing involves deliberately learning to slow your breathing rate and breathe from the diaphragm (a muscle in the lower abdomen).

   I cannot say enough about the proven benefits of deep breathing. Deep relaxation techniques such as deep breathing lower blood pressure, relax the muscles, and slow your heart and respiration rate. It also prevents stress from building up, reduces insomnia and fatigue and reduces general anxiety. It increases your energy level and helps you turn off analytical thinking and racing thoughts. The list goes on and on.

   In a nutshell, deep breathing counteracts the physical and mental affects of the fight or flight response. It serves to reduce anxiety when it strikes. When practiced regularly, its physical and mental benefits may also help prevent anxiety.

I hope you see now why I cannot overestimate the important of learning deep breathing as a tool in conquering your anxiety. After several weeks of practicing deep breathing for 20-30 minutes daily, your body will respond by being more relaxed all of the time. To get maximum benefit, do a deep breathing routine 2-3 times daily for the first several weeks. Make it a part of your daily schedule. Do it once when you first wake up, once when you get home from work, and once before you go to bed, for example. 

        90-Second Path to Calmness. Let’s try a quick yet powerful 90-second deep breathing exercise. Either stand up or lie down, whatever is most comfortable for you. 

        2)    Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, starting at the bottom of your abdomen. Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon, (fill your lower abdomen first).

        3)    Count slowly to three as you inhale. You will feel your hand rise as you do this.

        SELF-CHECK: Do a self-check. If you’re breathing from your diaphragm, your hand will rise and you’ll see your lower abdomen (diaphragm) moving downward and outward.

        Note: If you find that your chest moves noticeably when you inhale, you’re probably still breathing from your chest. Try inhaling a few more times until you notice your lower abdomen move downward and outward without a lot of chest movement. When you have done this, move on to the next step.

        4)    Pause for a count of two.

        Congratulations. You did it! The more you practice deep breathing, the easier it will become, and the more natural it will feel. Don’t give up if you don’t feel the effects in a few days. It will work. Just keep practicing over the weeks and months. Any time you start to feel anxious, you can simply practice deep breathing and lead your body into relaxation. Make it a part of your lifestyle, either alone as part of your yoga, meditation, or other relaxation routine.  

        If you’re interested in learning more you’ll find 30-minutes of deep breathing and relaxation exercises in the Conquer Anxiety Success Program.