Deep breathing.
This is another way in which we can gain control over our breathing and use deeper, slower breaths to help calm ourselves and reduce the feelings of anxiety.

 Try the following deep breathing technique:

• Sit comfortably.
• Place one hand on your abdomen just under your rib cage and the other on your upper chest
• Breathe in slowly through your nose for 4, hold for 4 and release for 4. Go slowly. You should be able to feel your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe.
• The hand on your chest should remain still, while the one on under your ribcage should rise

Breathing.
Anxiety can cause shortness of breath because your body is making preparations to fight its way out of trouble or run from it and prepares by getting more oxygen to your muscles. This is natural but can feel really frightening. Exercises which slow your breathing will signal that there isn’t a threat and your body can therefore stand down.
 
Try the 3, 4, 5 technique to slow your breathing down:

• in for 3
• hold for 4
• out for 5. 

​Move your body.
The mind will follow the body so just changing your space, position or activity can lead to a change in emotions and thinking. Just small shifts in mood can make a difference to the quality of a day.
 
If you are sat down somewhere feeling increasingly anxious then get up and move to a different place or change the activity you are doing. Try a few stretches or some gentle exercise. Go outside if you are inside or vice versa. 

​Much of what I do is about working with anxiety, depression and all the feelings and emotions which come to the surface when life isn’t working out for people. Sometimes, life feels hard, sad or induces fear and unease within us. It is easy to feel out of control or powerless in such situations but there are some simple things which can bring relief. In effect, we can learn to soothe ourselves and be our own cheerleaders when times are tough. These are not fix-all, ‘suddenly it’s all better’ solutions but ways of holding ourselves steady and perhaps seeing our lives and issues from a different perspective.
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Whilst we cannot guarantee to control external events, we can do things to control what and how we feel internally. Beyond the obvious of trying to make sure we eat sensibly, keep hydrated and get enough sleep, there are lots of small exercises which can shift the way we manage our responses to what goes on around us. In the next few posts, I will be suggesting small ways to help ease anxiety and to work with it when it arises.

It is more effective to practice these ideas and set them up when you are not feeling anxious. There is no guarantee that you are going to think clearly when you are anxious so some pre-planning will give you the tools you need. It may take time before these techniques work well for you as our brains tend to learn by repetition.