Anxiety is everywhere…… fuelled by our modern high-paced lifestyle, sadly most people can connect with feeling a little or a LOT of anxiety as they go about their day to day life.

Harder to find, are simple, effective techniques that work to stem the spiral of anxiety, and prevent it from really impacting your ability to function and perform. 

It is important to understand that the well known “signs” of anxiety - elevated heart rate, dry mouth, sweaty palms, nausea, headache etc are all signs that your nervous system is in an elevated or agitated state - making both physical and mental tasks more challenging than they should be. Recognising the early signs and then actually doing something to unload that nervous system, will have a huge impact on the quality of your life and your ability to achieve the important things in your day, both at work and at play.

These 3 simple techniques are part of the foundation of The BreatheWell Program for sufferers of anxiety (of any level - even those who report “just a bit” of day to day worry about normal stuff):

1 - POSTURE

Good posture is best pictured as “a relaxed, lengthened spine” not the “stiff, upright, rigid” image of the 1960s….. Imagine having a balloon pull the crown of your head towards the roof, tuck your chin in and relax your shoulders gently down. The segments of your spine, should be gently stretched apart from each other….. Your body should feel soft and relaxed. 

Compared to the common posture of someone who is feeling worried or anxious (think shoulders rounded, jaw clenched, mouth open, arms crossed…..), this posture allows plenty more air into your lungs, and most importantly allows your diaphragm to be involved in your breathing. This simple change, allows better gas exchange in your lungs, more carbon dioxide to be retained and your nervous system to be dialled down.

Play around with this approach to your posture and feel the difference - it’s great to get comfortable with changing your posture when you aren’t feeling anxious. It makes it much easier to use as a tool when you need it!

“Just focussing on my posture totally changed my breathing every time…. I never felt I could get enough air when I was worried and anxious before, but now, just using the balloon image, when I correct my posture, I feel air entering the base of my lungs and my worries sliding away” Sally 76 yrs

 2 - BREATHE GENTLY

 With your posture improved, it is much easier to focus on your breathing. Gentle, quiet, even, calm breathing is the goal…… 

When your nervous system is triggered and anxiety or worry is present, bringing attention to your breath allows you to change it. Be very gentle with your approach - small changes will bring good effect.

Work to gently slow your breathing first (you can use counting if that works for you), then move to making your breathing a little quieter…… your breathing should now feel more like a rolling wave than a sharp peak / trough. 

Avoid big, deep breaths as this actually works to reduce your carbon dioxide levels and further inflame your nervous system - just focus on slow, gentle, quiet….. Use your nose if you feel comfortable but mouth breathing is fine as long as you are following the cues of slow, gentle & quiet.

“Changing the approach to the cues I provide my children when they are worked up / anxious has changed our life….. Previously we always suggested taking 3 big, deep breaths to help them calm down - this never really worked! Now we gently remind them to slow down their breathing, to make their breathing like a rolling wave and to use their nose as they begin to calm down. You know it is a success when they now remind me of the same when I get a bit worked up!!” Emily, 51

3 - A SNEAKY PAUSE

Used in the right place in the breathing cycle, a sneaky pause is like using the express lane to move AWAY from worry, anxiety and panic. Even the smallest pause, works to increase the magic carbon dioxide in your blood, which has a calming effect on your nervous system.

The key is to make sure the pause happens AFTER the exhale (or out breath). To start with, the pause should just be 1-2secs, while you focus on keeping your breathing gentle, slow and quiet. As you become more comfortable with the technique, you can make the pause a little longer. The easiest and most effective way to introduce the pause, is to work on a 3 breath cycle - 3 gentle breaths in and out, after the 3rd breath out, pause for 1-2secs and then repeat. Go through the cycle for 5mins and the effect on your nervous system will be significant. 

This is another good technique to practise when you are feeling regulated and calm - it makes it easier to use as a tool when you actually need it. 

“The pause exercise is a tool I use a lot - when I am waiting for an exam or when I am next in line to bat for cricket - I always found my heart racing and palms sweaty…. Using the pause exercise stops that feeling and makes me feel very clear in the head. And nobody knows I am doing it” Toby, 15

Breathing offers many tools to manage, moderate and overcome anxiety - the effect these simple activities have on the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety give some insight into the very close connection between the way we breathe and anxiety. The status and health of our nervous system is undoubtedly connected to the presence and extent of worry, anxiety and panic in our lives. 

The BreatheWell Program is a unique course that combines education with input and support every step of the way to ensure we work at a pace that is perfect for you, to bring your breathing and your anxiety under control. These tools are just a sneak peek at the strategies  taught as The BreatheWell Program guides you through the steps to change your breathing permanently and allow you to step away from anxiety and overwhelm.

Breathing well allows your body to run efficiently and to thrive.  Breathing well is a pleasure and will allow you to achieve so much more with your life.  Breathing well will bring calm to your nervous system and give you the tools to stop anxiety from ruling your life.

If you suffer from anxiety and overwhelm, let’s talk about how we can turn it around.  If you are ready to take control of your breathing and take control of your life, let’s get started!