Breathing Exercises for Anxiety

Why Breathing Helps

When you feel anxious, your breathing tends to get quick and shallow, high in your chest. That fast breathing is part of your body's alarm system, and it also keeps the alarm going: quick breaths tell your body that something is wrong.

Slowing your breath down, and especially lengthening the out-breath, sends the opposite message. It is one of the most direct ways to tell your nervous system that you are safe enough to settle. These are the two patterns I teach most often.

The Longer Exhale: In for 4, Out for 6

This is the one I suggest starting with. A longer out-breath helps your body slow down, and there is nothing to hold.

1. 1
   Get comfortable.

   Sit or stand, let your shoulders drop, and rest a hand on your belly if that helps.

2. 2
   Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.

   Let the breath fill your belly, not just your chest.

3. 3
   Breathe out slowly for a count of 6.

   Through your mouth or nose, as if you were cooling a spoonful of soup.

4. 4
   Repeat for one to five minutes.

   If 6 feels like a stretch, try in for 3 and out for 5. What matters is that the out-breath is longer.

Box Breathing: 4-4-4-4

In, hold, out, hold, four counts each. Box breathing is steadying when your thoughts feel scattered, because counting the four sides gives your mind something to hold on to.

1. 1
   Breathe in for 4.

   Picture tracing the first side of a square.

2. 2
   Hold for 4.

   Keep it gentle, with no straining.

3. 3
   Breathe out for 4.

   Slowly, all the way out.

4. 4
   Hold for 4.

   Then begin the next square. A few rounds is enough to start.

Which One to Reach For

• Racing heart, tight chest, or panic building: the longer exhale.
• Scattered, foggy, or unable to focus: box breathing.
• Trouble falling asleep: the longer exhale, lying down, for five minutes.
• Not sure: start with the longer exhale. You cannot get it wrong.

When Breathing Is Not Enough

Breathing exercises calm the body in the moment. If you are having panic attacks, or anxiety keeps coming back no matter how much you breathe through it, therapy can help you get at what is underneath. You can read more about how I work with anxiety.

I offer a free 15-minute consultation, in person in Palos Verdes or by video anywhere in California.

More Exercises

• 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding ExerciseThe 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise: name five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
• Reality Checking an Anxious ThoughtA CBT exercise for weighing the evidence for and against a worried thought.
• How to Timebox Your DayPlan the day in half-hour blocks, priorities first, with room for breaks.