Stress, panic and anxiety can lead up to a full-blown panic attack which could leave you feeling out of sorts for the rest of your day. However, a timely intervention with a research-backed breathing technique can help get you back on the path to composure and calm.

By Nina Sabat, BScHons Dip NT

What’s happening in your body when you’re panicked or stressed?

Whenever you’re severely stressed, anxious or panicked there are distinctive physiological changes in the activity of your nervous system.

How does this make you feel?

As your adrenaline surges you enter a state of increased arousal and heightened awareness. Your breathing becomes shallower and faster. Maybe your muscles tense up - there tends to be much more overall tension in the body. If your digestive tract is affected, it might even feel like you have a belly full of butterflies or rocks. In addition, your focus may become strangely altered – either laser sharp, planning a route for a speedy escape, or foggy and confused, as you try to get a grip on all that's going on.

Eventually, as you come out of this tense and extreme state, all of this starts to calm down. Your stomach relaxes, your shoulders drop, your breath gets deeper - inhalations and exhalations become longer and slower, and you return to a more neutral state. 

The health benefits of breathing exercises

Typically, when you’re relaxed you take deep, slow breaths. This is the state you’re aiming to return to after a period of emotional stress and challenge. Diaphragmatic breathing techniques (and other techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and mindfulness-based stress reduction) are scientifically proven to help. [1] In essence, breathing techniques work like a trail of breadcrumbs, helping you stop any fast, shallow breathing and get back on the path that results in calm.

Deep breathing exercises provide other health benefits, including slower heartbeat, more stable blood pressure, reduced abdominal tension and a reduction in your feelings of anxiety and stress. 

It’s pretty powerful stuff. 

Consider that women in the middle of early labour experienced less stress, less anxiety and took less medication when they practiced a modified breathing technique, 3 times a day for just 3 days. [2]

The long-term advantages of regular breathing exercises

Although stress-busting breathing techniques can have immediate benefits, perseverance works.

In one study, after practicing slow alternate-nostril breathing for 3 months, participants perceived less stress. [3]

In a different study where a group of students practiced slow breathing for 3 months, their autonomic function improved. As the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system increased and the sympathetic nervous system decreased, they had a steadier heart rate, and their hearts returned more quickly to a regular rate of beating. [4]

Such vagal tone is believed to form the physiological base through which your breathing and emotions connect.

Diaphragmatic breathing - where you breathe low into your belly rather than high into your chest - is another type of slow breathing exercise. In this case, after 8 weeks of practice the test subjects had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In addition, they were able to sustain their attention for longer periods and had an improved experience regarding negative emotions and their sense of self. [5]

Let’s look at some of the different breathing techniques to help you destress, calm, and reset.

Breathing Techniques to Destress, Calm and Reset

Getting started with diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, is one of the simplest breathing techniques you can do. It’s also less obvious, say compared to alternate nostril breathing, so is something you can do comfortably outside of your home.

• Start by getting comfortable. Loosen any restrictive clothing and find a good position - standing, sitting, lying down. Whatever your position, rest your feet on the floor. You might even take your shoes off if the desire strikes.

• Place one hand on your chest, and the other on your belly.

• Now inhale through your nose. This won’t cause you to puff up your chest, instead the breath travels down lower, to your belly, which will gently expand.

• Breathe out slowly, this time through your lips. Your belly will fall, and your chest will remain quite still. you can imagine the tension and stress as a cloud of smoke and as you breathe out it swirls away.

• This is the breathing pattern to repeat for a few minutes, or until you feel more calm.

As you do your belly breathing you could also choose to add in a count. The next exercises show just how this works.

A calming breathing technique: 4 – 7 – 8 Breathing

The beauty of this breathing technique is that it’s very simple. You just need to be able to count to 8. In fact, as you’re reading why not give it a go?

• Sit down or stand comfortably, whichever you prefer. You could also close your eyes but that's not absolutely necessary.

• First, inhale for four seconds – breathing in for four, three, two, one.

• Next, hold your breath for seven seconds – seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

• Finally, exhale for eight seconds, taking your time and keeping things slow – eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

You repeat this cycle - inhaling for 4 counts, holding your breath for 7, exhaling slowly for 8 - for as long as you need. If it takes five minutes before you feel calmer and more composed, that’s absolutely fine. 

While you’re breathing you can reinforce the calmer connection with your body, by actively letting go of tension with each breath.

• As you inhale, try blinking and softening your gaze.
• As you hold your breath you might gently circle your head or tilt it from side to side.
• And as you exhale lift your chest and drop your shoulders, moving them away from your ears.

An easy breathing technique for relaxation: 3 – 4 Breathing

If you’re new to breathwork, or are recovering from a respiratory illness, a shorter counting pattern can be more comfortable to do. In fact, you don’t have to be too rigid with your counting. The key point to remember with this relaxing breathing technique is to have a longer exhale.

• Sit comfortably, inhale for three seconds and then exhale for four.
• Repeat until you feel calm

A multi-sensory technique to help you reset: 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 breathwork

This third technique includes breathwork but there's also observation too. So, instead of just having your eyes closed or looking outwards unintentionally as you breath, this technique requires you to take notice of your external environment as well.

• Take a slow breath, followed by another one. Now you’re ready to begin.
• The first thing is to acknowledge five things that you can see.

So immediately you’ve shifted your attention from the internal to the horizon outside. Instead of dwelling on what’s happening in your mind and to your body, you're simply looking and observing. In fact, there are no judgements to be made, you're just asking yourself: what can I see?

For example, I can see my laptop and my external monitor. There’s a bookcase to my right. If I turn to look out the window, I see blue sky and trees.

• Next would be to acknowledge four things that you can touch.

If you’re inside you might walk around the room as you reach out and explore. For instance, I can touch the chair that I’m sitting on, feel the fabric of my trousers, touch my hair, a piece of paper and the plump and spiny leaves of my aloe plant.

• Moving on, acknowledge three things that you can hear.

This might be voices in conversation, the sound of laughter, or even the kettle boiling. Sometimes if you're in the city the sounds can be quite loud - horns honking, sirens blaring, cars racing. You could include these, but it could be more relaxing to listen out for the gentler sounds beyond.

• Next, acknowledge two things that you can smell.

This might be soap, flowers, a whiff of your colleague’s perfume.

• Finally, acknowledge one thing that you can taste.

Presumably this will relate to the last thing that you ate or whatever you’ve just drunk. But there will be some taste – peppermint, coffee, tea, garlic - that will be there, just at the tip of your tongue.

Have you noticed how with this breathing technique for beating stress and anxiety that you've worked your way through the five senses? You started with touch, then moved on to sight and hearing, then finished with smell and taste. While doing so, you haven't been trapped inside your perception of your body’s experiences, instead you've involved your body in experiencing the world beyond.

Add a calming scent to your environment

Scent is powerful and can help you change your perspective as more challenging thoughts arise. If you’re practicing breathwork regularly, perhaps for 5 minutes every day, then you can create a calming atmosphere before you begin.

Spritz the air surrounding you, or light a candle, or burn incense with a scent that you find calming and restorative. Over time you’ll begin to associate the smell with deeper relaxed breathing and feeling emotionally supported and calm.

Here are our top recommendations for when you want to destress, relax and reset.

Absolute Aroma’s Relaxation Room Spray 

Revital Pure Lavender Essential Oil

Maroma Ylang Ylang Incense Sticks

Max Benjamin’s Natural Lemongrass and Ginger Candle

Summary

Coping methods like diaphragmatic breathing and alternate nostril breathing are effective evidence-based techniques for managing and reducing anxiety and stress. And as life includes constant exposure to stressors and challenges, there’s even more reason to regularly practice an impactful technique. These are proven ways to destress, calm and reset and quickly regain your composure. Diaphragmatic breathing is easy to learn and simple to practice, even in public. You could gain additional support from adding a count to your breathwork or spraying a calming, restorative scent into the air.

References

[1] Varvogli and Darviri, 2011. Stress management techniques: evidence-based procedures that reduce stress and promote health.

[2] Yu and Song, 2020. Effects of abdominal breathing on state anxiety, stress, and tocolytic dosage for pregnant women in preterm labor

[3] Naik et al, 2018. Effects of modified slow breathing exercise on perceived stress and basil cardiovascular parameters.

[4] Pal et al, 2004. Effect of short-term practice of breathing exercises on autonomic functions in normal human volunteers.

[5] Ma et al, 2017. The effect of diaphragmatic breathing on attention, negative affect and stress and healthy adults.

About Nina Sabat

Nina is a registered Nutritional Therapist and supplement and wellbeing advisor at Revital. She loves exploring the connection between her studies in Neuroscience and Nutrition, especially when it helps her customers and clients unravel their personal health mystery which leads to better stress management and an enhanced state of calm.