Breathing exercises are a lifesaver for those who need to urgently improve their well-being, injured due to stress. It is enough to perform the technique for 5-10 minutes to already feel relief. You can refer to them both at home and at work.
Simple breathing techniques against stress will quickly reduce the amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the blood and slow down its production. In addition, the heart rate will normalize, the pulse will drop, anxiety, excitement, and headache will pass. Gradually, the tension in the body will go away, and more oxygen will flow to the brain.
When doing breathing exercises designed to reduce stress levels, you need to be attentive to your condition. If dizziness, nausea, noise in the head, chest pain or other discomfort occurs, the exercise should be stopped.
Three fives method
How to do:
- counting slowly to yourself to 5, calmly take a deep breath;
- hold your breath, again counting to yourself to 5;
- again counting to 5, exhale slowly.
Breathe only through the nose. For more relaxation, it is recommended to close your eyes, straighten your back and lower your shoulders.
Slow breathing technique
Before the exercise, you need to take several rhythmic breaths in and out.
Implementation principle:
- take a deep breath through your nose for 3 seconds;
- hold your breath for a couple of seconds;
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 7.
When doing stress-relieving exercises, it is important to concentrate on your breathing. There should be no pressure or other discomfort in the abdomen, back or chest. All inhalation and exhalation are smooth, unhurried, without tension.
Deep breathing
Exercise will not only help you cope with stress, but it will also give you a burst of energy. It is necessary to perform while sitting, back - straight, shoulders - relaxed, chin should be parallel to the floor.
With your eyes closed, take the deepest possible breath. First, the chest is filled with air, then the diaphragm, the abdomen. After that, the breath is held for 2 seconds. Exhalation is unhurried and prolonged. The air moves from the bottom up: the abdomen and sides fall, the diaphragm relaxes, the chest contracts.
Fractional breathing method
The exercise is done as follows:
- "Fractional" inhalation: the air is inhaled with pauses at the count of 1-2-3-4; one - a short breath and a pause, two - a continuation of the inhalation and a small pause, and so on; breathing is carried out by the nose;
- holding your breath for 2-3 seconds;
- smooth and unhurried exhalation through the mouth.
Breath-holding exercise
Breathing techniques are good for both stress management and fatigue. A short breath in a certain rhythm will invigorate, clear your head, and help you better concentrate on current tasks.
Sitting comfortably, take a long breath and a leisurely exhale, which should be shorter than the inhalation. After a short while, hold your breath and take a deep, smooth breath again. There should be no pause between inhalation and exhalation. The interval between exhalation and inhalation is selected individually, it is important to monitor your feelings and listen to the body.
