Are you familiar with Deep Breathing for Anxiety?

As an Anxiety Therapist in Bethesda, I know It is completely normal to feel anxious from time to time. However, chronic anxiety or that constant worry about common situations can really interfere with everyday life. Not only that, the heightened stress response can have an impact on our physical body as well.

The Impact of Anxiety on Our Body

When we experience Anxiety, it can show up in our body as: 

• Racing Heart
• Extreme Fatigue
• Increased Blood Pressure
• Upset Stomach
• Breathing Problems
• Loss of Libido

As a Bethesda Anxiety Therapist, I understand that this happens because anxiety triggers the stress response in our body. This stress response is triggered in the brain, signaling to our body that there is a threat. Hormones flood our body and engage our Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) as a way to kick into survival mode. Our SNS is responsible for this “fight or flight” response, which means we experience a burst of energy in order to respond to perceived danger.

When this happens, any function in the body that is not needed for immediate survival gets placed on the back burner. Things like digestion, reproductive hormone production, and tissue repair, are all temporarily paused.

The Power of Deep Breathing

You may have had a close family friend or relative tell you to “just breathe” when you have experienced anxiety. That comment can often feel unhelpful or that they are brushing off your experience. As someone who provides anxiety therapy in Bethesda, I know it can be challenging to tap into deep breathing exercises when we are feeling anxious, however, it may be worth practicing.

This is because our breath helps us to switch from our “fight or flight” response, to our “rest and digest” response. When we practice deep breathing, our Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) gets engaged. Our brain senses we are safe when we slow down our breath, and “quiets” some of the processes in our body that produce anxiety symptoms.

As an Anxiety Therapist in Bethesda, I will often encourage some of my clients to “practice” deep breathing, when they are not in an anxious state. This makes it easier to engage in deep breathing when they ARE in an anxious state. As a side note, these techniques can be helpful in addition to working one on one with a Bethesda Anxiety Therapist.

Ways To Practice Deep Breathing for Anxiety

There are a few different ways to practice engaging your breath so that you can use it as one of your tools to help manage anxiety. Some ideas include:

• Breath Meditation– the goal is to simply focus your attention on your breath for a period of time.
• Yoga– Poses and flows typically align with your breath.
• Different Breath Techniques, such as box breathing– Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds. Repeat for 5 minutes, or as long as you feel comfortable.

Consider if one of these practices may be right for you, in addition to the support from your Bethesda Anxiety Therapist.