Relaxation Breathing Exercise
Description: In this episode, Melissa and Maribeth (from ADD Professionals) lead us through a breathing exercise to manage stress.
Written Transcript
Today we are going to actually do the relaxation exercise that we talked about last time.
It will help us calm our bodies, gain control of that anxious, overwhelming feeling and allow the logical part of our brain, the pre-frontal cortex, to take control again.
Remember, the goal of this exercise is to get rid of the toxic CO2 in your body and replace it with relaxing Oxygen, thus shutting down the amygdale and that adrenalin pump that keeps you anxious.
Do this several times when you are anxious or upset. Do this exercise regularly throughout the day to keep your anxiety level low, and your logical brain in control
You can do this while driving, while in a boring meeting, before you get up in the morning, before you drift off to sleep – anytime you want to calm your body and engage your logic. I like to do it while listening to a favorite relaxing piece of music. Count with the music.
For this exercise, find a relaxing position, either sitting or standing. Notice what your anxiety level is. On a scale of 1-10, with 0 being asleep and 10 being your worst anxiety, what number would you give yourself as we begin?
You are going in to breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, then hold it for 4 counts, then breathe out slowly through pursed lips, like a whistle, using your diaphragm to blow out all of that bad air, for a count of 8. Ideally, you should do this for 2-5 minutes to achieve maximum effect. Here we go……………..
Breathe in through your nose. 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4
Hold your breath. 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4
Breathe out slowly through pursed lips. 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - 5 - - 6 - - 7 - - 8
Repeat
Now, what would you say your anxiety level is? Most people reduce their number by 2 to 4 points using this exercise.
I hope that this helped you today. Use it often. It will help your life become much more relaxing and in control. Feel free to download this exercise so you can keep it handy to use it as often as you need to.