“Belly Breathing” for Stress Relief

The holidays are wonderful, but as most of us know, they can also be stressful! Did you know that you can lessen the symptoms of stress & anxiety with your breath? It sounds simple, but for many of us, it isn’t second nature. 

What is belly breathing?

It’s called belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic, or abdominal breathing. Belly breathing allows your diaphragm to fully saturate your lungs with oxygen. Those of you who practice yoga or meditation will find this type of breathing familiar. Most of us breathe only from our chests, unless we are conscious of it, or are in a yoga class that focuses on the breath.

Both types of breathing, chest and abdominal , are useful in our daily lives. Chest-breathing activates our sympathetic, or “fight or flight” nervous system, and causes the body to release cortisol. Chest breathing can be beneficial. There are circumstances when we need to be more alert.

Chest breathing and the risk of over-breathing

However, chest breathing increases the risk of over-breathing, which includes taking short, shallow breaths. Over-breathing can lead to increased symptoms of anxiety. Remaining in a sympathetic state for too long can lead to an over-production of cortisol, and living in a near-constant state of anxiety wreaks havoc, causing fatigue, gut disturbances and exhaustion.

Abdominal breathing and anxiety reduction

Abdominal breathing activates the parasympathetic or “rest and digest” nervous system, which helps us calm down. This is because the action of belly breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. In addition, breathing this way enables our digestive system to work properly to digest, absorb and eventually eliminate food. Simply learning to breathe from our bellies can help reduce the effects of chronic stress, lower our anxiety levels naturally, and enable us enjoy our lives more. Quieting your mind and focusing on being present with your breath makes it easier to find joy during stressful times.

How to belly breathe

Try doing this exercise two to three times a day to start, for five to ten minutes each session. It’s beneficial to do this while seated, but you can also lie down.

Here’s how:

• Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Put one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
• Take a deep breath in through your nose, using your belly. If you find that you have to force this action, imagine breathing down into your feet.
• As you inhale, the hand on your belly should rise. The hand on your chest shouldn’t move.
• Now, exhale through your nose or mouth. You should feel your belly going down, but the hand on your chest shouldn’t move at all.

You can download and use meditation apps like Calm, Simple Habit, and others for your smartphone or computer to help you focus and tune out outside distractions. You may even discover that you enjoy meditating while doing these exercises!

Doing this a few times a day will help calm you down, and it’s good for you, too! Enjoying some downtime this season and performing calming exercises will help you sail through the season with joy!

Reference: Author unknown, “Calm Breathing,” Anxiety Canada, 2018. https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/CalmBreathing.pdf