Now more than ever it is important to take time throughout our day to manage stress and stay focused. Remember, due to the circumstances we are all in, it is normal to feel stress and anxiety. Accept it, realize it is normal, and do what you can to stay calm, healthy, and productive. Breathing exercises can be practiced anywhere and are quick, easy, and effective for helping us release anxiety and tension. I encourage you to take at least three, five-minute breathing breaks or more if needed each day. Here are three of my favorite techniques. You can choose to use one each day or mix it up. 

Diaphragmatic Breathing

  1. Sit comfortably in your chair or lie down.
  2. Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach just below your ribs.
  3. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. The hand on your chest should remain still, while the one on your belly should rise and expand into your hand.
  4. Exhale with your mouth open and use your abdominal muscles to press the air out.  The hand on your belly will move down to the starting position. 

4-7-8 Breathing

  1. Sit comfortably in your chair.
  2. Exhale completely with your mouth open.
  3. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
  4. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  5. Exhale completely with your mouth open to a count of 8.
  6. This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle.

Breath Focus

  1. Sit comfortably in your chair.
  2. Close your eyes and take full deep breaths trying to slow the breath down as much as you can.  
  3. As you breathe in, try saying silently to yourself “I am peaceful and calm,” and as you breathe out, say, “I release tension and anxiety.”  Feel free to use any words or phrases that help you.