How To Relax With Anxiety

How To Relax With Anxiety: Diaphragmatic Breathing

Many of us are used to taking shallow breaths, which can lead to hyperventilation and feelings of anxiety. Knowing how to relax with anxiety, and even how to prevent anxiety, means knowing how to breathe properly. Diaphragmatic breathing is a technique that can help to calm your body down in a number of situations.

Diaphragmatic breathing will help to use your whole chest and lungs for deep, relaxing breaths. The diaphragm itself is located at the bottom of your chest, and is a muscle that moves up and down as you breathe. Here is the technique for learning how to relax with anxiety and to use your diaphragm more effectively.

1) Get In Position: You can do this sitting down, but it may help to practice when you're lying down. Get comfortable and place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. This will help you to feel the way you're breathing.

2) Breathe In: Slowly breathe in through your nose and feel your stomach rise as you do. The hand on your chest should not really be moving at all. If it helps, imagine that your lungs are in your stomach, and picture them filling with air. This is the technique that will help you to relax with anxiety.
3) Breathe Out: Now breathe out slowly, through pursed lips if it helps to extend the breathe, and feel your stomach deflating. Again, the hand on your chest should be staying still.

Don't wait until you're anxious to use this technique: it helps to practice it regularly if you want to learn how to relax with anxiety. The more you practice, the more you'll strengthen your diaphragm and retrain yourself to breathe in this way even when you're not consciously trying to.

Diaphragmatic breathing can be difficult when you're not used to it, this is why you may want to lie down the first few times. You may feel tired at first, but keep practicing regularly and things will get easier. Practicing in five or ten minute bursts around three times a day is a good way to start, and it can even help prevent anxiety when you master the technique.

Knowing how to relax with anxiety certainly isn't easy, which is why it's important to stick at it and practice regularly. When you become better at it, diaphragmatic breathing will come more naturally and you'll be able to do it sitting up in a chair. This is also a great way to simply escape from life, stress and have some time to yourself.