Tag: anxiety

If you are going through anxiety, stress and depression, then it is very crucial to relax. Relaxing doesn’t mean just to sit and watch T.V or play video games. People with anxiety and depression find it difficult to do their daily activities and it makes life difficult at times. You may come through many medications to control this situation or many techniques which might not give you positive results for what you were wishing for.

There is just one simple solution for this problem – just breathe. Yes, breathing is a relaxation exercise which will help to calm down anxiety and depression.

Exercises play a vital role and help you to overcome depression and anxiety and there are so many different forms to do. If you are in a thought to how we can control this condition just by doing exercise, let me help you to clear all your queries about this condition in this article.

How Does Exercise Help To Reduce Anxiety And Depression

According to several studies, exercise will reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Because exercises and other physical activities helps to produce endorphins which are chemicals of brain and acts as pain killers to your brain.

However, stress in your brain has great impact on your body too. If your brain is good then body looks healthy. Regular exercise will not only help you to get rid of anxiety and depression, they will also help you to improve your mood, improve sleep and improve self esteem.

Benefits Of Breathing Exercises For Anxiety

Sudden rise of heart beat because of anxiety may result in panic attacks. So, better breathing will make you to put conscious effort and relaxes your autonomic nervous system and reduces those attacks.

Here are few benefits of these breathing exercises for anxiety and depression.

• It calms down your body system.
• It helps to slow your heart rate automatically by controlling the situation psychologically.
• It’s an effective process to control your heart rate
• It’s free.

Benefits Of Breathing Exercises For Depression

Here are some benefits of breathing exercises for depression:

• It relaxes your body and eases your mind
• Rebalances hormonal state of your body
• It helps to overcome internal chaos and deep rooted fear by calming down your nervous system
• It also helps to eliminate all emotional blocks which is preventing you from maintaining healthy and balanced life
• It plays a major role in healing as well as capable of reducing mental disturbances.

Best Breathing Exercises For Anxiety And Depression

1. Deep Breathing

Deep breathing will help you to calm down and release anxiety from your head to toe. Try this whenever you feel stress is building in your body. You can even combine this deep breathing to meditation to acquire greater relaxation, stress relief and focus.

Deep breathing also helps to slow down your heart rate and naturally reduces the risk of heart attack.

How To Do

Sit on the floor by keeping your back straight, your legs uncrossed and your arms on your knees.

Now take deep and slow breath through your nose for 5-6 times.

Hold on breathe for 2-3 seconds and exhale it through your mouth for 6-7 seconds. Breathe like you are whistling.

Repeat it 10 times.

2. Equal Breathing

Equal breathing will help to balance oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your body. It even calms down your nervous system from anxiety, stress and redirect your focus.

How To Do

Sit straight on floor by keeping your back straight and your legs uncrossed and your hands on your legs.

Inhale and exhale through your nose.

If you start feeling comfortable then extend it. Repeat it more than 10 times.

3. Abdominal Breathing

Abdominal breathing will help to lower your blood pressure and control your heart rate while you are undergoing through anxiety. This breathing technique will take some time to get adopted in order to control your breathe if you find yourself stressed, so take time to practice this technique when you are in cool and calm position.

How To Do

Sit in a comfortable meditative pose, then place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.

Inhale deeply through your nose and make sure to use your lower hand to feel the expand of diaphragm.

Take 6-10 breathe slowly, like each breathe for 20-30 seconds.

4. Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate nostril breathing will help you to balance and maintain calmness.

This technique is as effective as cup of coffee after a stressful and heavy work handling in your brain.

How To Do

Sit on the floor with uncrossed legs and back straight. Now, hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale through left nostril deeply.

When you are at peak stage of inhalation, hold your left nostril through your right ring finger and exhale through your right nostril.

Repeat this breath technique for 3-5 times in a day.

5. Progressive Relaxation

Progressive relaxation technique will help you to calm down and refocus on your work.

How To Do

Sit straight with uncrossed legs on the floor. Close your eyes and try to relax your muscles from toes to head and breathe deeply as you tense or relax your muscles.

Slowly start tensing your muscles,s tart from toes, knees, thighs, then chest, arms, hands and finally neck, jaw and eyes.Inhale through your nose and hold your breath for few seconds like 3-5 while you tense each muscle group. Exhale slowly through your mouth while you relaxing your muscles.

If you feel dizzy while doing this technique, then reduce the holding time to 2 seconds and work up to holding your breathe longer.

6. Guided Visualization

This technique can be done only in places wher you can safely close your eyes and it works well to reduce anxiety and stress.

It will also help to boost feelings of confidence and health.

How To Do

Try to find a quiet and calm place where you can sit comfortably.

Close your eyes breathe deeply and focus on positive and pleasant things which makes you feel good.