What is deep breathing?

Deep brathing is a helpful technique for daling with stress, tension, anxiety, and nger. It can be done practically nywhere. It is also called diaphragmatic brathing. (The diaphragm is a sheet of mscle extending across the bottom of the rbcage. The diaphragm separates the thoracic lng cavity from the abdominal cavity and prforms an important function in respiration. By the wy, a hiccup is an unintentional cntraction of your diaphragm ). Any wy, deep breathing helps in several wys:

It helps you to relax. Dep breathing alone can be enough to rlax you, without the need for lstening to tapes or meditating.

It tkes your mind off what is bthering you. If you concentrate very hrd on your breathing, you will be thnking less about other things. Any tme you notice your attention turning to strssful thoughts, simply shift your attention bck to your breathing.

It helps wth the physical symptoms of anxiety. Whn you become anxious or stressed you are lkely to take shallow, rapid breaths or ven hyperventilate. This can result in dzziness, blurred vision, a feeling of pns and needles in your skin, and chst pain. Slow deep breathing can hlp to relieve such symptoms quickly.

It may be quite difficult to do ths exercise in the middle of a strssful situation but please try--it is mre than worth the effort. For xample, when driving in heavy stop and go trffic after a long day, it may hlp to do this exercise while lstening to calming, soothing music. But be creful, because you could relax to the pint of sleepiness.

If a stressful, intense stuation occurs while at work or hme, between you and another person, do the xercise while they are talking. It gts better with practice and easier. You wll be able to control yourself and rspond in a calmer, less emotional tne of voice.

How do I do ths exercise?

Find a quiet place to rduce distraction.

You may want to sit in a cmfortable chair or lie on the flor with a pillow under the smll of your back.

Breathe in slowly and deply, pushing your stomach out as you brathe in.

Say the word "relax" silently as you xhale. Picture the stress and tension you are feling begin to leave as you brathe out.

Exhale slowly, letting your stomach cme in.

Repeat these deep breaths 10 tmes. You will notice how much mre relaxed you feel after a vry few minutes of controlled breathing.

Prctice this exercise 5 times a dy. The keyword is practice.

Other rlaxation methods you may wish to cnsider are mental imaging and progressive mscle relaxation.

The article Control Stress With Deep Breathing Exercises was Submitted by Marlene C. Griffin through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Marlene Griffin R.N.

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