Breathe in, breathe out: breathwork for mindfulness

A simple breathing technique that helps manage anxiety

Have you ever found yourself breathing very rapidly or even holding your breath when you’re anxious? Between all our obligations – whether it’s work, taking the kids to sports practice, or walking the dog – keeping your breath and heart rate steady might not always be the priority. Fortunately, there is an easy technique for dispelling anxiety by focusing on your breathing and making space for your emotions.

Setting up for success

Whenever anxiety presents itself, it’s especially important to be intentional about setting aside time for mindfulness. It may help to schedule it on your calendar – and put away your phone or pause notifications temporarily! Find a quiet corner of your home, office, or even your car during your commute to work. If preferred, put on some relaxing music that will ease you into a more restful or focused state. While these suggestions aren’t a requirement, they do limit the possibility of distractions.

How to practice breathing mindfully

Now that you have created a comfortable environment, you’re ready to begin. This breathing technique therapists commonly recommend to address anxiety is actually quite simple. It can be summarized into two steps:

Inhale

As you breathe in, think “I am breathing in _____” (fill in the blank with a positive idea or concept, perhaps a quality you want to see more of in your life)

Exhale

As you breathe out, think “I am breathing out _____” (fill in the blank with a negative idea or concept, often the opposite or a quality you want to see less of in your life)

Here are some quick examples of how to use this technique:

 

Inhale – I am breathing in confidence

Exhale – I am breathing out fear

 

Inhale – I am breathing in joy

Exhale – I am breathing out grief

 

Inhale – I am breathing in peace

Exhale – I am breathing out chaos

 

We’ve made a graphic to help you with this exercise – click here to save it for your next session.

As you repeat this breathwork, you may choose to focus on one pair of concepts or even jot down a list similar to the examples above. The beauty is that once you get into the habit of practicing breathwork, you can employ this technique whenever you feel anxiety creeping in. Inhale, breathe in calmness; exhale, breathe out anxiety. It doesn’t require expensive resources, it’s easily accessible, and like any muscle that grows with exercise, strengthens with use over time.

A note on anxiety disorder

Increased speed or shortness of breath are subconscious responses our body has to stressors. This exercise, as straightforward as it may seem, causes you to slow down your breathing to a consistent pace. Simultaneously, it’s a way to recognize the emotions and thoughts that are currently top of mind. Feelings aren’t always rational, but when we become more aware of them and how much mental real estate they occupy, we will be better equipped to work through them.

This form of mindful breathing is deeply personal to me (Evelyn/Growth and Marketing) because years ago, I struggled with severe panic attacks due to work-related stress. I would wake up hyperventilating and most likely suffer another episode or two throughout the day. Thankfully, through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), I was able to work with a therapist on my anxiety – which is where I learned this breathwork technique. It helped me better manage the panic attacks and gave me a valuable tool that I could use anytime it was needed.

While I no longer struggle with severe anxiety, the practice of breathing mindfully while making space for emotions is still useful. If you, however, have chronic anxiety or panic attacks, I highly recommend seeking out professional assistance, either through an EAP or other local resource. Hearing a different perspective can be eye-opening as well as learning practical steps that are specific to your situation. Although asking for help can be humbling, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

On that note, Savor Lining offers mental fitness classes for teams of 50 or more to help people recognize and address topics like “Understanding Anxiety” – all taught in a workplace setting. In fact, one out of every two employees’ first interaction with a licensed therapist is through Savor Lining! If your organization is interested in offering such a class, simply reach out to us and we’ll be in touch.