Breathing.

It’s something we do all day without thinking about it. Our body is pretty amazing in that way, in how it knows what to do to keep us alive. In fact, it is so good at this, that when it senses a threat it automatically follows a protocol to help us stay alive:

• our pulse increases

• our breathing speeds up

• our adrenaline rushes

• our senses are heightened

This protocol is great when you need to take action quickly to stay alive, but quite the opposite when there is no real or present threat to take action against. When our body runs the “stay alive protocol” in the context of no physical threat, it results in adrenaline that has nowhere to go. The unnecessary adrenaline swirls around inside us and becomes the feeling we call anxiety.

So why is breathing the most important coping skill in that scenario?

It is the only part of the “stay alive protocol” that we can physically control and change. We cannot directly control our pulse, adrenaline, or sensitivity of our senses, but we can directly control our breath. When we slow down our breath sends a message to the rest of our body that we are safe and the “stay alive protocol” was a false alarm.

In order to fully benefit from deep breathing there are a few important considerations:

1)Body Position

Your body will naturally feel safer in certain positions other than standing, which may be laying down or sitting on the floor with your back against a wall. By changing your position you can emphasize the message your deep breathing is trying to send your body. Learning what positions feel most safe to you is very helpful for deep breathing.

2)Focus

If your body is taking in more new information (sights or sounds for example) while you are trying to calm down, it will make it harder to convince your body that you are safe. As much as possible, try to restrict input of new information. Different ways you can do this include finding a quiet space, using noise cancellation headphones, or closing your eyes.

3)Time

The benefit of deep breathing is not immediate. It takes some time for this message to be received and understood by the rest of the body. When you breathe in air it first will fill your lungs, and then it will enter your blood stream in the form of oxygen. Once in your blood stream, the oxygen will pump through your heart and from there it will be sent out to the tissues in your body that are in need of oxygen. This can take at least 5 minutes to feel a noticeable difference, but if you can do more than 5 minutes, you will feel even better!

Remember, deep breathing is helpful at any time, not just when we feel anxious or panicked, and it is easier to access in intense times if we have already practiced during calm times.

~Nadine