paced breathing

Variously called slow, deep, or belly breathing, having a breathing technique that helps us slow down and deepen the breath can help us stay calm when we feel worry is taking over. This technique is useful in the management of panic attacks as well as less intense worry or anxiety.

When anxious, we take shorter, more shallow breaths. This means we end up with too much oxygen in our system and causes hyperventilation leading to light headedness, tingling hands, tight chest and other symptoms. By working with the breath we can reverse this process. 

So, our goal is to slow and deepen the breath. However, I want you to just think about slowing the breath, allow the deepening to happen by itself. 

Let’s Practice: 

Take a moment to check in now, how do you feel? What emotions do you feel right now? 

Now, place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Close your eyes and just notice if your hands move with the breath. Our aim right now is just to notice, to get acquainted with the breath. 

When feeling anxious, we tend to notice the top hand (on your chest) moving but not the lower hand. Or perhaps we don’t feel any movement at all. Our goal is to have the belly-hand move. 

When we take shallow breaths (due to habit or feeling anxious) our body is primed to respond to stressors with anxiety or panic. This means we have less of a buffer before we tip into feeling overwhelmed.

By slowing down the breath, we are able to respond to stressful situations (or thoughts) more calmly. 

Let’s Practice:  Keep reading below, or watch the video and we’ll do it together! 

Sit or lie down. Count how many breaths you take in a minute (60 seconds). 

Write down your number. 

Now count the seconds of your normal inhale and the seconds for your normal exhale. Don’t try and change your breath, just count. How many counts for your inhale? And how many counts for your exhale? 

Ok, again, open your eyes and write down your numbers. One number for exhales and one number for inhale. 

Now, close your eyes again (if you want) and bring your attention back to your breath. See if you can add a count of two in between your inhalation and your exhalation. And again in between your exhalation and your inhalation. (I like to think of these as the top and the bottom of your breath). 

Do this for a few breaths. 

Experiment. If it is comfortable you might like to add another count or two onto your inhalation and exhalation. See what feels comfortable for you. There’s no need to force yourself. You will find a natural pattern or rhythm with time. Also, the more you practice this, the more comfortable and natural it will feel to breath slowly and deeply. You may also notice that your exhalation becomes longer than your inhalation - this is normal, we actually want the exhalation to be longer than the inhalation. 

Place one hand on your chest and the other back on your belly. How are your hands moving now? We are aiming to have the breath travelling down into the belly. (Ok so not literally, but when we are filling the lungs up using the diaphragm this moves our belly). 

Keep counting. 

When you are ready, open your eyes, how to you feel? How do your counts for your inhalation and exhalations compare to when we first started this exercise? 

This technique may be difficult to do in the moment when feeling anxious or overwhelmed when you first learn it. So, practice as much as you can (once or even twice a day even for just a few minutes) when you’re feeling calm.

Once you get the hang of it you’ll find it much easier to use it to help you calm down in the moment too. If it doesn’t work at first, keep practicing when you’re calm, once you get the hang of it, this breathing can make a powerful difference to how you feel. 

Monitor your progress

Download this handout to monitor your progress as you practice paced breathing:

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