Breathing is the remote control of the mind
With fright, we hold our breath. Breathing is used to control labour, when giving birth. When sad we sigh.
Deep breathing techniques work by stimulating what is known as the Parasympathetic Nervous System. You may have heard of the ‘fight or flight’ response, the Parasympathetic Nervous System is simply the opposite of that (‘fight or flight’ is the term for the activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System) – instead of getting you ready for action, deep breathing activates a natural bodily response that can be described as ‘rest and digest’. Out-breaths decrease your blood pressure, dilate your pupils and slow your heart rate – lowering emotional arousal in the process. Practising a breathing technique a few times a day will lower your overall stress levels in the long term.
7 – 11 breathing
Make your outbreath longer than the inbreath –try to add an affirmation to this ‘ I can do this’
Concentrate on the inhale breath can be a mood booster
When people track their breath, both the insula (taste,sensorimotor process, and pain pathways) and the anterior singulate cortex,
( emotional expression, attention allocation and mood regulation a region of the brain involved in moment to moment awareness were active)
This breathing exercise can reduce stress in the moment
If you practise it regularly, you may also find that it helps you feel calmer generally. The more you practice, the more effective this technique becomes.
How to do 7 – 11 (or 5 – 9) (3 – 7) whichever is more comfortable
Breathe in for a count of 7, then breathe out for a count of 11. Continue for 5 – 10 minutes or longer if you can and enjoy the calming effect.
Make sure you are doing deep diaphragmatic breathing rather than shallower lung breathing. This means
Breathing as deep down into your stomach as you can. ‘Your diaphragm should be moving down and pushing your stomach when you take a breath
What can 7 – 11 help with?
- Relieves stressed feelings
- Struggling with panic attacks
- Having difficulty sleeping
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Feeling agitated or anxious
- Struggling to manage your emotions