There are so many good things that come from learning and practicing slow, relaxed, abdominal breathing that once you've experienced the benefits, you will keep this technique close at hand to help you in any stressful situation that leads to increased anxiety.
The benefits of abdominal breathing are plentiful. On top of decreasing muscle tension, it lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, which are two of the most common symptoms experienced by individuals who have panic and anxiety disorders. It also reduces the stress response and lowers the levels of cortisol steroids in the body, which tend to flood the system when a stress response is present.
In addition, slow relaxed breathing releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve mood. It also helps to reduce insomnia and improve sleep, as well as improve overall energy. This kind of breathing helps get more oxygen to the lower third of the lungs, which helps overall bodily functioning, muscle tension, and getting needed oxygen into the tissues.
All of the benefits mentioned here are why most people turn to slow abdominal breathing as the first- choice method for reducing symptoms of panic, anxiety, and stress. It requires no pills, gadgets, tools, or devices and costs nothing at all. It is readily available and can become your number one mindfulness exercise with the fastest results.
So, using the link above, travel back to the first entry of this blog from ten years ago and see what you can do with your breathwork. It's one way to gain more control over your symptoms and see for yourself the results of slowing your breathing.
"Breathing in I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile." ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Thanks to karoly czifra for the great photo, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
