Breathwork To Calm Your Anxiety & Panic
Simply put, breathwork is the practice of taking our breath from an unconscious to a conscious state. Here at Everyday Phenomenal, we love breathwork, and we love using different styles for different moods and different days. Whether you want to start your day off right, calm your anxiety, or slow down panic, we have just the right techniques for you.
How To Start Your Day
If you can function for a few moments before you sip your first coffee, 10 minutes of Wim Hof breathing is the perfect way to kick-start our day. This will increase your energy levels, alkalize the pH level in your blood, speed up your metabolism, and push toxins out of your body—all before you roll out of bed.
Here’s how:
- Laying down, close your eyes and breathe in and out of your mouth.
- As you inhale, push your belly button outwards to encourage diaphragmatic breathing.
- Inhale and exhale 20 to 40 times, and then hold your breath for 30 seconds.
- After 30 seconds, take one more big inhale, and hold your breath again for 15 seconds.
- Repeat this two more times for a total of three rounds. You will be buzzing!
How To Manage Panic
When we’re in panic mode, our hormones become dysregulated, and our cortisol levels go way too high, which causes the symptoms of panic. When you feel this coming on, stop whatever you’re doing, and start breathing intentionally.
The 4-7-8 breathing method will quickly grab a hold of our cortisol levels so we can combat the panic.
Just follow the steps below:
- Begin the breathing method by inhaling deeply from the diaphragm for four seconds, followed by a big breath held for seven seconds.
- Slowly exhale for eight seconds.
This technique may feel difficult at first, but the breath hold and long exhale are the key to success. It awakens our parasympathetic system, which is exactly what we need in moments of panic.