Three breathing exercises that actually work

Breathing is the only function of the autonomic nervous system that you can control voluntarily. That is why it is the most direct way to influence a state of anxiety at the moment it appears.

The principle is simple: inhaling speeds up the heart rate, exhaling slows it down. Any technique in which you exhale for longer than you inhale pushes the body towards a state of calm.

1. The 4–6 breath, for general anxiety

The simplest and the best documented.

• Breathe in through the nose, counting to 4
• Breathe out through the mouth, slowly, counting to 6
• No pauses in between
• Repeat for 5 minutes

If 6 is too much at first, use 3–4 and increase gradually. The point is not the effort, but the ratio.

2. The physiological sigh, for a moment of panic

It is the fastest known way to lower arousal. The body does it spontaneously when we cry.

• Breathe in through the nose until your lungs feel full
• Take one more short sip of air on top of the first
• Breathe out long and completely, through the mouth
• Repeat 2–3 times

The second inhale reopens collapsed alveoli and allows carbon dioxide to be eliminated efficiently. The effect is felt in under a minute.

3. Box breathing, for before a stressful situation

Useful before a presentation, an exam or a difficult conversation.

• Breathe in for 4
• Hold for 4
• Breathe out for 4
• Hold for 4, then start again

Do not use it during a panic attack: pauses with full lungs can amplify the feeling of suffocation.

What not to expect from them

Breathing exercises manage a moment. They do not treat the cause.

They are a good first-line tool and work best when practised daily, while you are calm, so that they are available automatically when you are not. But if you need them several times a day in order to function, then the underlying problem calls for an assessment.