A breath for stop anxiety

Introduction

The aim of the exercise is to help you calm down a troubled, restless mind. By giving your mind a task – to follow the breathing rhythm and to count – the attention focus is bound, and therefore it is impossible to continue a thinking process full of worry. By calming down your thinking, your body relaxes as well. Only in relaxation (parasympathetic activity in your nervous system) the energy is restored.

This exercise will help to focus a troubled mind and gradually calm down. Anxiety is characterized by intrusive thoughts which are hard to control, therefore, switching your attention to follow your breathing and counting at the same time, can be a useful tool for taking the control over the state of your mind. The objective of this exercise is to count eight inhales and exhales in multiple cycles. During the first cycle, counting every inhale and exhale will be done in at a more intensive speed, but will gradually become slower. It is important to attach your attention to counting and adjust the counting speed so that it is comfortable for you. If you notice that you have mixed up the counting rhythm – start the cycle all over again. If you feel secure and comfortable in the place where you are, close your eyes.

Instruction:

• Sit down comfortably, breathe in more deeply and allow yourself to relax;
• Let all the sounds and noises around you stay in the background;
• Slowly, turn your attention to breathing… notice your inhale and exhale… if it is hard to feel the breathing motion, put one palm on the stomach, the other – on the chest;
• Count eight breathing-in and breathing-out cycles, accompanying every inhale and exhale with counting;
• Breathing in – one one one, breathing out - one one one; breathing in – two two two, breathing out -  two two two etc. till eight;
• Breathing in – one one, breathing out - one one; breathing in – two two, breathing out -  two two etc. till eight;
• Breathing in – one, breathing out - one; breathing in – two, breathing out -  two etc. till eight;
• Breathing in – feel the breathing, at the end of the exhalation, count – one, breathing in - feel the breathing, at the end of the exhalation, count – two etc. till eight;
• Calmly observe your breathing, the sensations in your body and observe the state of your mind at this moment;
• Breathe in a bit more deeply, pay attention to the weight of your body, move a little, open your eyes and stretch;