Anxiety and stress can affect the way you breathe. Holding your breath, as well as breathing rapidly or shallowly may be related to chronic anxiety, which can be a symptom of post-traumatic stress. Awareness and regulation of the quality of your breathing can have several positive effects:
So, if during a moment of calm, your exhale takes you to the court of 6, during a moment of emotional upset, you will want to stretch that exhale to the count of 8. Want to make that deep breathing more powerful? Add a Visualization to Increase Your Calm: For some people, it is helpful to pair deep breathing with a calming vision. As you are learning this technique, it may be helpful to visualize a ship floating on the sea. As you breathe in, waves wash up onto the shore and the ship bobs closer. It bobs close enough to the shore that you can clearly see its details: lettering on the bow, the colour of the sails, people on the deck, etc. As you exhale, the waves pull away from the shore and the ship bobs farther out of view. Or you may want to visualize a feather floating in the air, a balloon, and so forth. Because deep breathing involves the pulling of oxygen into the lower lungs first, for some people it is helpful to visualize a jar being filled with water. As the water is poured in, it splashes into the bottom of the jar, then rises to the top, overflowing over the rim and out onto your hands. The jar symbolizes your torso, and the water the oxygen you breathe. Resources: Exhale-plus-2 Idea adapted from Carolyn Costin, MA, M.ED, MFT (2011) Cohen, B. M., Barns, M. M., & Rankin, A. B. (1995). Managing Traumatic Stress Through Art: Drawing from the Centre Haskell, L. (2003). First Stage Trauma Treatment Mate, G. (2003). When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress Sgt. Charles E. Humes (2003). Lowering Pursuit-Induced Adrenaline Overloads http://www.pusuitwatchorg/stories/adrenaline.html
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AuthorSusan Guttridge is a trauma-informed Master level Counsellor with the clinical designation of Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA). She has 20+ years experience providing individual and group therapy. Archives
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