Breathing exercises are an excellent, quick and easy solution for stress and anxiety relief.  Proper breathing exercises work on anxiety on a physiological level by automatically slowing your heart rate. The effect on anxiety is almost instant.  Because calm breathing is a physiological strategy, this approach is also virtually universally effective for getting anxiety relief. It's hard to go wrong with it!

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When people are anxious they tend to take rapid, shallow breaths that come directly from the chest. This type of breathing is called thoracic or chest breathing. When you’re feeling anxious, you may not even be aware that you’re breathing this way.

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Chest breathing causes an upset in the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the body resulting in increased heart rate, dizziness, muscle tension and other physical sensations. Your blood is not being properly oxygenated and this may signal a stress response that contributes to anxiety and panic attacks.  Using breathing for anxiety can be life changing!