How to Calm Anxiety with Breathing
Feeling anxious? Try this guided deep breathing exercise to calm your anxiety fast. Brizzy guides each breath with soothing visuals.
Anxiety feels like a runaway train. Your heart races, your chest tightens, and your mind spins. Breathing is the emergency brake. It's the only part of your autonomic nervous system you can consciously control.
How to Do Anxiety Relief Breathing
We use a technique that emphasizes grounding.
- Place a hand on your belly: Feel the physical movement of your breath.
- Inhale (4 seconds): Breathe into your hand. Feel it rise.
- Hold (2 seconds): Just a brief pause to stabilize.
- Exhale (6 seconds): Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, like cooling soup. Feel your hand fall.
- Grounding: As you breathe, notice 3 things you can feel (the chair, your feet on the floor, your hand on your belly).
Practice Anxiety Relief Breathing
You can practice this technique right now with our guided visual and audio session.
Benefits
- Interrupts the Panic Loop: Telling your body "I am safe" through breath stops the adrenaline dump.
- Reduces Physical Symptoms: Loosens chest tightness and slows palpitations.
- Reconnects with Reality: Grounding brings you out of "what if" thoughts and back to "what is."
When to Use It
- Panic Attacks: At the first sign of rising panic.
- Social Anxiety: Before walking into a party or event.
- Overwhelm: When your to-do list feels impossible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can't catch my breath? This is common during anxiety. Don't force a deep breath. Start by just focusing on a long, slow exhale. The inhale will happen naturally.
Does this cure anxiety? Breathing is a management tool, not a cure-all. However, it is one of the most effective ways to manage symptoms in the moment.
Can I do this in public? Yes. You don't need to close your eyes or make loud sounds. You can breathe rhythmically in a meeting or on a bus without anyone knowing.