Using Breathing to Manage Anxiety

[chief07]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to this site, but thought I would share something I've found very helpful in managing my own anxiety on a day to day basis.

Firstly, a little bit about me. I've suffered from general anxiety for 2-3 years now, and I've tried a range of techniques to either avoid or manage my anxiety, with mixed results. I tend to feel anxious mostly in the evenings (no idea why) and it's especially bad if I have to travel away from home. Travelling abroad is basically a non-starter for me, something I'd love to be able to overcome, and even travelling that doesn't involve an overnight stay can bring on anxious feelings.

Anyway, after trying a range of techniques, I've found that deep breathing - often termed 'diaphragmatic breathing' - is particularly helpful in managing certain symptoms. I'm sure this isn't news to many of you, but I thought I would share it anyway for those who perhaps haven't tried it for their own anxiety. You can find a guide to breathing this way <a href="anxietybc.com/sites/default..., and hopefully that's helpful to at least one person out there!

I would love to hear about any techniques other people use to prevent or manage anxiety attacks, as I'm always eager to try new things. So if you've got something that works, please share!

[chief07]

Sorry, I tried to put the link in the post and obviously got it wrong. Here's the URL as the one above doesn't work:

anxietybc.com/sites/default...