Breathing for anxiety relief

The safest first pattern

Use a 3-second inhale and 6-second exhale for 2 minutes. Keep the inhale small and easy. If counting feels stressful, simply make each exhale longer than the inhale.

Avoid breath holds during intense anxiety unless you already know they feel good for you.

• Long exhale: Signals downshift without requiring retention.
• Nasal inhale: Keeps the breath quieter and less dramatic.
• Grounding: Look at one object while breathing to reduce mental spiraling.

Use breathing with grounding

Pair the rhythm with a sensory task: name five things you can see, four things you can feel and three sounds you can hear.

This gives the mind concrete input while the breath slows the body.

Daily prevention

Practice when you are not anxious. A calm baseline makes the technique easier to access when anxiety rises.

Two scheduled sessions a day are more useful than only practicing during panic.