Deep Breathing
This calming exercise is guided by an animated image that inflates and deflates. You can adjust the overall speed until it feels comfortable.
What is Deep Breathing?
Deep breathing is a calming technique that involves slowly breathing into your stomach area while ensuring your “out” breath is slightly longer than your “in” breath.
How do Deep Breathing techniques help?
The timing of the out-breath being slightly longer than the in-breath results in your heart rate slowing down which can create feelings of being more calm and relaxed.
FAQs
Why should I do breathing exercises?
Breathing exercises are a simple way to relieve anxiety and reduce stress, which you can do absolutely anywhere without anyone noticing. It just looks like you’re breathing normally. The more you practice Deep Breathing, the more it will become a habit, which means you will feel a general sense of calm as you go about your everyday life.
What are the benefits of deep breathing?
Deep breathing can help calm you down and reduce stress.
Deep breathing can help reduce and manage aches and pains for some people.
Deep breathing can help to reduce your heart rate.
Try Deep Breathing now
Small Steps Toolbox
These tools have been developed to help with feelings of anxiety, stress, or low mood. Each tool only takes a few minutes. Health and wellbeing is an ongoing journey - so try them out and see what works for you.
Balancing Mood
This tool can give you insight into how what you’re doing affects your mood, and recommends activities that can improve how you’re feeling.
Understanding Loneliness
Loneliness is a common feeling we all get from time to time. The tool asks you when you feel lonely and gives insights on why or what you can do about it.
Mindful Watching
During this mindfulness exercise, you’ll be guided by relaxing audio to calmly notice different visual aspects of images and apply this to your surroundings.
Reframing Thoughts
This tool can help to identify unhelpful patterns in your thoughts and beliefs and reframe them over time to help you feel better and make decisions that support your overall sense of wellbeing.
Improving Sleep
Improving Sleep is a quiz that helps you explore the things you can do or avoid that can lead to a better quality sleep. There are a variety of tips available so you can choose something that suits your lifestyle.
Identifying Signals
During this exercise, you’ll be guided to identify sensations in your body that you often experience when feeling upset. You can use these as signals to react differently, use a tool, or engage in self-care.
Supporting Others
Supporting Others gives you tips on what you can say or do when you’re helping someone who’s going through a hard time.
Gratitude Practice
Learn to appreciate the small things in life through practising gratitude. Doing this regularly can help lift your mood and make you feel happier.
Muscle Relaxation
Teach your body how to relax better through muscle relaxation. The key is learning to apply this skill in everyday life to the entire body so that you’re not tensing muscles when you don’t need to.
Active Listening
This skill involves fully focusing on what a person is saying, rather than selectively hearing. In this exercise, you’ll practice listening and develop an awareness of when you’re not paying attention.
Building Self-Worth
This tool helps you on your journey to gain self-worth. Go through the Building Self-Worth card deck for energetic, reflective, or inspirational activities.
