Breathing Exercises  

Breathing exercises are an excellent way to help in dealing with stress.

They can be used to help us calm down during actual stressful events or situations (such as when feeling driven to binge eating or purging). And when practiced on a regular basis, they can actually help to increase our resilience to stress.

Why do breathing exercises work?

picture by alyssa l miller flicker.com

Stress alters the way that we breathe. Our breathing tends to become shallow and fast because of the ‘fight or flight’ response produced by our stress hormones.

And if we suffer from chronic stress (which is highly likely for anyone suffering from eating disorders!) then breathing incorrectly can become an ingrained habit.

To check your own breathing style, when either sitting or lying down, simply place one hand on your chest, and the other on your abdomen (belly).

If you are breathing correctly, then you should notice your abdomen and lower ribs area moving in and out more than your upper chest area. This would indicate that you are filling your lungs nice and deeply to the bottom. If your upper chest is rising and lowering more, then this may indicate that you are not filling your lungs as adequately as is needed.

The signs of ‘incorrect’ breathing are:

• Shallow breathing from the upper chest
• Irregular or fast breathing
• Shoulders rising up towards the ears on breathing

This can result in us feeling dizzy; sighing or yawning more; feeling tired or being less able to concentrate well; and being more likely to feel anxious or even start to hyperventilate or experience panic attacks in stressful situations.

Practicing correct breathing exercises on a regular basis can help to reverse this pattern, and increase our ability in dealing with stress.

So here’s an easy and enjoyable breathing exercise that only takes a few moments to learn!:

For a moment, simply focus on your breathing…

Step One: Take a nice deep breath in, while counting in your mind 1… 2… 3……
Hold it just for a moment, and then slowly breathe out through your mouth (taking slightly longer) 1… 2… 3… 4…

As you breathe out, feel all the tension in your body flowing out with that breath.

(Tip: Some people find it helps if they slightly purse their lips on breathing out – it makes you breathe out slower and you can feel the air passing between your lips)

Step Two: Breathe in again 1… 2… 3… pause briefly, and then breathe out nice and slowly 1… 2… 3… 4… 5…… this time letting your shoulders sink down and relax. Many people don’t realise just how tense their neck and shoulder muscles were until they try this.

Step Three: Now on the third breath, as you start to breathe out again, say to yourself softly in your mind ‘SLOW’, or ‘CALM’ or ‘PEACE’ or whatever simple word you find relaxing and calming. Or you may wish to picture a pleasant scene in your mind, or remember a favourite piece of music, or think of a loved one…whatever works for you.

Repeat and continue as long as you want to!

Tip: As you do these breathing exercises, you can again check that you are breathing deeply by placing your hands on your abdomen and chest as described earlier. Try to make sure that you feel your abdomen and lower ribs moving in and out more than (or as much as) your upper chest!

Obviously there is a lot more to dealing with stress than simply learning to breathe correctly, so read through the rest of our pages to learn more.

But hopefully, by learning this simple skill and putting it into practice, the next time you feel you are at risk of binge eating or find yourself in any other stressful situation, you will remember your breathing exercises, (and if possible, take yourself out of the situation if only for a few precious minutes) and practice this simple technique, enabling you to feel calmer and in more control.

So good luck, and happy breathing!