Hey team! 

I hope your holidays went well, and if not, I’m glad to tell you that you survived them and are here to talk about it!

If you’re here looking for a particular thread, please check out the following: 

* [2020 Umbrella Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxiety/comments/h036q3/2020_umbrella_thread/)
* [Good News Coronavirus Thread 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxiety/comments/ioy7uo/good_news_coronavirus_thread_2/)
* [Coronavirus Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxiety/comments/izpdus/coronavirus_discussion_thread/) 

I’d also like to remind everyone that we have an active Discord server: https://discord.gg/9sSCSe9

I wanted to talk about breathing.  

A very common technique for coping with anxiety is to breathe deeply - you’ve probably heard this or seen it in an infographic.  This is indeed a helpful technique, but unfortunately I don’t think it is explained well and I have often seen users say that it can make their anxiety worse.  This comes as no surprise when in response to anxiety or a panic attack all you hear is “take a breath!”  Great, I’ll do that, thanks.  I’m going to break down the proper technique piece by piece in the hope that it helps someone out.  

When you are anxious many people feel like they are hyperventilating and the answer to that is because you tense up and your breathing becomes shallow and “high up” (your breaths are filling your upper lungs) which makes the anxiety worse.  You are, in fact, hyperventilating, but you can fix this.  You are in control of your breath as much as it may not feel like it in a moment of panic.  

What you want to do is called [diaphragmatic breathing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaphragmatic_breathing) (or belly breaths if you’re a normal person and not in a medical profession).   To demonstrate this, sit up in a comfortable position and place a hand gently beneath your ribs and on your upper belly - concentrate on expanding this area with each inhale.  This is the breathing you are aiming for.  

What we will be doing is commonly called “[box breathing](https://imgur.com/0N53Gah)”.  

Taking belly breaths:

1. Slowly inhale on a count to four (I find through the nose most effective but breathing through the mouth will do you no harm - just keep it slow). 
1. Hold the breath for a count to 4
1. Exhale for a count to 4
1. Hold the empty lungs for a count to 4.  

Repeat until your anxiety eases or your breathing resumes a normal rhythm.  

That’s it!  I hope this explanation helps out someone, I know it certainly helped me.  Practice it when you’re calm and the next time the anxiety ramps up, give it a try.  I’ve also used this technique to steady myself for taking low-light photos and building card towers.  Bonus.  

Love, 

Remy