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Breathing: stress vs relaxation

The way we breathe can set off a cascade of physical changes in the body that promote either stress or relaxation.

Breathing impacts the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branches of our nervous system, and certain techniques can promote more parasympathetic calm and relaxation. Some may also cause us to release hormones like prolactin and possibly oxytocin, the feel-good hormone of love and bonding.

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@alexandrak

created an idea from a article:

BERKELEY

Is the Way You Breathe Making You Anxious?

greatergood.berkeley.edu

MORE IDEAS FROM THE SAME ARTICLE

Breathing and anxiety

We have become pretty bad at the most basic act of living: breathing. We breathe through our mouths and into our chests, and we do it way too fast.

Fast breathing

Breathing fast can act as a trigger for people with anxiety causing symptoms that often accompany panic attacks, but you can use that to your advantage.
When you breathe fast and start to feel symptoms that you normally associate with anxiety, it may help you re-interpret those sym...

How to breathe better

Many of the techniques that have been formally researched are derived from pranayama, yogic breathing that dates back to ancient India:

How breathing can calm us

Instead of trying to think yourself out of feeling anxious, you can do something more specific: breathe slow or fast, in a particular rhythm, or through a nostril; this can work as an instant relief.