Chronic pain and chronic illness can be from a disruption in our nervous system. Shallow, quick breathing is keeping our body in a sense of panic, or fear.

Are you experiencing anxiety, pain, stress, overwhelm? If you are like most people, the answer is yes. These emotions are very normal and common with every day stressors. Learning how to cope with stress can be very challenging. Our brain and body together are very powerful, and at times, we can feel like we are spinning out of control.

A simple strategy I use with my functional health coaching clients to help them get in control of their brain and body is deep breathing.

What is deep breathing?

Deep breathing is the act of taking in a deep breath, feeling your stomach expand, and releasing the air slowly and gently out of your mouth. It’s important to note that feeling your stomach expand is truly deep breathing and if you experience this, you’re doing it right.

It may seem simple, it may seem small, but the practice of deep breathing can relax the body, and break the cycle of chronic pain and change your quality of life.

How do I know if I am doing it right?

Place one hand on your chest, and one on your stomach. When you take a deep breath, you should notice your hand where your stomach is, moving. If you hand where your chest is moving, you are not doing it correctly. This is called accessory breathing. You are using your accessory muscles to breath which is not allowing your diaphragm to fully drop and the lungs to expand.

I can’t get it right.

If you are sitting in a chair and performing this action and it just isn’t clicking. Lay on the floor and complete. Many times, my clients have greater success lying on the floor. If you are someone who is very stressed and anxious, you may rarely deep breathe, so the accessory muscles are the first line of defense. Really concentrate and focus on trying to allow the belly the expand. It takes practice, but remember, you are in control, and you can do it.

I think I got it, now what?

Now that you got it, let’s talk about the breathing. The idea is to breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. You should ultimately breathe out twice as long as you breathe in. For example, 2 second breathe in, 4 second breathe out. 3 second breath in, 6 second breath out.

The number of seconds is not that important, you don’t want to do 1 second in and 2 seconds out, that is too fast. But any other is good. See what feels good and comfortable.

My air is coming out too fast

The term “pursed lip breathing” is what will be used when releasing the air. Think, “blowing out birthday candles.” You have to purse your lips and blow. This will decrease the amount of air being pushed out. Remember, don’t forget to count the breaths in and out.

Okay got it, now what.

Now you’re an expert. Practice makes perfect. You have to do it correctly because if you practice the wrong thing, it can actually create permanence. We want you to practice so it’s perfect, not the wrong thing. Complete for roughly 2 minutes, close your eyes, and relax. It’s important to relax the body when experiencing chronic pain and anxiety. Being in control of your body is most important to remember. This will keep you in control, keep you calm, and reduce your pain.

After you’re done, you should feel a sense of calmness and relaxation. You just relaxed your nervous system which means you are in control of your body and you can control the chronic pain you are experiencing.

You just told your nervous system you are in a safe place, everything is calm, and you can now be at peace.

This is extremely powerful because not only will this calm your body, you will feel like you have a sense of control with how your body is responding. When our nervous system isn’t firing the way it is supposed to, we need to take control, and calm the nerves.

So every day, take a deep breath for 2 minutes (or whenever you’re feeling flustered, anxious, or lacking control of your body), be consistent, and see some change and feel in control of your body.

Deep breathing in 2 minutes in steps

• Step 1) Find a comfortable spot, sitting or lying down and close your eyes
• Step 2) Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. This will help you gauge if you are doing the exercise correctly
• Step 3) Take a deep breath. Notice if your hand on your chest is rising or your hand on your belly. If on your chest, keep trying to make the belly rise. This is the diaphragm dropping and allowing your lungs to fully expand. Keep trying if it doesn’t come right away. You may need to change positions if you aren’t able to perform in the current position you are in
• Step 4) Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Make sure you purse your lips (pretend you are blowing out birthday candles). There’s a saying, “smell the roses and blow out the candles.’ That is the motion you should be performing
• Step 5) Breathe out twice as long as you breathe in. Example, a 3-second-deep breath in, should be 6 seconds out.

Focus on the breath, and perform for 2 minutes. If at any point you get dizzy or light headed, stop and breathe normal.

You are on the path to full body control, improved relaxation, decreased stress and feeling flustered, and most of all, beginning to feel like yourself again.