Emily Wilcock
Writer and expert9 months ago
There’s very rarely such a thing as a quick fix when it comes to mental health, but figuring out ways to manage, no matter how small, is a vital part of wellbeing.
Nearly everyone will experience anxiety at some point in life. One particularly effective strategy for dealing with symptoms of anxiety is breathwork. If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, taking a few minutes to consciously regulate your breathing can help to keep a lid on things. The best thing is it’s so easy, takes so little time, and requires absolutely no equipment.
Pursed Lip Breathing
- Inhale through the nose for two seconds.
- Hold your breath for one second.
- Exhale through pursed lips for four to six seconds.
Box Breathing
- Inhale for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for four seconds.
- Exhale for four seconds.
- Hold for four seconds.
- Repeat the cycle.
4-7-8 Technique
- Inhale deeply for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for seven seconds.
- Exhale slowly for eight seconds.
- Repeat the sequence.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril for four seconds.
- Close the left nostril with your finger, briefly holding your breath.
- Open the right nostril and exhale for six seconds.
- Inhale through the right nostril for four seconds.
- Close the right nostril and hold briefly.
- Open the left nostril and exhale for six seconds.
- Repeat the cycle once or twice.
Take Home Message
These simple breathing techniques can be really useful tools for managing your mental wellbeing. Next time, you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, take a few minutes to help restore yourself to calm.
Emily Wilcock
Writer and expert
After completing an internship with Myprotein, Emily returned to university to finish her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing.
With experience in lifestyle writing, Emily aims to entertain and educate through her work. Her focuses include recipes, real and inspiring stories, and working with writers to help provide easy-to-digest evidence-based research.
Her work on recipes has been previously featured in The Supplement magazine, with a particular focus on high-protein, nutritious meals, plus advice on how to properly fuel your body.
Outside of work, Emily’s top priority is food. She’s a self-professed star baker and a connoisseur of all things baked. In her spare time, she’s either cooking up a storm, our looking out for the opportunity to try out Manchester’s newest restaurants. But as a huge fan of carbs, if it’s not pasta or pasta-adjacent, she’s not interested.
If she’s not in the kitchen, she’s tucked up with a book for an early night, or you’ll find her in the gym working up a sweat. Afterall, all those carbs require quite the appetite.
