Breathe
There are two breathing exercises I highly recommend.
The first is something called a physiological sigh. This is where you take a deep breath in through your nose, expanding your stomach as you inhale; then before you start exhaling, take a short, even deeper breath in to fully expand your lungs; then slowly exhale through your mouth, with pursed lips. Your exhale should be almost twice as long as your inhale. Research has shown that performing this exercise for 5 minutes per day will significantly improve mood and decrease anxiety.1 However, I use the physiological sigh a bit differently. I perform it only 3 breaths in a row, to open up my lungs,2 in preparation for the second breathing exercise, which I describe below.
The second breathing exercise is where you breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, expanding your stomach as you inhale, then breathe out through your mouth for 5 seconds with pursed lips. Breath in and out as shallowly as possible; just enough to satisfy your urge to breath. Do this for 12 minutes in a row, daily. There are plenty of breathing apps available that can help guide you, so you don’t have to count.
Research has shown that slowing your breathing to about 6 breaths per minute increases your heart rate variability:34
Increased heart rate variability indicates lower stress levels, better parasympathetic activation, and it predicts a longer life.5
Slow breathing also lowers your blood pressure.6
P.S. Combine your breathing exercise with the meditation session I discuss in the preceding chapter.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36630953/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16304303/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24380741/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5709795/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36243195/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28725455/