If you are feeling panicky and find yourself hyperventilating then here are some useful tips to help you slow down your breathing that you can do anytime and anywhere.
Square breathing
Slowing your breathing down is all about focusing.
1. Find a square object such as a phone, computer monitor, bank card or even the palm of your hand.
2. Focus on the top left hand corner and slowly breath in as you slowly move your eyes across the top edge.
3. When you reach the top right hand corner, hold your breath and stop and focus on this for a few seconds.
4. Then slowly move your eyes down to the bottom right hand corner and breath out slowly as you do so.
5. When you reach the bottom right hand corner, hold your breath, stop and focus for a few seconds.
6. As you move your eyes slowly across the bottom to the bottom left hand corner slowly breath in.
7. When you reach the bottom left hand corner, again hold your breath, stop and focus on this for a few seconds.
8. Finally, as you move your eyes slowly up to the start (top left hand corner) slowly breath out.
9. You can start again and do this as many times as you need to in order to slow your breathing down.
The Fishermans Friend
If you are out and about and can’t stop to do your ‘square breathing’ find a sweet that you do not like – I usually recommend Fishermans Friends. Keep these with you and if you start to notice your breathing is speeding up pop one of these ghastly tasting sweets in your mouth and this will help you focus on your sense of taste and will hopefully slow your breathing down in the mean time.