In my work, I see many people struggling with anxiety, lack of sleep and burnout, often putting others and work commitments above their own needs. They come to me to find out techniques to calm down.

Many of us are familiar with feeling stressed, multi-tasking and sometimes running on empty with little time for ourselves. Left unchecked, this can have a detrimental effect on mental health and happiness.

I talk to my clients about the importance of “pressing pause” with a breathing technique which, if it is practised daily, can be a really effective way to calm yourself down very quickly. It’s an easy way to spend a minute or two being mindful.

When we change the pace and depth of our breathing this sends a positive signal to the brain – which then starts to calm down as well. It is the simplest way to modulate the nervous system.

The mind believes what your body can achieve – so you can short circuit feelings of stress and anxiety and create a relaxation response in your own body – and it is so effective.

How 3,4,5 breathing can help you to calm down

I begin every hypnosis session with 3,4,5 breathing which immediately creates calm and is very easy to do. I encourage my clients to practice this every day – which helps them to rebalance and recharge. It also creates a moment to be still and to reflect – to just focus on one task in hand – breathing!

Take a breath in and as you inhale through the nose, let your tummy fill with air for 3 seconds, then hold your breath for 4 seconds and then breathe out for 5 seconds, letting your tummy deflate with air. Just repeat this slowly and feel the tension leave your body as you do it. The more you practice it and give your body and mind regular brakes, the easier you will be able to create your own calm.

Hypnotherapy will also give you the tools to destress and to re-set. Talking to a trained professional will help you to process what is going on for you and give you other coping strategies as well. Another really useful technique I teach is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and involves tapping on acupressure points around the head to help you to feel back in control and calmer.  It’s an empowering tool to feeling better.

Last Thursday, I found myself doing some 3,4,5, breathing whilst on a train. I had experienced a particularly stressful week and realised that my heart was racing when I was sitting quietly in my seat at the station waiting to leave. I just did some 3,4,5 breathing and very quickly I was able to regain my composure and continue with my journey.

Note to self: Book in for some hypnotherapy and invest in some restorative hypnosis which will stop any negative thought patterns…!

If you would like to speak to me about booking an online appointment, please get in touch.