Guest post from Priya Thiele LPC, Integral and Bereavement Counselor in Eugene, Oregon
We live in a very stress filled culture and society and most of us have many responsibilities we have to attend to everyday. From the time we wake up till we lay our heads down for the night our time is spent doing things and keeping ourselves busy with activities. We become stressed and overwhelmed at times and our health and sense of well-being can suffer. Too much stress can trigger a fight or flight reaction in the body and our minds experience fear and anxiety. We can relieve this reaction and calm our body and mind naturally with a simple breathing technique.
When we are stressed and anxious our breathing gets shallow and rapid, and we may experience racing thoughts which spin out of control thus further increasing feelings of anxiety and fear. The remedy for this distressing state is to slow down your breathing. There is a connection between the breath and your thoughts so slowing down your breathing slows down your thoughts and calms the body and mind. Notice when you first start to feel agitated or anxious, are you holding your breath or breathing in a shallow manner? Take a moment to stop what you’re doing and take a few deep breaths.
Sit down and bring your awareness to the present and breathe. Take in a long deep breath, bring it down into your belly, do it with me now. Inhale to the count of four, hold for a second then release, release the tension and fearful thoughts, letting them go. Take in another deep breath, hold for a second then release and let go. Do this a couple more times or as long as you need until you feel more relaxed and at ease. You will notice your worries have melted away and in this moment all is well and you are at peace.
If one practices a structured deep breathing meditation everyday then it will become second nature to do this at the first signs of stress and your overall stress and anxiety levels will decrease significantly and you will feel better in body, mind, and spirit.
Priya Thiele is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in adult individual therapy with a holistic perspective which honors the connection of body, mind, and spirit. She holds a Masters of Arts degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Learn more about her on her website www.priyathiele.com.
This Side of the Creek 
Breathing techniques will do magic in reducing Anxiety. Breathing in a proper way will help in making the mind and body fresh and let your stress and anxiety levels go down. Breathe in proper way or else it will show many negative results.