How to Take a Deep Breath to reduce anxiety

Can deep breathing reduce anxiety 

and make me happier?

Kathleen Lisson, CMT, CLT

One happiness hack that does NOT work for most people is attempting to calm down by taking a few deep breaths.

Deep, slow breathing can make us calmer and more happy, but many of us are just doing it wrong. We can test ourselves to see if we are breathing right. Take a deep breath.

Wait, did you just open your mouth and take in as much air as quickly as possible? This is very similar to what causes hyperventilation. Deep breathing this way may actually make us MORE anxious.

Now try the 4-7-8 breath. Breath in through your nose for four counts, hold the breath for the count of seven, then release the breath steadily for eight counts with a small sigh or 'whoosh.' Repeat this four times and see if this slow steady type of deep breathing with the nose isn't more calming then the traditional ' Take a Deep Breath' breathing.

Emma Seppala confronts the 'common sense' that we have to work hard, have stress and suffer in order to be successful in this TEDx talk: