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Did you know that one of the most effective calming exercises you can perform is deep breathing exercises?! Getting overwhelmed can trigger your fight, flight, or freeze response. This response activates your sympathetic nervous system and sends oxygen to your arms and legs so that you are prepared to fight or flee. The side effect of this is that oxygen is diverted away from your brain which makes it difficult to think clearly.
Deep breathing activates the other part of your nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, which sends a signal to your brain to tell your anxiety that you are safe and don't need to fight or flee. Deep breathing also gets more oxygen to your thinking brain and frees up mental energy. The best part about deep breathing is it is something you can do anywhere and
any time!
Two strategies for deep breathing are 3-4-5 and hand breathing! To learn more check out the handouts provided by Galaxy Brain and Therapy Center!
