Expensive: 1 - 5 minutes
When:
- If you feel restless or anxious.
- When you realize that you are being overwhelmed.
Introduction
If you struggle with anxiety, breathing can become a source of worry. These exercises can help you regulate your anxiety better.
Breathing can be considered as energy. Inhalation and exhalation each possess unique energetic qualities and are connected to the cycles found in nature. Honoring the natural rhythm of our breathing is a way to remain present with our body and experiences in the moment.Â
This is how you do the exercise
The exercise that you see in the video below is about drawing the breath and works as follows:
- Grab a sheet of paper and a pen, pencil, paint or any other material of your choice
- Inhale deeply through your nose while holding the pen above the paper.Â
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth while drawing a single line from the top of the paper to the bottom.
- If you have difficulty slowing down and prolonging your exhalation, start on a half-page. As your exhalation becomes longer, you can move on to a larger piece of paper.Â
- Repeat these movements until the paper is filled, or until you feel that it is good enough.
- Lift the pen from the paper when you breathe in. Breathe out and draw a line.
- You can create lines or experiment with making markings that feel soothing. Some other ideas are drawing circles, ocean waves, or rolling hills.
- Study your own rhythm and the depth and length of your breaths, and how they appear on paper.
Background
This exercise was shared by Auke Smit. Auke shares tools through her social media accounts (@YouBlossom) to inspire people to use creative self-expression in their recovery. Her work is based on her personal experience of healing complex trauma and her expertise as a visual therapist.
