Inspiration for this post comes from a practice that brings awareness to our breath. Often when we are stressed or anxious our breathing is shallow. If we consciously focus on deep-belly breathing we settle into our bodies and may find ourselves more relaxed. Why does noticing the breath matter? The breath can serve as an anchor that helps ground us to the present. And remember, that’s where life happens. Projecting or thinking about the future too much can increase our anxiety. Bringing ourselves back to the present through awareness of our body can help decrease that anxiety. By noticing the breath it’s one indication that anxiety may be present and therefore it can be changed by either just sitting and noticing or by using some breathing techniques.

I saw the visual proof of this during my thesis study when I had participants draw their breath when they first arrived into our session. We then practiced mindful breathing and the 4-7-8 breath credited to Dr. Andrew Weil. The practice of 4-7-8 is to inhale to the count of 4, hold one’s breath to the count of 7 and exhale to the count of 8. It might take some practice, but eventually it becomes easier. If you become dizzy at all while practicing this breathing technique, just return to normal breathing. Also, if you find you become more anxious while trying this technique, stand up and move. Your body may not be ready to relax and there’s energy present that needs to be released instead.

Here are two examples from my study. The image on the left is prior to the breathing practice. The image on the right was drawn after mindful breathing was practiced. Notice there is a lot of exhaling with the initial images and this was verbally confirmed by the participant. In the second image, there’s much more flow, steady breath, and ultimately relaxation as opposed to one big exhale or sigh.

Experiment with drawing your own breath in different situations and at different times of day. Materials Needed: a sheet of drawing paper 11” by 17” or 12” by 18”; drawing materials—try markers. To begin, settle and place your awareness on your breath and its quality (think temperature, color, sensation). Choose a color that seems right and draw what you notice. Then try the mindful breathing technique above or just settle yourself for a few more minutes and bring your attention to your breathing, not trying to change anything. Then draw you breath again. What do you notice? Any differences between the two? And how do you feel after this experience is complete? You may want to try some different materials, watercolor paint or oil pastel instead of a marker.

Each time you do this activity will most likely be different and your results will be unique to you. It is a helpful tool to gain self-awareness at any given moment. And also provides an opportunity to attend to and shift one’s mood.