The Power of Breath: Bye-bye Anxiety, Hello Beloved Vagus Nerve

Breathing…. a little cliché, isn’t it?

Well may-be! …it never sat quite right with me to reduce the cure to anxiety to one simple tool, such as breathing. We all experience anxiety so differently… why should one simple tool help us all?

Because it stimulates your vagus nerve!

My what????

Your beloved vagus nerve!

When we are stressed out, anxious and out of control, our sympathetic nervous system is in the driver’s seat! You might need a chill pill … and your vagus nerve provides such nurturing medicine. Side effects are feeling relaxed, nurtured, and calm. The vagus nerve is incredibly long and connects your brain to many organs in your body!

But what’s all the fuss about breathing? Is breathing a cure-all for anxiety?

Certainly not… and there are so many other tools that can support us. The exciting thing about resources is that they are so individual for everyone. …. and an activity that makes you relaxed, may freak someone else right out (and vice versa).

But what is so special about breathing?

Breathing is so effective because it pretty much works for everyone! …and it activates the vagus nerve directly through your diaphragm.

Diaphragmatic breathing unlocks the power of the vagus nerve. Breathing supports the shift from fight and flight mode to the rest-relax state. Just breathe in through the nose deep into your belly and out through your parsed lips. The vagus nerve takes ca 45 seconds to activate.

We may take a few moments every day (ideally 15 minutes!) to train our nervous system to relax. Here is a cycle you can try: 4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds hold, 4 seconds exhale. You can also double the time of your exhale: 4 seconds inhale, 4 seconds hold, 8 seconds exhale.

Breathing is this universal thing we do and somehow it works for all of us!

You can take control of it, and start to train your nervous system….. or you can simply enjoy how your breathing does its job quietly in the background, every single moment of your life. Putting our attention on how wonderfully it works has us slow down, listen, relax. Today, take a moment to enjoy how your breathing supports you…and how it so wonderfully works in tandem with your beloved vagus nerve!