It does not take a lot to breathe, but sometimes that is the most difficult thing to do. Breathing for some of us becomes an unbearable task sometimes. The amount of patience and sometimes perseverance makes it a lot difficult to go forward with something as simple as breathing.

With the increase of different mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and other disorders, the number of people having anxiety attacks and panic attacks has increased. For this, there is something we call grounding techniques that help us regulate our breathing or help others to breathe when in need.

We might not realize it, but we would have people around us at some point of time going through these attacks or just having regular difficulty breathing because of the stress that they go through. We can be a person who can help them to go through this path a little better by being comforting and helping them breathe.

Grounding techniques are something that are not necessarily done only when a person is going through anxiety attacks or panic attacks. It could be used when you are going through any stressful situation or any situation where we are overwhelmed.

A gentle reminder for people who might be helping the person if they are going through anxiety or a panic attack. Do not crowd them while helping them. Necessary space needs to be given so that they don’t feel overwhelmed when they are coming back. Some might not like anybody touching them, so ask for their consent before touching them.

There are some basic grounding techniques that could be used that can help you to help others or even for yourself.

It depends on whether you are standing or sitting; make sure to keep both of your feet firmly on the ground. When breathing in, let the air flow as deep in your stomach as it is comfortable. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through the mouth. For better flow, some even try counting in between and making it steady to get a better flow.

  • The 4-2-6 breathing: this is also for calming yourself down and increasing focus. First inhale and count for four seconds; hold the breath for two seconds; and exhale slowly through your mouth after six seconds.

  • The square breathing: the square breathing especially helps in giving the necessary space needed when a person could be going through any stressful situations, anxiety, or panic attack. Square breathing is also called box breathing. For this we start breathing in, count till 4, hold the breath and count till 4, breathe out, and count till 4 before starting again.

  • The 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 method: these technique is one of the easiest to monitor and use. These require you to count down things related to our five senses; we can ask the person to name five things they see, four things they can feel around them, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste. Doing this can help the person refocus back, get out of their head, and calm their mind.

  • Abdominal breathing: Find a comfortable position to sit in. Breathe in through your abdomen. Place a hand through the abdomen to feel the breathing.

Not only these, but there are many other exercises that can help in breathing when needed. If there are times where the number of times feeling anxiety attacks or panic attacks increases, it is better to consult a therapist for better guidance.