Have you ever experienced anxiety?

Of course you have!

Perhaps during your school years, before an oral exam, or in the lead-up to an important event whose outcome may have certain consequences, whether expected or unexpected. That racing heartbeat and feeling of breathlessness, as though your heart might burst at any moment, or that pressure in your chest that makes you feel as if you cannot get enough air.

Or perhaps you have experienced a constant stream of repetitive thoughts filling your mind, all revolving around a single concern that worries you and leaves no room for anything else.

Most of the time, when we experience anxiety, we want to get rid of it because its physical manifestations can be difficult to manage.

We generally think of anxiety as something external to us, something that does not belong to us and seems to have a life of its own.

It is anxiety that makes us feel bad; it is because of anxiety that we cannot live well, as though anxiety were an entity capable of acting on its own.

But what is anxiety?

Let us take a closer look at this experience and explore it together.

Anxiety is both a psychological and a physical experience.

We become anxious when we start worrying about the future and want, or try, to anticipate it.

It is our attempt to exert control over future events, particularly those that frighten or concern us.

Indeed, even when we are very excited about something we are looking forward to, we may experience sensations similar to anxiety: a racing heartbeat, an urge to move, shortness of breath, and difficulty containing all the excitement that arises. Think, for example, of children getting ready for an activity they really enjoy.

Anxiety and excitement are two aspects of the same physical and energetic process.

Both are regulated by breathing and involve a state of psychophysical activation.

Bodily activation: the “as if”

As mentioned above, when we worry about something that might happen in the future, we activate a whole series of thoughts that project us into a there and then that has yet to unfold.

This activation of thoughts mobilises our entire body, engaging our muscles as they prepare for action, even though, in the present moment, there is nothing we can do yet.

Our investment of energy and our projection into the future therefore involve our whole organism, which prepares for an action that cannot yet take place.

This generates feelings of frustration and helplessness, along with the urge to speed things up and find solutions. We try to control something we want to happen, or prevent from happening, while managing all the energy that has been mobilised and is ready for action—an action requiring muscular effort that, nevertheless, will not materialise.

Imagine how much effort the body expends preparing for an action that never takes place.

It is like standing at the starting blocks, feeling excitement spreading throughout your body, sensing the tension building as you prepare for the starting gun, only to remain in that state of anticipation for an extremely long time.

It is no coincidence that many people experience very high levels of anxiety before an exam, only for it to “magically” disappear as soon as the oral examination begins. The body becomes fully engaged in the activity, attention is directed towards the material to be presented, and the muscles support the action.

The action takes place, energy is channelled towards achieving the goal, and the tension caused by holding everything back begins to diminish.

“This is the nature of a mind in search of security: it kills the present moment in the name of tomorrow.

It sacrifices the present for the future, and the future never comes.”

— Osho, Ricominciare da sé (Starting Over with Yourself)

The present as a space of potential

We cannot anticipate the future. We can imagine it, think about it, and hope that what we desire will come true. But it is only in the present that we can find the resources we need to take action and forge the path towards where we want to go.

There is no guarantee that we will succeed; success is never certain. Yet the present is where our potential lies. Focusing on the present allows us to experience a sense of empowerment—not in the sense of having authority, but in the sense of being able to act and having possibilities available to us. In doing so, we can move beyond feelings of helplessness and recognise our own potential.

The sense of empowerment we need to experience has nothing to do with authority or imposing our will on others. Rather, it reconnects us with the ideas of possibility and opportunity. These are what give us strength, energy, and the feeling that we can succeed—in other words, that we are capable of doing something.

Projecting ourselves into the future, which is often not clearly defined, can instead leave us feeling frustrated and powerless. We imagine that we will only be able to intervene there and then, in that future moment. Yet it is in the present that we can identify our resources and limitations and influence the field—the context in which we are constantly immersed.

Sometimes the present is difficult to accept, which is why we postpone things until a future in which what we desire may finally come true. However, it is by staying with difficulty that we discover our resources and potential, grow stronger, and learn.

In moments of crisis, when something is missing and our equilibrium is disrupted, the next step is not merely necessary: it is already happening, and we have no choice but to go along with it. This is where learning takes place.

It happens in the emptiness that emerges, in that moment of imbalance when we discover that we do not know. We experience all our uncertainties, and it is precisely there that the possibility of something new—and all its potential—can be found.

“And a person who is secure never realises that they are secure, but always feels that they are taking risks they will be able to meet.”

— Perls, Hefferline and Goodman, Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality

The role of breathing in anxiety

We can learn to practise being present. How? To begin with, through breathing exercises.

Before listing some exercises you can practise on your own, let us consider a few important aspects of breathing and why we believe it deserves our attention.

Breathing is essential to our existence. It is the first and last vital act of life. Yet, because it is a semi-autonomous activity, we rarely pay much attention to it, except in particular circumstances that require conscious effort, such as during sports or when we deliberately alter our breathing—for example, through breath-holding or forced inhalation and exhalation.

Breathing is a semi-autonomous activity because it is largely governed by unconscious processes, much like the heartbeat, digestion, and the functioning of our internal organs, which do not generally depend on conscious attention. At the same time, breathing can become a conscious activity: by directing our attention towards it, we can modify its characteristics, such as its rhythm and depth.

Another important feature of breathing is that the way we regulate it influences our emotional states, while our emotions also affect the way we breathe. As a result, the entire organism is involved and can be affected by these changes.

This is because breathing influences the diaphragm—more precisely, the three diaphragms, although here we will focus only on the abdominal diaphragm—which, as it moves, compresses the internal organs, which are closely connected to the central nervous system.

Becoming more aware of the way we breathe can help us understand how we move through the world and how we use our breath to support ourselves. Developing this awareness also gives us the opportunity to make breathing a source of support in specific situations, such as anxiety and stress.

It is therefore important to begin exploring this vital activity, which we so often take for granted, even though our existence would not be possible without it.

Three breathing practices

Before moving on to the exercises, we invite you to keep one thing in mind: nasal breathing is generally the preferred way to breathe.

The nose performs several functions:

• It filters the air.
• It warms the air.
• It humidifies the air, helping prepare it for absorption.

Nasal breathing reduces the effort required and increases endurance (The Art of Breathing).

1. Discover how you breathe

Start by exploring your own breathing.

Place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest, over your heart. Take a deep breath and notice where the air seems to move.

Then bring your attention first to abdominal breathing and then to chest breathing. Notice which muscles are involved in each type of breathing and how they move.

Observe whether you notice any differences in your sensations, such as anxiety, comfort, or relaxation.

2. Here and now

Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breathing.

Notice the air entering through your nostrils, travelling down your throat and into your lungs, then moving back towards your throat and leaving through your nostrils.

Observe the quality of the air (whether it feels cold or warm), the rhythm of your breathing (slow, fast, continuous, or interrupted), and the areas of your body involved in the process: your chest, abdomen, back, shoulders, and so on.

Whenever you notice a thought passing through your mind, simply observe it and gently let it go, bringing your attention back to your breathing.

3. Pay attention to your exhalation

Pay particular attention to the exhalation phase, especially when you are feeling anxious.

Rather than concentrating on drawing air in (inhaling), try a few deliberate, forceful exhalations, allowing all the air to leave your body through your mouth.

Do not focus on inhaling; the next inhalation will happen naturally.

Repeat this process a few times, until your breathing rhythm begins to regain its balance.

Remember: when we feel anxious, we tend to think that we need to catch our breath. As a result, we may inhale more air than we actually need and tend to use the upper parts of our lungs, which are generally more active when we are exerting ourselves.

This can lead to a state of hyperventilation, which, in extreme cases, may cause fainting.

That is why deliberately activating the exhalation phase can be helpful.

You can also add a visualisation exercise to this practice.

In general, as you exhale, imagine letting go of whatever is causing you difficulty and suffering. As you inhale, imagine yourself being filled with pure energy.

“The secret to longevity is exhaling.”
— James Nestor, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Note

^[1] In this regard, the study of plants comes to our aid: a great deal of research establishes that one of the characteristics of plants—which enables their survival on the planet and makes them the longest-lived living beings—is their capacity to develop solutions to problems. Because their physical structure prevents them from relocating—meaning they are unable to move away in the face of danger (a trait found, by contrast, in the animal kingdom)—plants have been able to devise various solutions to the challenges they have encountered over time. This would explain why their genetic makeup is more extensive than our own, a characteristic that effectively renders them intelligent beings (Plant Revolution, Mancuso).