Vanessa Adams used to suffer from daily anxiety. “I’d get racing thoughts, chest tightness, and this constant feeling of dread,” she shares. After trying various therapies, she discovered an unexpected tool: breathwork.
Breathwork is deliberate breathing patterns meant to affect the neural system. Techniques include diaphragmatic breathing, alternating nostral breathing, and box breathing have showed potential in lowering anxiety and sharpening concentration. Vanessa comments, “it’s simple but powerful.” “I can finish anywhere, at any time.”
Her support is backed by science. The parasympathetic nerve system, the body’s “rest and digest,” is triggered by controlled breathing, therefore countering the fight-or-flight reaction brought on by stress. Participants in a 2017 Frontiers in Psychology slow, deep breathing exercise reported noticeably decreased stress levels.
Vanessa practices a method called 4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. “It instantly grounds me,” she says. “Even just three rounds can shift my entire mood.”
Incorporating just 5 to 10 minutes of breathwork daily can make a meaningful difference. Some people pair it with meditation or yoga, while others use it during stressful moments, like before a big meeting or bedtime.
Dr. Rachel Kline, a psychologist specializing in anxiety disorders, often recommends breathwork to clients. “It’s free, effective, and accessible. That’s what makes it so powerful.”
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Now, Vanessa teaches breathwork at local wellness workshops. “It’s been life-changing,” she says. “Breathing is something we do every day — we just need to learn how to do it with intention.”
