Breathwork

How you breathe sends a direct message to your nervous system. Slow, structured breathing is one of the few ways you can deliberately switch off the stress response, and the effects can be felt within minutes. Breathwork can help you:

• calm a racing heart and ease the physical rush of anxiety or panic

• release muscle tension in the jaw, neck, shoulders and chest

• settle your mind enough to think clearly and make better decisions

• wind down at night and fall asleep more easily

• feel safer in your body, which is especially important after trauma

• feel more in control, because it's a tool you always have with you

It's free, it's portable, and once you've learnt it, you can use it anywhere: in the car, at your desk, before a hard conversation or in the supermarket queue.