Reduce Stress and Feel Calmer with This 8 Minute Exercise

A lot of times we have stress in our body and aren’t even aware of it. For many of us, this stress shows up as constricted breathing.

Instead of taking long, deep breaths, ours become short and shallow. Sometimes we even unconsciously hold our breath when overwhelmed by work or our anxieties. 

To reduce stress and relax our bodies and minds, we need to breathe easily and deeply.

Luckily, EFT/Tapping is an excellent tool you can use to open your chest for deeper breathing during times of stress.

When we pause, take a moment to breathe, and use EFT/Tapping we can help reduce the stress hormone cortisol in our body. When our cortisol level drops we can feel our body calm down and our chest open up, making it easier to breathe.

Take a self-care moment here to follow the instructions for this quick exercise—seriously, it’ll only take a few minutes and your body will likely feel calmer as a result.

Constricted Breathing Exercise

First, I will describe the steps in the exercise and then I will walk you through them.

Step 1: Take a Deep Breath in & Measure it

You’ll take a deep breath in and then let it out. Then you’ll measure your breath for ease of breathing on a scale of 0–10. Zero means it’s super easy to breathe and ten means breathing is very constricted and you’re having a hard time breathing.

When you take that measurement, trust your body’s wisdom. A number will pop up in your mind. Even if you think you made it up, trust the number you received. Your body speaks to you all the time—you just may not be used to listening and hearing your body’s messages. That’s OK. Today I am asking you to listen and to trust. Trust that you didn’t make it up.

You’ll write that baseline number down.

Step 2: Tap on Constricted Breathing

Next, you’ll start tapping using the words “constricted breathing” at each tapping point. You’ll tap a couple of rounds through each of the points.

Step 3: Re-measure Your Breath

You’ll stop and re-measure your breath using the same measuring scale in Step 1 and write down your new number.

Step 4: Repeat as Needed

Your goal is to get your constricted breathing down to zero, so repeat the previous steps as many times as needed.

Are you ready to try it?

Take a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

Measure it on a scale of 0–10.
0 = Super easy to breathe
10 = Super constricted, having a hard time breathing

Remember to trust the number that pops into your mind. Trust your body’s wisdom and write down that number.

Start Tapping:

Top of Head: Constricted breathing

Inside Eye: Constricted breathing

Outside Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Nose: Constricted breathing

Crease in Chin: Constricted breathing

Collar Bone: Constricted breathing

Under Arm: Constricted breathing

Top of Head: Constricted breathing

Inside Eye: Constricted breathing

Outside Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Nose: Constricted breathing

Crease in Chin: Constricted breathing

Collar Bone: Constricted breathing

Under Arm: Constricted breathing

Stop Tapping and take another deep breath in.

Re-measure your breath on a scale of 0–10.

0 = Super easy to breathe (if it got easier to breathe, your number went down)
10 = Super constricted, having a hard time breathing (if it got harder to breathe, your number went up)

What’s your new number? Write it down.

Did you go up?

Down?

Stay the same?

No matter your response, please know it’s just a measurement and there is no need to judge yourself if your number went up or stayed the same.

I’d like you to also notice the thoughts that were going on in your mind—and if you can’t recall them, that’s OK. Let’s go through another round, and this time, pay attention to any thoughts fluttering through while you’re tapping on constricted breathing.

Your thoughts impact your stress level and therefore impact your breathing. Don’t judge your thoughts. Just notice them.

Start Tapping:

Top of Head: Constricted breathing

Inside Eye: Constricted breathing

Outside Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Nose: Constricted breathing

Crease in Chin: Constricted breathing

Collar Bone: Constricted breathing

Under Arm: Constricted breathing

Top of Head: Constricted breathing

Inside Eye: Constricted breathing

Outside Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Eye: Constricted breathing

Under Nose: Constricted breathing

Crease in Chin: Constricted breathing

Collar Bone: Constricted breathing

Under Arm: Constricted breathing

Stop here.

Take another deep breath in.

Re-measure your breathing on a scale of 0–10.
0 = Super easy to breathe (if it got easier to breathe, your number went down)
10 = Super constricted, having a hard time breathing (if it got harder to breathe, your number went up)

What’s your new number? Write it down.

Did you go up?

Down?

Stay the same?

Keep repeating this process until you feel like you’re at a zero, your body is calm, and you feel an openness in your chest.

Would you like a video to follow along with while doing this exercise? Click here.

Want more guidance tapping? Join my free Tapping Community.