7/11 Breathing

This breathing exercise can help you to reduce stress in the moment. If you practice it regularly, you may also find that it helps you feel calmer generally. The more you practice, the more effective this technique becomes. 

• We call this exercise 7/11 breathing, because you breathe in for a count of 7 and out for 11.
  
• If there is ever a time when you find that breathing for that long isn’t possible, it doesn’t matter. As long as your out breath is much longer than your in breath, it will still work. We call it 7/11 because it sounds like the shop opening hours, so people are more likely to remember it.
  
• Aim your breath deep into your stomach. It might help if you hold your hands on your stomach, so you can feel it swelling up as you breathe in.
  
• Allow your lungs to empty, then breathe deeply into your stomach while counting to 7.
  
• Once you reach 7, breathe out gently to the count of 11, so that the out breath is much longer
  
• Repeat this for 2 to 3 minutes or until you feel calm and relaxed