5 Breathing Techniques for Anxiety and Stress and Why They Actually Work

You've pulled onto the drive after work. Engine off. And you just sit there, home, but not ready to walk in. Chest tight, jaw tight, mind still on today and already on tomorrow. Nothing's wrong in that moment. Your body just hasn't got the message. And if someone saying "just breathe" has ever made you want to scream, this episode is for you, because Gary Johannes shows you why it works, and how to actually do it. This one's different. Not a condition to unpick,  a set of tools you can use tonight. In this episode: - Why stress, anxiety and overwhelm are all the same thing: an accelerator stuck down - The one part of your alarm system you can reach with your own hands - The secret that unlocks every technique: out-breath longer than in-breath - Belly breathing - the foundation the rest are built on - 7-11 breathing - the all-rounder for when your head's overwhelmed - The psychological sigh - your emergency brake when anxiety's climbing fast - Box breathing - for when you're wound up or steadying yourself before something big - 4-7-8 breathing - for lying in bed when sleep won't come - Which one to use when, and why you should only pick one - The 2023 Stanford trial that put breathing exercises up against meditation - Why breathing calms the moment but doesn't change the baseline and what does - The one thing to do today, while you're calm You're not broken. Your body's just stuck in a gear it doesn't need to be in, and you're carrying the gear stick. Gary Johannes is a solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired to Change, and senior lecturer at CPHT Hypnotherapy Training. He left school at 14, joined the RAF at 16, spent 30 years in sales and hospitality, retrained in his late 40s and completed an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London at 60. If the calm never seems to last  Breathing is a tool, not a cure. If you're reaching for it ten times a day just to get through, that's your nervous system telling you the real work is upstream. Inspired to Change has solution-focused hypnotherapists across the UK, in person and online. Find your nearest therapist and book a free initial consultation: Inspired To Change Listen to more podcast here - PODCAST Chapters 00:00 Gary's story and why this episode is different 02:00 Sitting on the drive: the accelerator stuck down 03:15 Why breathing actually works — the brake you can reach 05:00 The stress bucket 05:45 Belly breathing: the foundation 06:30 7-11 breathing: the all-rounder 07:15 The psychological sigh: your emergency brake 08:00 Box breathing: for pressure and tension 08:40 4-7-8 breathing: for sleep 09:10 Which one when — and why to pick just one 09:45 Gentle is the whole point 10:10 A tool, not a cure: when the bucket's overflowing 10:50 The Stanford breathing trial 11:30 One thing to do today: practise while you're calm 12:20 You're carrying the gear stick #BreathingTechniques #BreathingForAnxiety #BoxBreathing #478Breathing #711Breathing #MovingMindsForward #SolutionFocusedHypnotherapy #MentalHealthPodcast #InspiredToChange #GaryJohannes