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The first coping skill we will teach you is called deep breathing. Deep breathing is focusing on your breath and slowing it down. In this page and the next page, we will show you 2 different ways to do deep breathing. Make sure to practice along!
Deep Breathing with Sally
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Let’s see how it feels to practice deep breathing like Sally does:
- Sit upright in a chair with your feet on the floor or lie down.
- Close your eyes or focus on a spot on the floor or wall.
- Place your hands or your toy on your belly so you can feel and see how your belly goes up and down as you breathe.
- As you breathe in, count to 3 and try to fill up your belly with air like a big, big balloon.
- As you breathe out, count to 3 and try to squeeze all the air out from the balloon.
- Repeat this practice for 2 minutes or until you feel more relaxed. You can set a timer!
Deep Breathing with Neil
Let’s see how it feels to practice deep breathing like Neil does:
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- Sit upright in a chair with your feet on the floor or stand up.
- Imagine you are holding a mug of hot chocolate.
- Smell the hot chocolate by slowly breathing in with your nose to the count of 3.
- Cool off the hot chocolate by slowly breathing out with your mouth to the count of 3.
- Repeat this practice 5 times or until you feel more relaxed.
Pick Your Favorite!
Which deep breathing strategy do you like better? Pick one and practice with your parent!
Then, answer the questions below about how you feel after deep breathing.
- After deep breathing, does my heart beat faster or slower?
- After deep breathing, does my stomach feel calm or funny?
- After deep breathing, do I generally feel worse or better?
