CBT Tool of the Week: BALLOON BREATHING (For Children)
Today’s Dr. Julie’s Tool of the Week is a very special kind of breathing called Balloon Breathing. I’m going to teach you a new and different way to take breaths. It may seem silly to learn how to breathe, something we do all the time every single day! This kind of breathing is very special because it can start to help you calm down when you feel stressed, anxious or scared. There is something important you need to know about this Dr. Julie Tool and every tool I’m going to teach you. It takes a lot of PRACTICE. Think about anything new that you’ve learned. Maybe you learned a new dance routine, a new song on the piano, a new video game, a new way to bat a ball, a new way to do your math problems, a new way to draw animals, a new way to catch a butterfly, a new word to spell, a new poem, or something completely different! To learn something new, we need to practice a lot, and that’s how we get better at it. It may be hard at first, but with practice, it starts to get easier. Balloon Breathing feels strange at first, but the more you practice and get used to it, the less strange it will feel, the more comfortable you’ll get doing it, and the more it can help you start to calm down when you’re feeling nervous, anxious or scared.
What is Balloon Breathing?
Balloon Breathing (often called “diaphragmatic breathing” or “belly breathing”) is a calm breathing tool that helps you slow down your breathing and breathe more deeply. It’s especially helpful when you are feeling nervous, stressed, anxious or scared.
Why is Balloon Breathing Important?
When we feel anxious, our breathing changes and we often take short, quick, shallow (not deep) breaths. If we continue to breathe this way, it can lead us to breathe very rapidly and even hyperventilate, which means we breathe so fast that we get dizzy and light-headed and our heart beats faster.
Quick, shallow breaths can make you feel more anxious or scared, and can lead to you feeling worse, like your heart racing faster, getting dizzy or a headache.
Balloon Breathing is an amazing tool that you can use any time, any place and without anyone noticing. It is a quick and powerful tool that you always have with you and you can use in most situations and circumstances.
How Do I Do Balloon Breathing
Balloon Breathing is inhaling (breathing in) slowly and deeply and exhaling (breathing out) very slowly. You can do Balloon Breathing sitting up straight in a chair or lying down on your back. It is best to place your hands on your belly or place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest when you practice this breathing. Below are steps for Balloon Breathing:
With one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest, take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, breathing into your lower belly (counting to about 4 silently in your mind or with your fingers). This is called “inhaling.” Pretend you have an un-inflated balloon in your belly and you are blowing it all the way up. Feel it getting bigger and bigger in your belly. You will feel your belly pop out slowly as you breathe in. When you inhale through your nose, you can pretend you’re smelling a big bouquet of nice-smelling flowers.
Pause and hold your breath with your belly sticking out (count to about 5 in your mind or with your fingers).
Breathe out very slowly through your mouth (count to about 6 silently in your mind or count with your fingers). This is called “exhaling.” Pretend you’re pushing all of the air in your balloon out slowly, but strongly through your mouth. As you exhale, your belly will go down slowly. You can pretend you are blowing out 10 birthday candles, pushing all the air out until there is no more air to blow out.
Wait a few seconds (count to about 3 Mississippi) before taking another breath.
Repeat steps 1-4 three to five times.
When Do I Use Balloon Breathing?
You can use Balloon Breathing any time, any place and without anyone noticing. It is a quick, simple, and powerful tool that you always have with you, and you can use in most situations or circumstances.
Start practicing by doing Balloon Breathing when you are calm. Learning how to use this tool when you’re calm will make it easier to use when you’re not calm. Once you’re comfortable doing Balloon Breathing when you’re calm, try it when you’re stressed, scared or anxious.
You can take Balloon Breaths at school, at home, on a playdate, or just before an event or situation that’s causing you anxiety, such as a test, sport, performance, raising your hand to speak at school, trying something new, or talking to a new friend.
You can take Balloon Breaths before you get really anxious. For example, if you have a test the next day, practice Balloon Breathing the day before, then the night before, the morning of the test, right before you start the test, and even during the test.
Try practicing 3 to 5 Balloon Breaths twice a day when you are calm. Often, practicing first thing in the morning and before bed are good times, but you can find times that work for you.
Tips for Balloon Breathing
As you inhale slowly through your nose, your belly will slowly get bigger or (rise) first and then your lungs will fill with air and your chest will push out (expand). Watch and feel the hand on your belly rise. The hand over your chest will barely move as your lungs expand or may not move at all. Try to keep your shoulders relaxed and still, not moving up and down when you breathe in or out.
As you exhale slowly, watch and feel your belly gradually go down. Your chest and shoulders will barely move or may not move at all.
Be Patient! It takes time to learn to do Balloon Breathing well and to feel the positive effects of it.
Practice Balloon Breathing when you first start to feel anxious. It’s better not to wait until your anxiety is super high to start Balloon Breathing, but it can help you start to calm down if you’re already super anxious.
Remember, Balloon Breathing will just take the edge off your anxiety or fear and bring it down a bit. Don’t expect it to make all your nerves, fear and anxiety go away.
Make sure that you aren’t hyperventilating or breathing too fast. It is important to pause for a few seconds between each breath.
The purpose of calm breathing is not to avoid anxiety or make your uncomfortable feelings completely go away. The goal is to help you calm down a bit, tolerate or ride out the feelings, and to be calm enough to use all your other tools to manage your thoughts and feelings and face your fears or do things that you want to do.
