The Benefits of Deep Breathing

This is Amy Chang, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I’m here to give you tips on how to cultivate your happiness. Today’s tip is to be mindful of your breathing and doing more deep breathing to help improve your mood. So there are many benefits to deep breathing that we don’t often think about. One of it is it actually releases tension in your body. If you think about it, when you’re stressed out or feeling overwhelmed, your body tightens up and you get really tense. So when you’re doing some deep breathing, it relaxes those muscles and relaxes your body. The second benefit of deep breathing is it actually relaxes your mind and it brings clarity to your thoughts. So if you imagine yourself being in an angry situation and you’re really tense and you’re just really reactive, if you take some time to just do some deep breathing, you’re going to be in a better place to have a more appropriate response and to interact with other people. So those are some quick benefits of deep breathing which I would encourage you to practice and do more of.

One simple exercise is to inhale for four counts and exhale for four counts, and you repeat that for four times, and doing it in the morning or once or twice a day is going to be beneficial to your overall well-being. So if you’re interested in more tips on how to cultivate your happiness, feel free to check out my other videos. Thank you.

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I believe that issues arise due to family and social influences. However, individuals are experts in their own lives and possess the strength to be resilient. Therefore, my goal in therapy is to help clients understand and access their strengths to overcome emotional and mental health barriers that may be hindering them from living a fulfilled life.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in San Diego. I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Masters in Counseling from San Diego State University. I have had experience working in the community addressing core issues impacting individuals, couples, family, and the community such as depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, domestic violence and relationship conflict. I am also able to provide individual therapy and couples counseling services in Vietnamese.