Shallow breathing is an automatic physical response to anxiety, and shallow breathing can also cause anxiety - it’s a bit of a chicken and egg thing, a loop where it’s hard to find which comes first.

Learning to change your breathing can help you control anxiety and become calm. It sounds very simple, but like all simple truths it can take a while to get the hang of.

Here’s how to get started in controlling your breath to reduce anxiety when it strikes, and better still, to train yourself to feel calm and in control so that anxiety doesn’t catch you unawares.

Stress ruins your intelligence, it ruins your relationships and it ruins your capacity to be an empathetic and reflective human being.

Taking time out to relax, meditate, listen to classical music, go for a walk, observe nature etc etc gives your mind a chance to go deeper. To reflect on your inner life, your aspirations, and your values rather than it skimming around on the surface tension of your life like a demented pond skater!

Here's an excellent article from my friend Nicola Quinn. I highly recommend her book Life Without Panic Attacks to anyone suffering from anxiety, from the slightest discomfort to full blown panic. Nicola knows what she's talking about, both from personal experience and from her research into what really works to give genuine relief from anxiety and panic attacks.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could conjure up motivation, enthusiasm or confidence at the drop of a hat?

Thanks to a useful little technique called anchoring, we can collect good past experiences and set them off to invoke a useful state in times of need.