It's no secret that every person at one time or another in his life experiences anxiety: performing as a child for Santa Claus, answering questions in front of the blackboard in class, an endless series of exams, speaking in front of an audience , interview, air travel and much, much more. Everyone has their own list of events that cause excitement and anxiety. It would seem: such a simple condition that you encounter in life quite often. Why are there cases when simple Anxiety is not simple at all? In search of an answer to the question of what anxiety is and what causes it, a person will come across many theories on this matter: “Anxiety is the experience of difficulty breathing during blocked arousal. This is the experience of trying to draw more air into the lungs, constrained by muscular compression of the chest,” O. A. Chernikova writes about anxiety as “fear of expectation,” and O. Kondash (1981) writes about the fear of a test. F. Perls (1969) defines anxiety as the gap between “now” and “later” or as “stage fright.” And if you rely on what clients in my office talk about, then anxiety can be acute, sometimes even unexpected, associated with some situation, and constant, accompanying a person for more than one month. When asked how you understand that it is anxiety, people often list external signs of anxiety: tension in the chest, pounding heart, restlessness, agitation, hand tremors, sweaty palms, stomach cramps, the desire to walk a lot, do something, etc. , if the anxiety is very strong, overwhelming panic, fear of dying and a feeling of loss of control over the situation. The condition, it must be said, is not pleasant, and when it begins to interfere with the usual way of life, limits and stops the satisfaction of desires, everyone looks for ways to get rid of it. Someone is “distracted” by eating “sweets”, someone finds an explanation for themselves in the disease of one or another organ and tries to be treated, someone takes “pills for anxiety” or “for sleep”, someone immerses themselves in work, sports, shopping or bad habits, and - very rarely - people choose the path of psychotherapy. We must pay tribute - the above methods of “switching” from anxiety help. For each person for a different period of time, but they help. And, if this is enough for a person, you can stop there. I would like to add a few more ways (from personal practice) to the general arsenal of how to reduce undifferentiated anxiety. Breathing techniques. Breathing is a unique human function with a number of important features. Firstly, this is the second most vital process in our body (after the work of the heart). A person can live without food for a month, without water for a week, without breathing for two to three minutes. Secondly, breathing is perhaps the only autonomic function that is subject to the control of consciousness. Unlike the work of the stomach, liver or kidneys, we can, within certain limits, control our breathing and through it influence the activity of other internal organs. Thirdly, the rhythm of breathing is closely related to the state of skeletal muscles, and its correct use allows you to quickly and more fully master the skills of muscle relaxation. Fourthly, the ratio of inhalation and exhalation affects a person’s mood. Let's remember how a sad person breathes? He takes a deep breath and exhales for a long time (the so-called “sigh”). How does an athlete breathe before a fight? He exhales short, forcefully. Thus, our psychological state is reflected in the nature of our breathing, and, on the other hand, by changing the nature of our breathing, we can change our mood in the right direction. So, take a paper or plastic bag and, with your thumb and forefinger, press the opening of the bag tightly against your face in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle. Take 5-10 breaths into the bag. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. The following exercise can be performed without improvised means. Exhale slowly, then when you feel like you are.