Pursed Lip Breathing Can Calm Stress 噘唇呼吸可以緩解壓力

Pursed lip breathing quite literally involves breathing out through tight， pursed lips—kind of like you’re blowing out a candle， only slower. “When you purse your lips while exhaling， it creates a bit of resistance，” says Carrie Torn， a licensed therapist in North Carolina， US. “This slows down the exhale， allowing for a more extended breath out.”

噘唇呼吸實際上就是通過緊閉、噘起的嘴唇呼氣——有點像吹蠟燭，只是速度更慢。“當你噘起嘴唇呼氣時，會產生一點阻力。”美國北卡羅來納州的執業治療師凱莉·托恩說。“這減緩了呼氣的速度，能拉長呼氣的時間。”

When you slow down your breathing rate— especially the exhale portion—it helps get your parasympathetic nervous system back into balance， which in turn helps you feel calm and safe as opposed to panicky and stressed， says Dr Lynn Utter， a clinical psychologist based in Philadelphia. It’s a good technique to try if you’re feeling nervous before a big moment， like a test or a meeting， and it also helps with anxiety that seems to pop up out of nowhere. Here’s what to know about pursed lip breathing and how to give it a try.

位于費城的臨床心理學家林恩·厄特博士說，當你放慢呼吸頻率時——尤其是呼氣部分——這有助于你的副交感神經系統恢復平衡，這反過來有助于你感到平靜和安全，而不是恐慌和緊張。 如果你在考試或會議等重大時刻來臨之際感到緊張，這是一個很好的方法，它有助于緩解可能突然出現的焦慮。以下是關于噘唇呼吸的技巧以及嘗試的方法。

The Power of Pursed Lip Breathing

When you’re feeling anxious， it’s common to either hold your breath or to breathe in and out too quickly with panicky gasps. According to Utter， both habits signal to your body that you’re in danger—even when you aren’t—and ultimately make your anxiety worse. “The extended exhale gives your parasympathetic nervous system more time to understand that you aren’t in an actual threat，” says Utter. “When you’re anxious， the brain often needs a minute to calculate that you’re going to be OK， and the longer breath out is what gives your brain time to catch up.”

唇呼吸的力量

當你感到焦慮時，通常要么屏住呼吸，要么急促地喘息。根據厄特的說法，這兩種習慣都向你的身體發出信號，表明你處于危險之中——即使你并沒有處于危險之中——最終會使你的焦慮加劇。“延長呼氣時間讓你的副交感神經系統有更多時間了解你并沒有受到真正的威脅。”厄特說。“當你焦慮時，大腦通常需要一分鐘的時間來推測你是否會沒事，呼出的氣越長，給你大腦計算的時間就越長。”

How to Do the Technique

Firstly， relax your neck and shoulders. Purse your lips as if you’re going to whistle. Breathe in gently through your nose for a count of two. Purse your lips and breathe out slowly and evenly through them for a count of four or more. Think about blowing out through a straw or as if you are going to blow out candles. Feel free to adjust the inhale and exhale counts to what feels right for you—just make sure the exhale is longer than the inhale. Practice for a few minutes， gradually extending the exhale time.

如何掌握這項技能

首先，放松你的脖子和肩膀。噘起雙唇，好像要吹口哨似的。用鼻子輕輕地吸氣時數兩下。再緩慢均勻地通過嘴唇呼氣，數四下或更多。想想用吸管吹氣，或者好像你要吹蠟燭。隨意調整吸氣和呼氣的次數直到讓你感到舒適為止，只是要確保呼氣的時間長于吸氣的時間。練習幾分鐘，逐漸延長呼氣時間。