Find a rate of breathing that’s soothing for you with this 7-minute exercise. Not only does rhythmic breathing promote relaxation, lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels, it also helps you to manage difficult emotions such as stress and anxiety. Start by inhaling deeply for 5 seconds, pausing, and exhaling slowly for another 5 seconds. Then experiment with different rates of breathing, to find what works best for you.

Nuffield Health offer a range of emotional wellbeing services including CBT, counselling and other psychotherapies – accessible in person, by phone or via the Nuffield Health My Therapy App. For more information call 0333 1234 106.