Most of us have predictable, repeated moments that drive us to distraction. Hoping the morning traffic jam ahead of you will magically unsnarl? Stuck on endless hold with a phone glued to your ear? Wishing your computer fired up swiftly or moved from one task to another speedily without forcing you to stare at a slowly turning hourglass? Instead of grinding your teeth, melt your frustration by recasting these cues as an opportunity to breathe deeply. Breathing shallowly—which people often do when tense—restricts the diaphragm, a strong sheet of muscle below the lungs that drops downward to help pull in oxygenated air and pushes upward to help expel carbon dioxide. Breathing deeply gives the diaphragm wider range, encouraging a full, beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, deep breathing slows the heartbeat and can lower or stabilize blood pressure when practiced often.

Practice breath focus, a deep breathing technique, whenever your cue appears. To learn it, sit comfortably and quietly. First take a normal breath. Then try a slow, deep breath, letting air flow in through your nose and move downward to your lower belly so that your abdomen gently swells. Breathe out through your nose or your mouth—whichever feels most comfortable. Now alternate normal breaths and slow, deep breaths. Pay attention to how each one feels. Shallow breathing often feels tense and constricted, while deep breathing produces relaxation. Take this a step further by lying on your back while still breathing deeply.Then place a hand just below your belly button. Feel your hand rise and fall about an inch as you inhale and exhale. Your chest will rise and fall slightly, too. Relax your belly so that it fills fully each time you inhale.