Feelings of anxiety or depression may be making you feel like you're alone, but in reality, you've never been in better company.

The world is having a moment - and not a good one. Experts say we are in the midst of a global mental health epidemic. While more nations are seeing the signs and investing in mental health, it's hardly making a dent.

You're hardly alone in this global mental health crisis. But that doesn't mean you have to keep participating. Simple, intentional practices can start making a difference in your everyday life. The experts at The Breath Sanctuary explain.

Mental health disorders are rising to alarming levels around the world, with more than 1 billion worldwide suffering from anxiety, depression, and other challenges, according to the World Health Organization. Fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with economic instability, technological pressures, and digital social pressures, has escalated, despite increased investments in mental health in many nations.

Health experts discuss mental health impacts in terms of economic factors like health care costs and lost productivity. And they do affect health care costs, family budgets, and the global economy, with losses linked to depression and anxiety costing roughly USD$1 trillion annually, according to the WHO. However, the toll mental health challenges take usually feels more individual, especially to those who are suffering.

As the stress and pace of life accelerate globally, regulating the nervous system has become increasingly critical for maintaining emotional balance. Many turn to practices like yoga and tai chi to help quiet their minds while strengthening their bodies. While these are positive practices with many benefits, they can quickly turn into another calendar event and bill to pay, another straw piled on the camel's back.

There's something simpler, something more basic, that can help quiet your mind and improve your holistic wellness. You can do it in a studio, but you can also do it in your home, in your car, almost anywhere. It simply requires lungs, oxygen, and intentionality. It's the time-tested practice of breathwork.

Breathing for wellness and regulation isn't just an ancient myth or a new-age theory. It's scientific, proven to directly influence the autonomic nervous system by transitioning from "fight-or-flight" mode to "rest-and-digest" mode. Breathwork - especially slow, deep ones - lowers your heart rate, drops your cortisol levels, and sends signals of safety to your brain. The wellness experts at The Breath Sanctuary recommend the following exercises to make a real-world difference in your day:

Extended exhaling: By simply extending your exhaling longer than your inhaling, you can slow your heart rate and physically relax your body.

4-7-8 Breathing: Effective for reducing your anxiety and supporting sleep, this technique involves inhaling through the nose for 4 seconds, holding breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling through the mouth for 8 seconds.

Box Breathing (also known as Square Breathing): A technique important for balancing the nervous system and boosting concentration during stressful situations, this easy-to-memorize method involves inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 4 seconds, and exhaling for 4 seconds.

Resonance Breathing: Synchronizing your heart and respiratory system reduces blood pressure and improves cognitive function, and can be achieved by focusing on consistent 5-second inhalations and exhalations.

Breathwork won't change the state of the world, but it can change your inner world. And that's one of the few things you can actually control, anyway. Without adding to your list of commitments and responsibilities, these intentional practices can help regulate your nervous system and restore your sense of balance and emotional wellness. So stop stressing. Start breathing - visit the link in the description. The Breath Sanctuary City: Wrexham Address: Wrexham Website: https://thebreathsanctuary.co.uk Phone: +44 7964 216893 Email: Jane@thebreathsanctuary.co.uk

Why Mental Health Is Declining—and the Easy Habit That Helps