Just going to post a couple of breath cadences that I find helpful for coping with my anxiety. If you try these and feel uncomfortable, stop and try to think about something else so your breathing stops being conscious.
Número Uno - The Misshapen Box
Just about everyone has heard of Box Breathing by now. The cadence I prefer is a has a shorter inhale. It goes 1-2-2-2. When I do it, I inhale for a four count, hold for eight, exhale for eight, and pause for eight. If that’s too much, you can do 3-6-6-6 (or 4-6-6-6 if you need a longer inhale.)
Número Two - The Fat Bottom Triangle
This one has a cadence of 1-1-2. For me, that is a four count on the inhale, a four count on the exhale, and an eight count on the pause. This one helps me a lot when I have had too much caffeine and am panicking.
Both of these have longish periods between inhales. Again, if it makes you uncomfortable, stop doing it and focus on something else. And you probably should not do breath work while driving or operating machinery. If you do, that is on you. But if you’re folding laundry and your thoughts are racing, then it’s probably ok (unless you’re folding laundry while driving or operating machinery. What is your deal?!)