How to spot it in 30 seconds
Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly. Breathe normally for five breaths. If the chest hand moves first or more than the belly hand, you are chest breathing. Watch your shoulders too — if they rise on every inhale, the accessory muscles are doing the diaphragm’s job.
Why it sustains anxiety
Chest breathing tends to be faster and shallower, which over-ventilates the lungs and drops blood CO₂. Low CO₂ constricts cerebral blood vessels (light-headedness), tingles the fingertips, and signals threat to the brainstem — the body’s definition of anxiety.
The lateral rib expansion drill
Lie on your back, knees bent. Wrap a towel around your lower ribs and hold both ends. Inhale slowly through the nose — feel the towel widen sideways, not your chest rising. Exhale and feel the ribs settle. Five minutes a day for two weeks rewires the default pattern.
Tracking the shift
Log a breathing-pattern observation in Breathe On each morning for two weeks. Many users see their resting breath rate drop by 3–5 breaths per minute as the diaphragm takes over.
Log your sessions in Breathe On and explore the matching guidance at [/breathing-for/anxiety](/breathing-for/anxiety).