Louisa is a trumpet player who is getting ready to go on stage. She is feeling nervous and jittery. She decides to do some deep breathing to calm herself down. She takes a slow breath in for 10 seconds and then a slow breath out for 5 seconds. Unfortunately, it isn’t working, and Louisa feels as nervous as ever. What breathing pattern will BEST help Louisa calm her nerves?

Question

Louisa is a trumpet player who is getting ready to go on stage. She is feeling nervous and jittery. She decides to do some deep breathing to calm herself down. She takes a slow breath in for 10 seconds and then a slow breath out for 5 seconds. Unfortunately, it isn’t working, and Louisa feels as nervous as ever. What breathing pattern will BEST help Louisa calm her nerves?
Group of answer choices

breathing in for 10 seconds and out for 10 seconds

breathing in for 15 seconds and out for 5 seconds

breathing in for 5 seconds and out for 10 seconds

breathing in for 5 seconds and out for 5 seconds

GPT-4o mini · Answer

To help calm her nerves, Louisa should focus on extending her exhale, as longer exhalations can activate the body's relaxation response. Among the options provided, the breathing pattern that will best help Louisa calm her nerves is:

breathing in for 5 seconds and out for 10 seconds

This option allows for a longer exhalation, which can promote relaxation and help reduce anxiety.