If you have difficulty getting started with deep breathing then try the following visualization technique:

Close your eyes and imagine that inside the pit of your stomach there is a deflated rubber balloon. As you inhale slowly through your nose imagine the balloon starting to fill up with air and see it expanding inside your stomach as your belly expands. Then as you slowly exhale out of your mouth, imagine the balloon deflating as your belly contracts, until it’s back in a flaccid resting state. Now repeat. Each time you begin to inhale, imagine the balloon getting bigger as it fills with air, pushing out against the insides of your rib cage. As you get into a rhythm and find this easier to do imagine the balloon also getting taller and expanding upwards. Do this as many times as you can (at least 6 or 8 in a row to start).

With consistent repetition you will find it easier and easier to do this until eventually taking long slow deep breaths will be almost second nature to you. Once you get to this point then you can take the ritual even further. Now follow this convention:

Inhale slowly through your nose to the count of 5 (or whatever number feels most comfortable to you). Hold the breath for a count of 20 (or 4 times whatever your initial count was), then slowly exhale through your mouth to the count of 10 (or double whatever your initial count was). So the pattern is: Initial Inhalation Count=X; Hold for 4X Initial Count; Release for 2X Initial Count. Do this 10 consecutive times and repeat the whole sequence at least twice a day (once in the morning and once at night, and if possible sometime during the day).

You can use this technique to help you quickly recover from a bout of anxiety or emotional distress and change your brain chemistry to induce a state of balance and calm. And you don’t have to lie down to do it either. Of course, doing this routine regularly will also help with sleeplessness or insomnia associated with stress.