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Why Should I try box breathing?
Your body regulates its stress pathways via two systems, your parasympathetics and sympathetics. The parasympathetic nervous system restores the body to a calm and composed state and prevents it from overworking. This is common when you are sleeping, relaxed or having fun. The sympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, prepares the body for fight and flight response. Common when you are under threat or stressed.
During the primal era, our sympathetic nervous system would be used to protect us from predators and other threats. However, in 2023 instead of a lion or snake. Our sympathetic nervous system reacts to work stress, family or relationship issues or financial concerns. These are the threats our body considers harmful in 2023.
To get your body back to a parasympathetic state (relaxed), we utilise box breathing.
Summary:
The goal is to move our nervous system from a sympathetic state > Parasympathetic state.
What is box breathing?
Box Breathing is a quick and effective way to lower our heart rate, slow our breathing rate and reduce our sympathetic activation.
Find a comfortable place to take a moment.
- Close your eyes starting with a breathe in through your nose slowly, counting to 4 till fully inhaled.
- Now hold this breath counting to 4 again.
- Slowly exhale, breathing out slowly counting to 4.
- Pause once fully exhaled and hold, counting to 4 again.
- Repeat.
Summary: Breathe in counting to 4, hold counting to 4, exhale counting to 4 and hold exhale counting to 4 and repeat.
You should aim to complete this circuit at least 3-4 times or until you feel better.
You should now feel more relaxed and in control of your thoughts. If you do. You are now engaging with your parasympathetics again.
Congratulations and well done!