You’re feeling overwhelmed at work. How can you use breathing techniques to find some calm?

This prompt suggests 10-15 minutes of breathing. I won't argue with that, but I will point out that 10-15 minutes isn't required to make a difference. In times of overwhelm, many of us don't have 10-15 minutes either. As a lawyer, I know that. One thing that helps me is remembering that 5 breaths is about a minute if you breath in the way suggested here. Notice the inhale, the pause, the exhale, and the pause. Doing this just five times may be enough to find some relief and stability. You can always add one if you like but learning this first essential step can be very useful. You can also grow your practice over time. Emotions last far less than 10 minutes in the body so a practice of just 1 or a few minutes can make a difference.

To relieve stress, find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably. Then, slowly breathe in through your nose and focus on your abdomen rising. Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your abdomen fall. You can count your breaths if it helps you. This simple yet powerful technique is called diaphragmatic breathing. You can practice it discreetly at your desk or during short breaks. Consistent practice can help you relax and focus better, which can help manage feelings of overwhelming at work.

I have been practising and teaching diaphragmatic breathing for many years now. This breathing technique will calm you by slowing your heartbeat down and balancing your oxygen levels. Take the following steps at any time - standing, sitting, in the middle of a meeting, as you start the day, before you sleep: 1. Focus your eyes at a point in front of you, keeping them still. 2. Breathe in slowly through the nose and as you breathe in gradually push out your belly to make a balloon, do this to the count of 3. 3. Breathe out through the mouth slowly to the count of 5, gradually pulling in your belly button at the same time. 4. If you are in a comfortable safe space, release a sigh as you breathe out. 5. Repeat this breathing technique 3X.

One of the best breathing exercises that help me to calm down. And your self-awareness about emotions gets better with practicing more. 1. First finding a comfortable position without any distraction. 2. The key element here is to inhale slowly through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. 3. Repeat breathing while counting your breaths. 4. Paying attention to the present moment is crucial. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to your breath. It's a valuable tool for managing stress and maintaining emotional well-being.

We are used to chest breathing, where our chest rises on the inhale, rather than our belly inflating, so belly or diaphragmatic breathing can be tricky at first. I tell my clients to pretend they have a straw that sucks the air all the way to their belly, so that when they inhale the air reaches all the way to inflate their belly. This visual sometimes helps. Once the inhale reaches the belly, try to expand the sides of the ribs and even the back body before exhaling slowly, exhaling all the air by squeezing your lower belly at the very end.

The 4-7-8 breathing is another one of my personal favorites. Its super simple. Breathe in for 4 seconds. Hold the breath for 7 seconds. Breathe out for 8 seconds through your mouth while making a blowing sound. It can be done by anyone and anywhere. Best is to do it sitting or standing firmly. It not only helps with calming down, it reduces anxiety, improves focus and can act as a stress buster. It also helps in pain management.

Actually I agree with it. A relaxing breathing technique is really helpful to calm down yourself when feeling overwhelmed at the workplace. Just sit comfortably and take a deep breath through your nose by counting in 1-4 in your mind and then hold your breath by counting for 1-7. Then exhale through your mouth with a whooping sound by counting 1-8. When you are exhaling you can feel the stress or anxiety is slowly going out of your mind.

This technique is extremely helpful and can be done in your cubicle or office relatively quickly. It’s also easy to teach to others and for them to remember.

Many of my clients struggle with the 4-7-8 or box breathing. An alternative I find really helpful is to breathe longer on the exhale. I encourage breathing in for a count of 3 then slowly breathing out to a count of 5. This helps settle the sympathetic nervous system and quickly induces a feeling of calm. Focusing on the breath and counting is a good way to engage the thinking brain mindfully.

This type of breathing is the best to quickly restore your nervous system and reduce stress. It's simple and easy to do with the greatest results possible. We often forget to breathe when we're feeling stressed so this type of breathing is a sure way to get grounded again.

Nadi shodhna pranayama or alternate nostril breathing is an amazing and 100% effective yogic technique to reduce the stress and anxiety running through your body. Research shows that this technique helps balance the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems.

Alternate Nostril Breathing is a powerful & effective Yogic Breathing Technique. It involves Breathing through one nostril at a time, alternating between the left & the right. It is designed to balance energy, clear the mind & enhance focus. While many practitioners concentrate on inhalation & exhalation process through alternate nostrils, it is crucial to emphasize the need for a “Straight Spine” during the practice. Maintaining a “Straight Spine” is integral to reaping full benefits of this very potent Pranayama. Ensuring “Straight Spine” throughout the practice, significantly contributes to the effectiveness of Alternate Nostril Breathing. Incorporating this technique into our routine can promote overall well-being & “Stress Management”

Breathing techniques can help you relax and cope with stress. Alternate-nostril breathing: Block one nostril with your finger and breathe in through the other nostril. Then switch nostrils and breathe out. Repeat this cycle for a few minutes. This can help balance your nervous system and calm your mind.

I am a big fan of alternate nostril breathing with emphasis on breath retention. Its actually breath retention that works the magic by eliminating lactic acid which can be a contributing factor to stress and overwhelming response

Nostril breathing has various benefits, including promoting relaxation, improving focus, & optimizing the intake of air for better oxygen. In addition to nadi shodhana, other techniques of nostril breathing are: Humming Breath: 1.Close your eyes and sit comfortably. 2.Inhale deeply through your nose. 3.Exhale slowly while making a humming sound, like a gentle bee. 4.Repeat this process, focusing on the vibration in your nasal passages. Equal Breathing: 1.Inhale through your nose for a count of 4. 2.Exhale through your nose for a count of 4. 3.Keep the inhalation and exhalation equal in duration. 4.Gradually increase the count as you become more comfortable.

Box breathing is great, but sometimes, depending on the person, causes more stress. One of the reasons for this could be a low carbon dioxide tolerance due to mouth breathing on a daily basis, which also keeps us in a more stressed state. An alternative to box breathing to find calm is a slow inhale through the nose, focusing on the belly + ribs expanding instead of the chest lifting, adding a slight pause at the top of the inhale, and a slow exhale out of the nose (or through pursed lips if getting control of the breath is difficult), and a slight pause at the bottom of the exhale. As you begin to become more comfortable with the spaces between the breath, you can work towards a more traditional, even count box breath.

The effectiveness of square breathing is not just about the count but also about creating a mindful and focused state. While doing square breathing, you can include these: 1. Place your hand on your abdomen to ensure that you're engaging your diaphragm. Feel your belly rise as you inhale & fall as you exhale. 2. As you breathe, mentally visualize a square or use your finger to trace an imaginary square in the air. This adds a visual element to the practice, reinforcing the structured rhythm. 3. Pair each breath cycle with a positive affirmation. Ex: "I am calm," on inhale ,"I am at peace," as you hold “I am releasing stress,” on exhale 4. Visualise a calming scene or a safe place while you hold your breath, to enhance relaxation.

En mi experiencia y la de mis pacientes, esta sencilla técnica de respiración es muy potente para calmarnos cuando nos encontramos angustiados con algo. En mi opinión, su efectividad está en gran parte en lo sencilla que es la técnica y que en cualquier lado la puedes practicar. Solo necesitas llevarla a cabo durante unos 5 minutos y verás como vuelve la tranquilidad a ti. La técnica consiste en: 1. Cierra tus ojos. 2. Inhalar profundamente a la vez que cuentas hasta cuatro. 3. Aguantar la respiración a la vez que cuentas hasta cuatro. 4. Exhalar lentamente a la vez que cuentas hasta cuatro. A este tipo de respiración también se le llama respiración 4X4X4.

Box breathing was originally developed for soldiers experiencing symptoms of PTSD. It is helpful in part due to the distraction of counting the breaths. Inhale to a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale to a count of four, hold for a count of four, and repeat. Try to make the count of four the same in length and depth.

Box breathing: Breathe in for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four, and hold your breath again for a count of four. Repeat this cycle for a few minutes. This can help you focus and regulate your emotions.

Two things to consider before starting: 1) Breathing is not a comfortable and supportive experience for everyone. It's not magic, you're not required to focus on the breath, and you're not alone if you find it uncomfortable -- many do, for lots of reasons. 2) The breath is just *one* way to invite a sense of stability in the moment. If like many others you find breathing is not helping, you can choose another anchor for your attention, like listening to sounds, or focusing on the tips of fingers or toes!

Stress makes your breathing shallow, to tackle this deep and mindful breathing will help you to reduce the effects of stress on the mind and body. Few points have to be followed while doing breathing Exercises: 1. Never do breathing Exercises while standing. Always sit or lie down. 2. Do not do breathing exercises on a full stomach or after immediately eating. 3. Start slow and listen to your body. Do not force it. 4. Mind wandering is common during breathing exercises. So acknowledge it and bring your focus back to your breathing. 5. It will reduce stress, regulates your blood pressure, and improves your sleep quality. Like an apple a day keeps the doctor away, 10 mins of breathing exercises everyday will keep your stress at bay.

After a short guided meditation with abdominal breathing and focusing on the outbreath to trigger a parasympathetic response by extending the outbreath, a supported person I'm working with reported having strong sensations in their hands and diaphram. They said they'd never learn to breath properly. Two weeks later they said: "That's been more useful than any medication I've ever been given by the doctor. Why don't doctors teach this?" I replied that it had taken three months for us to get to know each other for me to feel comfortable enough to lead them through a mindfulness meditation practice like this. It's important to create psychological safety alongside breathing practices because some people can have trauma related reactions.

The first physical symptom of stress is raising the shoulders. We do it to protect the neck, a vital and vulnerable area. We can easily identify it in ourselves and in others. With tense shoulders it is no use breathing, practicing mindfulness, or meditating. Because the muscles speak chemically with the brain and are asking us to run as far and as quickly as possible, or fight to death. It is impossible to calm the mind with the body activated. Having a physical posture of vulnerability requires a stress response to defend ourselves. The good news is that it is very easy to neutralize and we can all do it discreetly in any situation and anywhere: Simply place your "Shoulders Away from Ears." SAFE position. :-) Try now! ;-)

Breathing is a powerful tool that can help us regain control of a situation by shifting our focus and attention. Rather than ignoring our emotions, acknowledging them can help us reclaim our agency by concentrating on what we can do to address them. To achieve this, we must first take a moment to pause and use our breath to calm our nervous system's stress response. Once we've done this, we can start asking better questions to help us move past the things we can't control and focus instead on what's possible. If we put too much pressure on ourselves to relax, we may end up feeling less successful. However, if we use our breath to become more mindful and change the way we think, we can achieve a more positive outcome.