Relieve stress instantly with 2 simple breathing techniques. Learn how military-grade Box Breathing and Pursed Lip Breathing help you relax fast.
Relieve Stress & Anxiety with Simple Breathing Techniques
There are two simple breathing techniques that effectively relieve stress. These methods are designed to help alleviate anxiety and provide a sense of relaxation.
Box Breathing or Square Breathing
This first breathing exercise is really great because it helps relieve stress and anxiety. In fact, they use it in the military for special ops missions to help relax the military folks before they go into battle or handle situations that really stress them out and make them anxious.
This technique is just called box breathing or square breathing, and it is kind of like it sounds. You have to use a little bit of imagery with this. Even if you have to look at something that is a box, sometimes that helps with your breathing technique. If you make the image with your finger, or if you look at a photo or a painting on the wall, make sure you use that imagery as well, because it helps you relax.
The Breathing Pattern
The process is simple: inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four.
Breathe In: Breathe in for four seconds, imagining you are going up the stairs.
Hold: Hold your breath for four seconds.
Breathe Out: Breathe out for four seconds.
Hold: Hold your breath again for four seconds.
Usually, the hardest part is after you breathe out, when you try to hold your breath. However, once you do more, you will start feeling that you have more strength in your lungs to do it and hold it pretty easily. If you feel like you are going to pass out, don’t keep holding your breath, but since it is four seconds, it should be pretty doable.
Repetitions and Application
You can maybe do four to five sets at a time to help you relax. It just depends on how stressed out you are. A lot of times, if you are going to the doctor or something that makes you a little anxious, doing some of that in the waiting room will help you relax. It is a really nice technique to use almost anywhere, but especially when you have a lot of stress or anxiety.
Pursed Lip Breathing
Pursed-lip breathing involves exhaling through pursed lips, making the lungs work harder. It helps strengthen your lungs, relieve stress and anxiety, and promote relaxation.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Setup
For this one, you'll do some belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing. That is really just breathing in through your belly, not your chest. Sometimes it is hard to get that down, but if you put your hand on your belly, you can feel it go in and out, and that is a good way to get that belly breathing.
The Breathing Pattern
You can do this anywhere from 3 to 5 reps to get nice and relaxed.
Breathe In: Breathe in through your belly for four seconds.
Breathe Out: Purse your lips and exhale for 8 seconds.
That is a little bit longer than you would think. If you can blow the whole time, that is great, but if you can’t, that is okay too. If you can’t get all the way to those eight seconds, that is okay, but the more you do, the easier it will be.
Progression and Safety
Try to build up to the full duration. Try to get to six seconds; next time, try to get to seven; and next time, try to get to eight seconds. Do not keep going if you are feeling like you are passing out; maybe do it for fewer seconds.
Neither of these breathing techniques has to be done back-to-back, because sometimes it can make you feel a little lightheaded if you haven’t done this for a while. Don’t go until you feel like you are going to pass out or anything. This is really supposed to help relieve the stress, relieve that anxiety, and just help you relax in general.
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