A breathing technique to create instant calm

Changing your breathing is an underrated coping strategy when you’re having a challenging day. . .

When you’re in fight or flight mode (which will be triggered multiple times in an average working day) your physiology changes and you take shallow, rapid breaths to ready yourself for immediate action.

Alongside balling up your fists, pupils dilating, heart pumping faster. This is likely an overreaction to a disagreement in a meeting. And it will make you tired.

You’ll have heard ‘take deep breaths’. Here’s a more specific tip:

- If you want to recover and re-focus quickly, aim for 4 seconds of breathing in and 4 seconds of breathing out. This restores you to a more balanced but alert state (ready for the next bombshell to drop in this meeting)

- If you want to relax and calm yourself because you’re taking a break or on the train home, then aim for 6 seconds of breathing in and 6 seconds of breathing out. This is more of a meditative/ relaxed breath.

Being aware of the difference has helped me to firstly, remember to breathe more (it can feel like you’re holding your breath) and secondly, to pick the strategy that fits. Spend a day paying more attention to your breathing and you’ll see what I mean.

This will reduce feelings of stress and pressure - so it’s definitely worth a try.