The Benefits of Deep Breathing for Emotional Regulation – A Guide to Box Breathing
Introduction
Emotional regulation is an integral part of our everyday lives. It means being able to handle and respond to our feelings healthily. This skill helps us stay calm, make good choices, and build strong relationships. When we can’t manage our emotions, we might feel overwhelmed and turn to harmful behaviors like hurting ourselves or using drugs.
Stress and strong emotions can affect our health. Long-term stress can cause problems like anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. These feelings can also manifest in our bodies, such as a fast heartbeat, muscle tension, and fatigue. Because emotions affect our minds and bodies, learning how to manage them is essential.
One easy and effective way to control our emotions is deep breathing. This means taking slow, deep breaths to relax and calm down. Deep breathing helps our bodies move from being stressed to feeling peaceful. Over time, it can also help us understand our feelings better and build more vital emotional skills, improving our mental and physical health.
Understanding Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is how people control and respond to their emotions. It helps us manage how our feelings affect our thoughts, actions, and overall mental health. Emotional regulation includes understanding our emotions and controlling how we react to things around us. Regulating emotions is essential for staying mentally healthy, dealing with stress, and returning from challenges. If you want more information on emotional regulation, check out our previous blog on this topic!
People who can’t manage their emotions often feel more stressed and anxious. It can lead to acting on impulse, meaning they may make choices without considering the consequences. For example, some might turn to unhealthy habits like, as mentioned before, using drugs or self-harm to try to cope with their intense feelings. When emotions aren’t under control, it can create a harmful cycle that leads to more mental health problems like anxiety, depression, or substance abuse.
Managing emotions effectively can bring many benefits. It helps people become more self-aware, meaning they can better notice and understand their feelings. Techniques like paying attention to where stress shows up in the body can be beneficial. Other strategies like mindfulness, calming exercises, and changing negative thoughts can also help people deal with their emotions healthier instead of turning to harmful behaviors.
Learning these skills strengthens people emotionally, helps them handle challenges, and improves their mental health and relationships. Managing emotions well is critical to living a healthy, balanced life.
The Science Behind Deep Breathing
Deep breathing greatly affects the body’s nervous system, especially the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which helps calm us down. When we do deep breathing, we switch from the sympathetic nervous system (SNS)—which controls the “fight-or-flight” response during stress—to the PNS, which promotes relaxation.
What Happens in the Nervous System
Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System: Deep breathing activates the vagus nerve, a crucial part of the PNS. This causes our heart rate and blood pressure to decrease, helping us relax. Deep breathing involves taking slow, long breaths, the opposite of the quick, shallow breathing that comes with stress or anxiety.
Lowering Stress Hormones: Deep breathing helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol. When we’re stressed, the SNS releases these hormones. By practicing deep breathing, we can calm the body and lower the amount of stress hormones, which helps relieve the physical signs of stress.
Deep breathing exercises, like diaphragmatic breathing, allow us to take deep breaths that use our diaphragm instead of shallow chest breaths. This brings in more oxygen and helps us feel more relaxed. The extra oxygen helps the body work better and creates a feeling of peace.
Deep breathing also improves how well the brain works by sending more oxygen. This makes focusing and thinking easier, helping us make better decisions. Paying attention to our breath is also a form of mindfulness, which allows us to stay focused and block out distractions. By calming the body, deep breathing helps us control our emotions better. Relaxing makes us less likely to react strongly to stressful situations, which helps with emotional control. This is especially useful for people dealing with anxiety, depression, or other emotional issues because it makes them more resilient in challenging situations.
Introduction to Box Breathing
Box breathing, also called square breathing, is a breathing exercise where you follow a pattern of breathing in, holding your breath, breathing out, and holding your breath again. Each part of this pattern is done for a count of four. This method is excellent for managing stress and anxiety and is used by people in high-stress jobs like U.S. Navy SEALs, athletes, police officers, and healthcare workers. Box breathing comes from pranayama, an old breathing practice from India that focuses on using breath control to improve physical and mental health.
There are four simple steps in box breathing, and each step lasts for a count of four:
Inhale: Slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of four, filling your lungs and letting the air expand into your abdomen.
Hold: Hold your breath for another count of four, giving your body time to use the oxygen you just breathed in.
Exhale: Slowly breathe out through your mouth for four counts, letting all the air out of your lungs. As you do this, imagine you're letting go of your stress and worries.
Hold Again: Hold your breath for four more counts before starting the cycle again. This prepares your body for the next round of breathing.
Box breathing is especially helpful when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed because it creates a sense of calm and focus. The steady rhythm helps you concentrate on your breathing instead of your stress, giving you more control over your emotions. This technique slows down your breathing, which is often fast and shallow when you're anxious. By slowing it down, your body tells your brain to relax, which can lower anxiety and make you feel more at ease. Practicing box breathing regularly can help improve emotional control, increase focus, and make you feel better overall, making it a great way to handle stress.
How to Practice Box Breathing
While we mentioned the four steps earlier, we will go over them again to help you practice this technique.
Find a Quiet Space: Choose a calm and quiet place to sit or lie comfortably without distractions. Ensure you’re in a position that allows you to sit up straight to help your lungs expand.
Inhale Slowly: Close your eyes if you want to. Breathe deeply through your nose for four seconds. Focus on filling your lungs with air and letting it expand into your belly.
Hold Your Breath: After you inhale, hold your breath for another count of four seconds. This pause lets your body take in the oxygen and prepares you for the next step.
Exhale Slowly: Slowly breathe out through your mouth for four seconds. As you exhale, imagine you’re letting go of any stress or tension.
Hold Again: Hold your breath again for four seconds before starting the next round of breathing. This tells your body you’re beginning a new cycle.
Repeat the Cycle: Keep repeating the inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding for a few minutes. Try to practice for at least three to five minutes; as you get better, you can do it longer.
Practice Daily: Include box breathing in your daily routine, especially during stressful moments. Regularly doing this can help you manage stress and improve your overall well-being.
Here are some additional tips for practicing box breathing:
Be Consistent: Practice daily to build the habit and enjoy the benefits.
Adjust the Count: If four seconds feels too long or too short, change the count to three or five seconds to make it more comfortable.
Use Visuals: To stay focused, picture a box In your mind or trace a square with your finger while you breathe.
By following these steps and tips, you can practice box breathing effectively and use it as a helpful tool to reduce stress and manage your emotions.
Benefits of Box Breathing for Emotional Regulation
Practicing box breathing regularly can help you manage your emotions better over time. As you’ve previously read, box breathing is excellent for lowering stress. You can calm your body and mind by following the pattern of breathing in for four seconds, holding for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, and holding again for four seconds. This kind of slow, steady breathing fights off the fast, shallow breathing that often comes with stress and anxiety. Box breathing tells your brain to relax, which can help reduce feelings of anxiety.
Focusing on your breath during box breathing helps you practice mindfulness, which is about being fully present in the moment. Mindfulness allows you to step away from racing thoughts and strong emotions. Over time, you become more aware of your feelings and reactions, which helps you manage emotions better before they get out of control. Box breathing can also help you develop self-control. It allows you to pause and gather yourself in challenging or emotional situations. When you make box breathing a habit, you learn to respond thoughtfully instead of impulsively. This skill is important for staying calm and in control, especially in stressful situations.
Some examples of real-life stressful situations that you could use box breathing for include:
During Exams: Many students feel anxious during tests, hurting their performance. Doing box breathing before or during an exam can help calm nerves, improve focus, and clear your mind so you can do your best.
Public Speaking: Many people are nervous about public speaking. Box breathing can be a great way to calm yourself before giving a speech. It can reduce anxiety and help you feel more confident on stage.
Dealing with Conflict: When emotions run high in a conflict, people often react without thinking. Box breathing gives you a moment to pause, calm down, and handle the situation with more patience and understanding. This can lead to better communication and a more peaceful solution to the problem.
Incorporating Box Breathing into Daily Life
If you are struggling with how to add box breathing into your daily life, here are some suggestions:
Morning Meditation-
Start your day with box breathing as part of your morning routine. Take a few minutes each morning to practice this technique. It can help you feel calm, focused, and ready for the day. You can also combine box breathing with other mindfulness activities, like imagining positive things or considering what you’re thankful for.
Before Bed-
Doing box breathing before you go to sleep can help you sleep better. Spend a few minutes breathing this way to relax your mind and body. This tells your nervous system that it’s time to wind down, making it easier to fall asleep and get better rest.
During Breaks at Work-
Use box breathing during work breaks to handle stress and stay focused. If you’re stressed about a project or need a mental break, take a few minutes to practice. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, and go through a few rounds of box breathing to clear your mind and feel more in control before returning to work.
Box breathing is a great way to calm yourself down, especially in acute stress quickly. Here’s how to use it in challenging situations:
Notice the Stress: When you start feeling anxious or stressed, acknowledge it without judging yourself.
Start Box Breathing: Immediately start the box breathing cycle—inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and hold again for four seconds. Repeat until you feel calmer.
Focus on Breathing: Paying attention to your breath takes your mind off what’s stressing you, helping your body move from a stressed state to a calmer one.
To get the most out-of-box breathing, it’s important that you also remember to practice regularly. This is how to make it a solid part of your routine:
Set Reminders: Use your phone or calendar to remind you to practice. Over time, it will become a natural habit.
Track Your Progress: Write down how you feel before and after box breathing. Seeing the benefits can motivate you to keep practicing.
Practice Anytime: Find moments in your day to use box breathing—on the bus, waiting in line, or even during meetings. The more you practice, the easier it will be to use when needed.
Conclusion
To wrap up, deep breathing, primarily through techniques like box breathing, offers many benefits that can significantly improve emotional control and overall mental health. One of the main advantages is its ability to reduce stress and manage anxiety. Focusing on your breath can calm your mind and break the cycle of overwhelming thoughts, helping to lower anxiety and stress levels. Box breathing also helps improve focus and concentration by training your mind to stay on task, making you more productive and clear-headed. Regular breathing can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure, which are often higher during stressful situations.
Additionally, it promotes relaxation and can improve sleep, making it a valuable tool for those who struggle with insomnia. Another benefit is emotional balance. Box breathing helps you respond to your emotions more calmly and steadily, making you more resilient in challenging situations.
Box breathing is easy to practice and requires no special tools or equipment. You can do it at home, work, or even commuting. Practicing just a few minutes each day can help you feel more calm and in control of your emotions. I encourage you to try it out and make it part of your daily routine. Whether you do it in the morning or during stressful times, box breathing can help you achieve better emotional balance and improve your mental health. Embrace the power of your breath to stay calm and firm!
