Okay, so I’ve been feeling super stressed lately. Work’s been crazy, and I just needed something to help me chill out fast. I kept seeing things about “breathing exercises,” but honestly, it sounded a little… woo-woo. But hey, I was desperate, so I decided to give it a shot.
My Experiment with Breathing
First, I just sat down in my chair. Nothing fancy, just tried to get comfy. My mind was racing, thinking about all the stuff I had to do. It was hard to even focus on my breath.
Then I remembered something I read, about breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Seemed simple enough. I started by closing my eyes—figured that might help me block out distractions.
- Inhale: I took a deep breath in through my nose. I tried to count to four while I did it, like someone suggested. My chest felt tight at first, like I couldn’t even get a full breath.
- Hold: I held my breath for another four count. This was surprisingly hard! I felt a little lightheaded, but not in a bad way.
- Exhale: I slowly blew the air out through my mouth, again counting to four. It felt like I was letting go of some of the tension with each exhale.
I repeated this a few times. Honestly, the first couple of times, I didn’t feel much different. I was still thinking about my to-do list, my emails, everything.
But I kept at it. After maybe five or six rounds, I started to notice something. My shoulders felt a little less tense. My heartbeat seemed to slow down a bit. It wasn’t like a magic switch flipped, but I definitely felt calmer.
I decided to try another one I saw, the “box breathing” thing. It’s basically the same as before, but you hold your breath after exhaling too.
- Inhale for four counts.
- Hold for four counts.
- Exhale for four counts.
- Hold for four counts.
This one felt even better! I think the extra hold after exhaling really helped me focus on the nothingness, if that makes sense. It was like a little mini-meditation.
I did this box breathing for another few minutes. By the end, I felt way more relaxed than when I started. My head was clearer, and I felt like I could actually tackle my work without freaking out.
So, yeah, I’m a convert. Breathing exercises? They actually work. It’s not going to solve all my problems, but it’s definitely a quick and easy way to de-stress when things get overwhelming. I’m going to try to do this every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. It is far better than letting the stress build up.