BOX BREATHING

Navy Seals have undeniably stressful jobs. A simple, but incredibly powerful technique they teach (and that anyone can try) is BOX BREATHING.

When we are distressed, our breath often becomes shallow and rapid, making it difficult to think clearly or function. This dysfunction can lead us to panic and even act against our own survival interests. There are countless examples of individuals surviving horrific circumstances by employing this simple strategy that enabled them to calmly think before taking action. By combining breath work and simple counting, you can learn to activate your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and shift away from a triggered sympathetic nervous system reaction (fight or flight). This is an example of "downregulation." Instead of simply taking deep breaths, counting to four in a consistent, rhythmic pattern (imagine drawing a box with four sides) helps soothe your frazzled nerves and reboot the prefrontal cortex to help restore cognitive functioning that gets hijacked during sympathetic nervous system activation.

To try this breathing exercise, place one hand on your chest and your other hand on your stomach. This form of touch can be comforting, but you don't have to do this part every time. Some people prefer or need to engage in BOX BREATHING without drawing attention to themselves so you can easily leave your hands out of it after this first round. It's your call. As your hands rise and fall, feel your breath moving in and out of your body. Make sure you are engaging your diaphragm as you inhale (instead of taking shallow breaths from your upper chest). Your belly should move freely in and out.

On a count of four, take a slow, deep breath. Then hold your breath for another count of four. Next, exhale while again counting to four. Finally, simply rest on the final count of four. This exercise is sometimes referred to as 4x4x4x4 breathing. It should end up sounding something like this:

INHALE...2...3...4...HOLD...2...3...4...EXHALE...2...3...4...REST...2...3...4...

Repeat this cycle several times. Try to notice any changes you experience in your body.

The beauty of BOX BREATHING is that it's free, easy to learn, and can be done almost anywhere, any time.

It's best to practice this (and other breathing exercises) when you aren't in distress so it will be much easier to deploy when you are.

When patients occasionally report that BOX BREATHING didn't work for them, it's most often because they hadn't practiced until they were already in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. Their cognitive functioning had already shut down. They had trouble remembering the steps. Even more commonly, they simply forgot to breathe at all. I don't say any of that to shame and blame. It just highlights the importance of preparation and setting ourselves up for success.

As Navy Seals famously say: under pressure, we don't rise to the occasion, we sink to the level of our training.

This is a simple, but highly effective strategy that's worth investing a few moments in each day. Your nervous system will get a far greater ROI from BOX BREATHING than two additional minutes of doomscrolling.

To help make this more accessible, I created a simple BOX BREATHING tool if you'd like to try a guided version of the exercise with visual cues. Head over to https://www.danimyerslicsw.com/free-tools if you're interested in trying that out.

I hope this is helpful!