Just Breathe

By Michael Payne, LCSW, LICSW

Hearts and Minds Therapies

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Just Breathe

Ah, summertime. Time for vacation, relaxation, and stress. Sure, it's a season most look forward to, but it can also be a time when the demands of work, family and social obligations pile up. We think we're handling it “just fine” when suddenly, anxiety strikes. Racing thoughts, a pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath these can all be signs of an acute reaction to stress. They're a wake-up call from your body telling you to slow down. From an anxious flare-up to full-blown panic, stress can overwhelm us without warning. But there's a simple breathing technique to help your mind and body recover quickly to a more relaxed state.

First, look for a square- or rectangular-shaped object in your view to use as a focal point. A picture frame, window, or box-shaped building will all work fine. Begin by focusing on the top left corner of the focal point you have chosen. Count slowly and silently from one to four as you take a full, deep breath in through your nose and slowly redirect your gaze horizontally across to the top right corner. Your breath should start in the belly and rise up through the lungs to fill your entire chest cavity.

Next, hold your breath as you again count slowly to four while shifting your gaze in a vertical direction to the bottom right corner of your focal point. Then, let your breath escape out through your mouth while counting silently to four and redirecting your gaze horizontally along the lower edge of your focal point until it reaches the bottom left corner. Finally, count four more beats while holding your “out breath” and tracing your vision back up to the top left corner where the exercise began. Repeat this breathing technique several times until your mind and body feel more relaxed.

If you forget even for a minute what you were stressed about, that's the idea. This breathing technique, sometimes called “square breathing,” is designed to distract your mind and body with so much stimuli that they forget to react to the stressful event or thoughts that invited the anxious response. Breathing techniques combined with cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based psychotherapy can be effective in promoting extensive and enduring relief from stress and anxiety. Stress happens. But we're better off listening to what our bodies are telling us than by ignoring it and hoping it will go away. So the next time stress has your heart pounding, remember to just breathe.