Anxiety Regulation Through Square Breathing
What is Square Breathing?
Square breathing, also known as box breathing, is a relaxation strategy that helps you focus on slowing and regulating your breath.
When you feel big emotions like anxiety, your nervous system activates one of its automatic systems known as the ‘sympathetic’ system. This is part of a system in your body that attempts to deal with stressful situations by physically preparing you to either fight the situation or flee. To try and protect you, your body will increase your heart rate, speed your breathing, and increase your blood pressure – all very helpful things if you’re in an emergency and need to respond quickly!
However, when we experience big emotions like anxiety or anger, this system will often activate regardless of whether or not we need our body to be ready to flee or fight. For example, when we get nervous before a big presentation at work – it is nerve-wracking but it is not the ideal time to feel ready to run.
By using techniques like square breathing, you engage the opposite system in your body – your ‘somatic’ system. This system processes the things you touch and feel, and lets you control your muscles when you want to move them. By focusing on regulating your breathing you can get your body under your conscious control to slow things like your heart rate and blood pressure. This technique also gives you a moment to focus on your body and slowing it down, so that you can reset physically and mentally.
4 Easy Steps
So, how exactly do we approach square breathing?
Step 1: Breathe in for 4 steady counts
Step 2: Hold for 4 counts
Step 3: Breathe out for 4 steady counts
Step 5: Hold for 4 counts
Repeat this a few times and you’ll begin to feel your mind and body responding with a more relaxed state.
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