MINDFUL BREATHING
Mindfulness Regulation Strategies
“Breathing can help us navigate the tumultuous waters of the modern world. Changing your breath changes your life.”
James Nestor
MINDFUL BREATHING
Have you ever noticed how just a few deep breaths can shift your entire mood or calm your body when it feels like everything is spiraling out of control? That’s the power of mindful breathing—a simple yet effective emotional regulation strategy that helps you center yourself and reset, no matter what’s happening around you. By focusing on your breath, you can tap into an instant sense of calm, reduce stress, and create emotional clarity.
Learn more about mindful breathing and discover tips and practices.
Best times to use
Practices
Tips
The Science
The Benefits
The Science Behind Mindful Breathing:
Mindful breathing has a profound impact on both our body and mind and can significantly impact our emotional regulation and overall mental health.
When we focus on our breath, we engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for promoting relaxation and reducing the fight-or-flight response. This can help lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), slow the heart rate, and activate the areas of the brain associated with calm and focus.
Additionally, by focusing on the breath, we enhance awareness of our emotional states, allowing us to observe emotions without judgment or impulsive reactions, which leads to better emotional control. Research shows mindful breathing boosts activity in the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for higher-order thinking and emotional regulation and reduces activity in the limbic system, particularly the amygdala, This lowers the intensity of emotional reactions and supports a more thoughtful response to stress and challenging emotions like anxiety and stress
This combination of physical and psychological benefits helps individuals respond to emotions in a calm and deliberate ways, fostering emotional resilience.
The Benefits
Enhanced Emotional Awareness: Mindful breathing allows us to tune into our emotions, helping us identify what we feel and why we feel it.
Reduces our stress response - lowers our heart rate and blood pressure, restores our breathing, relaxes our muscles, and lowers our cortisol levels.
Enhanced Presence and Self-Connection: Mindful breathing techniques support a deeper connection with the present moment, enhancing self-awareness and fostering a sense of calm. This presence strengthens our ability to observe emotions without immediate reaction, promoting clarity and a grounded sense of self.
Improved Stress Management: Regular practice can lead to better coping mechanisms, enabling us to respond calmly to stressful situations.
Enhanced Emotional Regulation: Mindful breathing facilitates emotional regulation by reducing reactivity and promoting a thoughtful, measured response to emotional triggers
Increased Resilience: By cultivating a sense of calm through mindful breathing, we build resilience against future emotional challenges.
Greater Focus and Clarity: Mindful breathing sharpens our focus, allowing us to make thoughtful decisions rather than reacting impulsively.
Physical Relaxation: The practice promotes physical relaxation, reducing tension and discomfort that may arise from emotional overwhelm.
Best to Use When
In the Morning: Start your day with mindful breathing to set a calm and focused tone for the rest of the day.
When Overthinking: Use deep breathing to reconnect with your body and calm a racing mind.
During Stressful Situations: Mindful breathing can help reduce the body’s physiological stress response (lowering cortisol and heart rate) and create a sense of calm in moments of high stress
In Any Situation When Your Heart Rate Increases or Fight-or-Flight Activates: Mindful breathing can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces the physiological effects of the fight-or-flight response, lowering heart rate and stress levels
In Public or High-Pressure Environments: Whether you're at the office, school, home, the airport, or anywhere else, mindful breathing doesn’t require any special posture or setting. It's a versatile practice that can be done anywhere to regain calm and focus
During Moments of Emotional Intensity to Center yourself and Prevent impulsive reactions. If you're feeling triggered or reactive, taking a moment to breathe deeply helps you pause and respond thoughtfully rather than impulsively, minimizing the risk of saying or doing something you may regret.
To Improve Focus and Clear Mental Fog: Mindful breathing can help clear mental clutter and improve concentration, making it easier to focus on tasks at hand or difficult conversations.
When Experiencing Anxiety: Research shows that deep, controlled breathing can help reduce anxiety levels by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and calming the brain
Before or After Difficult Conversations: Mindful breathing can center your thoughts and emotions, helping you stay calm and focused during challenging interactions.
To Improve Sleep: Practicing mindful breathing techniques, such as the 4-7-8 method, can help activate the body’s relaxation response, promoting better sleep by calming the mind and reducing racing thoughts
When Feeling Overwhelmed or Distracted: Regular use of mindful breathing helps improve focus and concentration by increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex, supporting better decision-making
During Meditation or Mindfulness Practices: Breathing techniques are foundational to many meditation practices and can help deepen concentration, reduce mental clutter, and improve emotional awareness
When Recovering from Emotional Overload: Mindful breathing can reduce limbic system activity, including the amygdala, helping to lower emotional reactivity in the face of overwhelming emotions like anger or sadness.
When You Need to Reduce the Intensity of an Emotion: Mindful breathing can significantly reduce the emotional intensity of feelings such as anger, frustration, or anxiety. By focusing on your breath, you create a space between stimulus and response,
PRACTICES
Deep (Diaphragmatic) Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing activates the body's relaxation response, lowering stress hormones and promoting a sense of calm. This helps you sustain the feeling of relief and prevents residual stress from affecting your well-being.
When to use it:
You need to reduce stress reduction
To cultivate deep relaxation
Encourage mindful awareness.
How to practice:
Find a quiet place, sit comfortably, and close your eyes.
Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand.
Hold your breath for a few seconds,
Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this cycle for 5-10 minutes.
4-7-8 Breathing
The 4-7-8 breathing is a powerful practice for calming your mind when anxiety strikes or when stress feels overwhelming. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to lower your heart rate and reset your body’s stress response.
When to use it:
In moments of acute anxiety or overwhelm.
When preparing for sleep or unwinding after a stressful day.
Before a difficult conversation or meeting to ground yourself.
This simple technique works by promoting deep relaxation, quieting mental noise, and signaling to your body that it's time to let go of tension. It’s a quick and effective way to regain balance, no matter where you are.
How to practice:
Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie down in a quiet space where you won't be disturbed. You can close your eyes to help focus.
Inhale: Breathe in quietly through your nose for a count of 4 seconds. Feel your abdomen expand as you fill your lungs with air.
Hold: Retain your breath for a count of 7 seconds. During this time, allow yourself to connect with the feeling of acceptance and appreciate the present moment.
Exhale: Breathe out completely through your mouth, making a whooshing sound for a count of 8 seconds. Imagine releasing any tension or distractions with each exhale.
Repeat: Complete this cycle for 4-5 breaths, focusing on the rhythm of your breathing and the sensations in your body. Each inhale should bring in feelings of acceptance, while each exhale allows you to let go of any negativity.
Reflect: After your final exhale, take a moment to notice how you feel. Sit in stillness and embrace the sense of acceptance you've cultivated during this practice.
Box Breathing
Box Breathing is a versatile technique that helps you maintain focus and composure in high-pressure situations. It’s great for enhancing concentration and regulating emotions when you need to clear your mind and stay calm under pressure.
When to use it:
When you’re facing a stressful or emotionally charged situation, such as before a presentation, meeting, or difficult conversation.
To calm the nervous system after intense physical or mental exertion.
When you need to enhance focus and clear mental fog, especially during periods of high cognitive demand.
Box breathing helps regulate the body’s stress response, making it easier to regain mental clarity and emotional stability.
How to practice:
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Hold again for 4 seconds before starting the next breath.
Repeat for 4-6 cycles.
Savoring with Deep Breathing
This exercise combines mindful breathing with visualization to deepen your connection to a positive emotion.
Choose Your Emotion: Identify a specific positive emotion you want to savor, such as joy, gratitude, or pride. Take a moment to recall a recent experience that evoked this feeling.
Find a Comfortable Space: Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed.
Close Your Eyes: Gently close your eyes to help you focus inward.
Take a Deep Breath: Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of 4 seconds, feeling your abdomen expand as you fill your lungs with air.
Hold the Breath: Hold your breath for a count of 4 seconds. During this time, allow yourself to connect with the positive emotion you’ve chosen. Visualize the moment or experience that brought on that feeling.
Exhale Slowly: Exhale gently through your mouth for a count of 6 seconds, releasing the breath slowly. As you exhale, imagine letting go of any tension or distractions. Picture the emotion you want to savor lingering in the air around you.
Repeat the Cycle: Complete this cycle for 4-6 breaths. Each time you inhale, visualize bringing in more of the positive emotion. With each exhale, imagine it spreading throughout your body, amplifying the feeling.
Savor the Emotion: After your final exhale, take a moment to sit in stillness and fully experience the positive emotion. Notice how it feels in your body and mind. Allow yourself to linger in this feeling for as long as you can.
Ground Yourself: When you’re ready, gently open your eyes and take a moment to notice how you feel. Carry the essence of that emotion with you as you continue with your day.
Tips
Counting breaths or repeating a calming phrase (such as “in” or “calm” on the inhale and “out” or “release” on the exhale) while breathing helps us regain balance and control because it activates our prefrontal cortex.
A mindful breathing practice can be developed over time. Start small by practicing for a few minutes a couple of times a week. This way, when you find yourself in a situation where you need to regulate your emotions, you’ll be better prepared to deactivate your stress response more quickly.
If you find yourself easily distracted during your mindful breathing, give yourself some self-compassion and keep trying. Remember, building a practice takes time.