Patriot Health Digest
Given covid and other events, your personal stress threshold might be lower than normal right now, that means you might find yourself getting very stressed in just seconds. To fight this problem, it’s helpful to have the tools to use to help out—and there is nothing better the Navy Seal technique of box breathing.
Box breathing has very ancient roots, with different techniques for bringing in energy and relaxing a persona’s nervous system. However, it was the Navy Seals that popularized it during modern times and pushed it into the mainstream.
Mark Divine, a former SEAL spread the practice within the military, demonstrating that just by breathing, you can get a calming effect in just seconds.
The technique is very simple. It works on the idea of slowing down your breathing to relax yourself, increasing your oxygen, releasing your tension, and stimulating your vagus nerve, which is the biggest nerve in your body and has the function of managing your stress response, all in one exercise.
Here’s how to do it:
- Set a 5 minute timer
- Sit with your spine straight on the floor or in a chair.
- Inhale slowly for a 4 second long inhale.
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
- Exhale for 4 seconds.
- Hold for 4 seconds.
- Repeat until your timer goes off.
The more you perform box breathing as a habit, the more you will see stress does not affect you the same way. You might not be a Navy SEAL now, but I’ll bet you feel as calm as one.
