Inhale, hold, exhale — Tip #26
A fast way to feel less stressed 😌
It’s a stressful period, I’ve been traveling for five and a half months and finally getting back to a (yet another) new apartment, all while launching two businesses. It’s also a stressful period for a few friends who read Don’t Panic, so I thought it’s a good moment to pause.
I have plenty of techniques and activities I have learnt over the decades to deal with anxiety and stress 🤓. Whenever you run a business, anxiety is your best friend: it drives you forward, warns you of upcoming challenges, and at the same time keeps you human and grounded in your human needs.
There is one tip that I was never able to make into a “routine” myself, but every time I try it again I am mind-blown by its efficacy, maybe you can do better than me: welcome to paced breathing.
Breathing is something we do passively without thinking about it. When we interfere with this natural pattern, either during the inhale, hold, or exhale phase, we “wake up” our nervous system to listen and be attentive. Try for yourself for 4-5 breaths 👇
What just happened? By putting an emphasis on a longer exhale you have engaged the parasympathetic system (the one that controls “rest and digest”) and promoted deeper relaxation 😌. In these modern times, with the amount of inputs thrown at us, we are constantly stimulating, through shallow breathing patterns, the “fight and flight” system. Even when we are not consciously stressed, by breathing a certain way our mind and body register stress signals.
There are a few other methods that I mention for completeness so that you can do further research:
📦 Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds (though the nose) and hold again for 4 seconds before the next inhale.
🧘 Relaxing Breath: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 6 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds.
🪖 4-7-8 Variant: same as the relaxing breath, just a stronger hold.
Don’t Panic instructions:
🔰 First timers: just try a couple of breaths.
🩻 Keep your back straight.
🫁 Inhale for 4s through the nose.
⏸️ Hold for 6s (let it go if you feel too rigid).
😮💨 Exhale for 8s through the mouth.
🫄If you notice your breaths being shallow, try to focus on raising your belly button.
➕ Increase progressively until you can do a 2-3 minutes.
Your weekly tip: Sometimes our breathing is signalling stress to our body. Slow down: inhale for 4s, hold for 6s and exhale for 8s. Do a couple rounds and you should feel more relaxed.
Don’t forget to share this tip with a friend who may be stressed🫰
See you next week, until then…
Don’t Panic 😱