Sometimes, you’ve got to think using the box…

Good morning,

I hope you’re keeping well 🙂

Over the last couple of years, I’ve loved getting into different mindfulness practices – from meditation to breathing exercises, it helps me relax and recharge, reminding me to live in the moment. With that in mind, we’re going to be delving into the brilliant practice of box breathing in today’s blog for you.

Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!

Life can get very stressful from time to time, and it’s in those situations that it can be easy to feel a little lost. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I occasionally find myself in situations where I feel overwhelmed or where I don’t know what to do next. This is where box breathing, something I am a big advocate for, comes into play – helping me to recalibrate and bring myself back into the present moment.

Here’s how I do it ⤵️

👐 I find a space where I feel comfortable, taking a second to close my eyes and clear my thoughts

🧘‍♂️ I breathe in through the nose for four seconds, then hold my breath for four seconds

👋 I exhale from the mouth for four seconds, releasing all pent-up thoughts and emotions, before leaving my lungs empty for an additional four seconds

↪️ I repeat the exercise several times until I have begun to feel more calm, energised and prepared to return to work

I’ve found that box breathing helps to reduce my stress levels, improve my emotional control and enhance my concentration. It’s something that you can do quickly and easily that makes a tangible impact on your mindset, and consequently on the rest of your day, as you switch back to reality feeling relaxed and prepared that regardless of what happens next, you’ll be able to sort it out.

I’ve also discovered that it can be highly beneficial when used to help monitor and manage my stutter, which is great. Stutters are largely impacted by your emotional state, with intense feelings often relating to an increase in the volume of stuttering, so, commonly, techniques such as box breathing can help with managing your speech too 🙂

If you’ve never tried it before, why don’t you give it a shot – you never know, you may find that it really works well for you! Be sure to let me know if you do try it out, I’d love to know what you think.

That’s all for today’s blog, what do you think? Have you heard of box breathing before? Do you use any mindfulness practices in your life? Would you like to see more blogs like this moving forward?

I’d love to hear your thoughts ⤵️

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!