Box Breathing Is As Good As Meds

One of our guiding principles is to make vague ideas clear and practical.

With that in mind, one of the most frustratingly vague topics in the “self-care” category is meditation. 

What is it? How does a normal dude do it?

We’ve written about it here. 

But, for this article, we want to focus on one specific breathing technique:

Box Breathing: As Good As Meds

Box Breathing is a breathing technique that science shows reduces cortisol,  our bodies’ primary stress hormone.

This study found many potential benefits: a possible non-drug treatment for mental illness. A practical tool to cope with job burnout.  And as good as meds to cut blood pressure. 

Breathing techniques like this are already in widespread clinical use in treating PTSD.

If you want to read the science for yourself, click here

Otherwise, all you gotta know is that this shit works! 

So, How Do I Do it? 

Ok, this is incredibly complicated, so pull out that Moleskine you never use! 

Just kidding. 

First, let’s use a visual — a box.  

A box has four sides, representing the four equal (4 seconds long) steps of the technique

Breath In 

4 seconds of inhaling through your nose. Focus on filling the bottom of your belly with breath.

Hold

4 seconds of holding your breath.

Breath Out

4 seconds of exhaling forcefully from your mouth. Purse your lips, and make a wooshing sound as you exhale.

Hold

4 seconds of holding your breath out. 

Start over

Other Notes

For this technique, you can quietly count in your head.

If you prefer external help, you can use a guided mediation app like Insight Timer to count for you. (Not an ad, just a good app!)

Think of the entire box breathing sequence like a Set in the gym.

However many sets you want to do is up to you.

As you get used to it, you can adjust the number of sets to your stress levels.

Your homework: 

Try a set of 10 to start! 

For context: that adds up to less than 3 minutes (160 secs).

You have three minutes each day to lower your stress.

Do it. You deserve it.

P.S. I like to do this midday Monday through Friday. It’s as refreshing as closing all my browser tabs and starting all over.

Meditation: Yes, You Can Do It With Your Whiskey Nightcap

Do you ever:

1. Forget what you were stressing about?

2. Waste more energy trying to remember what exactly was stressing you out?

What the Kids Call A “Full Send”

Work. Dad Life. Checking in on your buddy’s tailgate party via Facebook. We all are constantly bombarded with stuff.

Being Busy Is Normal…

But problems arise when our monkey brain cannot differentiate between a serious responsibility, and a GIF of a man attacking a table.

This is where mindfulness meditation comes in.

Think of your brain as your browser: Maybe you have 14 tabs open.

Or this many…

On one, you have CNBC pulled up…yikes.

One, your high-school girlfriend’s facebook page (dodged a bullet).

All of the tabs are like this, except one, which is your actual work.

With all of these mental distractions, it can feel impossible to focus on what is actually important.

At its most effective, Meditation is like closing out all your unnecessary mental-tabs.

This isn’t just a psychological process: Mindfulness practice has been shown to increase the density of Gray Matter in your brain, which is a factor responsible for cognitive performance.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to shave your head and join a monastic order: This survey found that even five minutes of daily meditation can improve focus and reduce stress in individuals.

Thankfully, our digital overlords have made practicing mindfulness super easy.

I use Insight Timer (Not an Ad! Just a fan).

What this looks like for me: my workday is over, but I’m still rereading my emails for typos.

Thanks Google, I am now 200% more confused.

I open the App, and search: “Meditation for Work”.

I filter by time, and now Clarence’s soothing voice is guiding me through a five minute breathing exercise.

The five minutes is over. At its best, I feel totally relaxed and centered afterwards. At its worst, I feel only marginally better.

Never, and I repeat never, have I felt worse after a mediation .

Not Clarence(But this is how I imagine him).

Try A Five Minute Guided Meditation

Meditation is one of those weird paradoxes of productivity: By dedicating yourself to giving a little bit of time daily, you will gain a lot of time in the long-run.

What Dr. Dhillon Said

By re-aligning your thoughts with your goals, you can spend your energy only working on the stuff that is actually important to your life.

More time with kids. Less time remembering what you need to worry about.

Pairs With: Four-Minute Meditation For Self-Acceptance

P.S.

Yes, you can do it with your whiskey nightcap. Just try to save your sips for before and after the meditation(Clarence will smell it on you).