For anyone who has worked in a hospital or healthcare setting, stress is an old friend😅. Whether it's a sick patient rolling through the doors or a waiting room full of patients yet to be seen, stress usually isn't too hard to find in the medical field🚑.
Even outside of medicine, all of us deal with stressful situations and circumstances on a daily basis😵💫.
So what if I told you there was a simple technique you could learn within seconds to help navigate all that stress?
Enter box breathing📦.
Box breathing is a breathing technique that consists of a cycle of taking deep breaths in consistent ratios.
Confused? Check out the graphic below to try it out right now!⬇️
Box breathing has famously been utilized by Navy SEALs🪖 to manage high-stress situations and has been proven to reduce stress while also enhancing one's focus.
For the medical nerds out there, this primarily occurs by activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the "rest and digest" part of the nervous system😌.
Box breathing can decrease heart rate❤️, regulate blood pressure🩸, and increase oxygen intake🫁 to promote a sense of calm in the body.
This study even suggested that box breathing may be beneficial in patients with sleep disorders.
I personally use box breathing as an Emergency Medicine physician all the time. Whenever I hear that a sick patient is coming in to the emergency department and I feel myself starting to get riled up🚨, I implement the box breathing technique to calm back down, refocus, and prepare to get to work.
So the next time you're feeling anxious or stressed, give box breathing a try and see what it does for you!🌬️
🗺️ Something I discovered: The ZenGlow Ball is a cute accessory that cycles through different colors to assist with box breathing and other breathing techniques. It makes for a great addition to any desk!
🧡 Something I love: I use this Himalayan Salt Lamp every night before bed while practicing mindfulness as another method to help me slow my mind down and prepare for sleep.
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