box breathing : a mindfulness based stress reduction technique

How do Mondays make you feel?

Today, I woke up stressed, unsure, and overwhelmed at the start of a new week (what even is a week in the time of covid??).

Who else has felt antsy, frustrated, tired, overwhelmed, impatient, uncertain, uncomfortable, stressed, sad, annoyed, anxious, worried, scared, fearful, or “over it” in the last week?

If you said, “Me!”, you are not alone in feeling any of these feelings.

next question: how do you deal with that?

Often, I try to distract myself from these unpleasant sensations. I distract by:

being busy
comfort food
activities
work!
telling others what to do
controlling outcomes
watching TV
reading a lot
social media

Distractions can work for a time, but I find that the stressors compile and then I explode (or implode).

I don’t even do this knowingly—and I’m not alone in this! As humans our brains do whatever they can to get us through to survive.

mindfulness is retraining the brain to respond differently

That’s why I practice mindfulness daily, and teach others to do so!⁣ ⁣

Today’s mindful minute is a breathing visualization technique called Box (or Square) Breathing.⁣ ⁣

I’ve taught this technique to Navy Seals, Army Rangers, professional athletes, MLB umpires, and my 93-year-old grandma. ⁣It’s a great tool for your mindful toolkit!

Swipe through the slides for instructions and simple illustrations.

Pro Tip: use a count that feels comfortable (adjust to 3 count, 5 count or whatever count that feels best).⁣⁣ ⁣