Someone just cut you off in their SUV and then flipped you off as they got ahead of you. Now they’re sitting in front of you at the stop light eyeing you in their rear view mirror.
You just got a call from your child’s school that they did something wrong and you have to drop what you’re doing, leave work and take care of it.
One of your parents just went into the hospital for a hip replacement and you’re their main care taker when they’re released.
These are all situations in which you know someone would say to you, “You should take a moment to breathe and chill out.”
Your initial, unfiltered, internal response is “You can take your breathing and chilling out and shove it up your…”
However, they’re not wrong in offering you this sage advice.
In fact, breathing is one our greatest tools.
One of our four pillars at ELEVATE is well-being. Part of well-being is our physical and emotional state.
It’s the most important action we perform, 20,000+ times per day.
In his book “Learned Excellence,” Eric Potterat discusses an important breathing tool he teaches to help manage high stress situations with Navy Seals, police, lawyers, surgeons and extreme sport athletes.
He named it the 4444 breathing system. Take a four second nasal inhale, pause and then a four to six second exhale, pause and repeat for four minutes, four times a day.
Research shows that optimal breathing rhythm is around six breaths per minutes. The average person runs through 12-15 breath cycles a minute.
Breathing is the first thing and the last thing we do in this life. Even though we take thousands of breaths per day, it’s a vital process that we still need to practice.
We want to get in good reps.
You can do this in the car or on the train during your commute to and from work, before or after you eat a meal (it could help with mindful eating habits – habit stacking), or when you get out of bed or go to sleep, to start or finish your day in the best headspace possible.
Next time you’re stressed or preparing for a stressful situation, walking or catching yourself breathing rapidly with racing thoughts, plan a four minute block of time where you nasal inhale for four seconds, exhale for four to six seconds.
Try out the 4444 breathing drill and see how that helps you feel and perform.