I feel short of breath when I try this.
Try counting to 2 instead. You may have to work up to it. Definitely don't strain yourself or you may get the opposite effect.
Box Breathing
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Re: Box Breathing
#12Re: Box Breathing
#13OK I got calmer, but then I got stressed out! the blue circle is not in the center of the black ring.
Re: Box Breathing
#14`That's it!
Repeat for as many times as you need to calm down.`
hmm.. you could apply that to anything
Re: Box Breathing
#15If you're ever in a " hold your breath " contest do this right before it starts. You'll crush the competition by a wide margin (assuming they're not doing the same) and be amazed at how many minutes you can go.
Any idea why that is?
It's probably mild hyperventilation.
Your urge to breathe comes from the CO2 content of your blood; by breathing heavily you deplete your blood CO2, so your blood can absorb more from your metabolism before the acidity goes up enough that you feel compelled to breathe again.
It's a design flaw that your urge to breathe is connected to CO2 saturation and not oxygen saturation (the thing you really need); evolution has kind of assumed that the two will be inversely related. That bogus assumption can lead to the "shallow water blackout" scenario a few other sibling comments are describing.
Re: Box Breathing
#16There's growing evidence that breathing is linked to brain activity in interesting ways [1]. There's also the "4-7-8" breathing technique that is supposed to help you fall asleep faster. [2]
On top of that, concentrating on breathing takes your focus away from other inner monologue and intrusive thoughts; meditation programs typically start you off on that path.
[1] https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/12/rhythm-of-brea...
[2] http://www.medicaldaily.com/life-hack-sleep-4-7-8-breathing-...
Re: Box Breathing
#17If you're ever in a " hold your breath " contest do this right before it starts. You'll crush the competition by a wide margin (assuming they're not doing the same) and be amazed at how many minutes you can go.
If anyone is interested, David Blaine has an interesting TED Talk on holding your breath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFnGhrC_3Gs
Re: Box Breathing
#18`That's it! Repeat for as many times as you need to calm down.` hmm.. you could apply that to anything
Including banging your head against the wall!
Re: Box Breathing
#19It's been known for thousands of years in yoga as "samavritti pranayama", or "square breath". The advice is to count on the finger of one hand. Inhale while stepping 1 2 3 4, Hold 1 2 3 4, Exhale 1 2 3 4 and Hold 1 2 3 4. All of this without mentally counting, just use your fingers to do the steps. It is recommended before meditation for calming the agitated mind.
Another method is to count breaths in increasing cycles: 1; 1 2; 1 2 3; ...; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7;... Each number corresponds to one inhalation and exhalation. See how high you can count before making a mistake. This comes from Buddhism.
Re: Box Breathing
#20I wonder what the next way to control your physiology (and thus your mind) will be. Something sexual even?