Breathing Exercises for Stress Reduction

Every high-performing founder I know shares a hidden habit: chronic under-breathing. Watch yourself in the next product-fire drill—shoulders hunched, jaw clenched, quick chest inhales. That pattern dumps CO₂, nudges your body toward “threat mode,” and spikes cortisol. The good news: you can reverse it in under five minutes with science-backed breathing drills. Let's get nerdy about breathing! 1️⃣ Physiological Sigh – the 30-Second Circuit-Breaker Two short nose inhales (the second “tops off” the lungs), then a sloooow mouth exhale until empty. A Stanford RCT found that five minutes of this exhale-heavy pattern beat mindfulness at lowering anxiety and respiratory rate. When to use it: the split-second before you un-mute on a tense investor call. Pros: lightning-fast calm, no counting. Cons: looks dramatic behind glass-wall conference rooms. 2️⃣ Box Breathing 4-4-4-4 – the Rhythm Reset Inhale 4 sec → Hold 4 sec → Exhale 4 sec → Hold 4 sec. Cleveland Clinic notes it activates the parasympathetic brake and steadies heart-rate variability (HRV). When to use it: while the board deck loads and everyone’s staring at your face. Pros: easy to teach your team; pairs with Apple Watch “Breathe.” Cons: counting can hijack focus if you’re CO₂-intolerant. 3️⃣ 4-7-8 Breathing – the Night-Shift Down-Regulator Inhale 4 sec → Hold 7 sec → Exhale 8 sec. When to use it: laptop lid closes, but brain won’t stop scrolling roadmap slides. Pros: deep parasympathetic pull—great pre-sleep. Cons: the 7-second hold can feel claustrophobic if stress is already high. Why This Matters Under-breathing = low CO₂ (hypocapnia) → vasoconstriction + jittery focus. That’s the last thing you need when making important calls. Train longer, slower exhales and you’ll watch HRV—and decision clarity—climb. Proactive insight: Build a 14-day “CO₂-tolerance ladder.” Start each stand-up with a timed breath-hold after a normal exhale. Log the number next to KPIs. As the metric rises, so will team calm and cognitive bandwidth. In my life it has been amazing what a few breathing techniques can do for clarity and decision making. Avoid under-breathing and live a life that is more calm.

The exercise I took from the Navy SEALs to control nerves and still use today. Every time you gear up for a job in Special Forces the tension builds in your body. This is good. Nervousness is a normal reaction to fear and uncertainty. It puts you in a heightened state making you feel alert and aware. This zones in your focus to take decisive action. BUT, you only gain this power when you've trained yourself to control the nervous feeling. When your nerves overwhelm you it kills your performance. You can be the best at what you do but if you can't put that into practice you will waste your potential. Feeling nervous activates your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This is why your heart races, your breath quickens, and you feel on edge. It's fight or flight. If I have to talk on stage I get that feeling. To stay in control I use the same exercise I used before operations in the military. Something I picked up from our US counterparts, the Navy SEALs: Box Breathing ↳Inhale for 4 seconds ↳Hold your breath for 4 seconds ↳Exhale for 4 seconds ↳Hold for another 4 seconds ↳Repeat the cycle x 4. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to: > Reduces stress hormones. > Enhances emotional control. > Improves focus and boosts recall. Allowing you to concentrate on your content and delivery, rather than anxious thoughts. You can apply this to any situation. It's a way to hack your body's biology to allow you the mental space to perform at your best. Breathwork: Simple, effective and used by elite performers the world over. This is a skill. If you train it you can turn nerves to your advantage by controlling that energy. #thenaturaledge #masteryourmindset #breathwork — (Repost for anyone allowing nerves to overwhelm performance ♻️)

Navy SEALs use Box Breathing before life-or-death missions. This $0 hack crushes anxiety, sharpens focus, and boosts heart health. Here's exactly how to do it: (and how it rewires your nervous system) We're living in a constant state of fight-or-flight. Our bodies react to emails like they're tigers. This chronic stress is killing our productivity, health, and happiness. But there's a simple solution that shifts your entire nervous system... Box breathing. It slows your breath from 12-20 breaths per minute down to just 3-4. When you breathe this slowly, something remarkable happens... Your heart rate drops. Cortisol levels decrease. Blood pressure normalizes. It flips your body from Fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest mode within minutes. This happens in just 3-4 breathing rounds. As a startup CEO and new parent, it has been a game changer for my stress regulation these past few months. Here's how to do it: 1. Exhale completely 2. Inhale through nose (4 counts) 3. Hold full lungs (4 counts) 4. Exhale through mouth (4 counts) 5. Hold empty lungs (4 counts) Visualize tracing a box—1 side per breath. Box Breathing hacks your biology in 3 specific ways: 1. The equal timing (4-4-4-4) creates a hypnotic rhythm. Your brain loves patterns—this one signals safety. 2. The breath holds build CO2, which paradoxically calms you. 3. Slow breathing activates your vagus nerve—your body's built-in chill pill. Pro tips that amplify the effects: Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly. Only your belly should move. This engages your diaphragm, which enhances vagus nerve stimulation for deeper relaxation. With regular daily practice, many people report falling asleep more easily, staying calmer in stressful situations, and thinking more clearly under pressure. Your nervous system learns to maintain a calmer baseline state. Here's the thing: The key isn't the exact 4-second count—it's the EQUAL timing. This predictable rhythm calms your nervous system and anchors your focus. Your brain recognizes the pattern as safe, triggering deep relaxation. You can use 3, 4, or 5 seconds—as long as each phase matches. The beauty of box breathing? It's completely free and always available. This accessibility makes it perfect for consistent practice. Your stress response can be trained—and box breathing gives you that power anywhere, anytime. ↓ Thanks for reading! I'm Jonathan Willbanks, CEO of Arterra. I share evidence-based biohacking protocols that actually work. If you found this useful, follow me for more.