Three Breathing Techniques to Help You Unwind

Your breath is always with you — which makes it the most reliable tool you have when stress rises.

The point of these techniques is not to "fix" a feeling. It is to give your nervous system a different signal: you are safe, you can slow down.

**1. Longer exhales.** Inhale for four counts, exhale for six. A longer exhale gently tells your body it can stand down. Do this for two minutes.

**2. Box breathing.** Inhale four, hold four, exhale four, hold four. Even, steady, square. Useful before something hard, or after.

**3. Sigh it out.** Take a full breath in, then let it go with a soft sigh. Repeat three times. This is the one to use when you realize you have been holding your breath without noticing.

None of these need to be perfect. They need to be repeatable. Pick one and try it the next time you feel tension climb — not to erase it, but to meet it with a little more room.