Photo by Fabian Møller on Unsplash
Last Thursday, I had a very stress-filled morning. I had more than twice as much work as I could do in the two hours I had before I left for the airport to fly home. I knew I couldn’t get it all done, but the size of my task list still overwhelmed me.
I have become pretty good at recognizing that paralyzing feeling and I know how to cope with it. I closed my eyes and did a couple of rounds of 4-7-8 breathing. Calmer, I took up the most important task on my list. After finishing it, I used the breathing technique again to maintain my balance. I repeated the cycle until it was time to go. On the way to the airport, I tweeted about it:
Stressed, overwhelmed, and struggling to stay balanced? Try this.
Inhale deeply for four seconds.
Hold it for seven seconds.
Exhale for eight seconds.
Nineteen seconds can give you many minutes of calm in which to focus.
Repeat as necessary.
— Sam Falco (@stfalco) March 12, 2020
The technique is very simple. In case the embedded tweet isn’t visible, here are the steps:
- Inhale deeply for four seconds
- Hold your breath for seven seconds
- Exhale for eight seconds.
Repeat as necessary.
On Friday, I had another stress-filled morning, and I even put a note at the top of my to-do list: “Breathe” is all it says. Every time I finished a task and looked for the next thing I need to do, I saw the reminder to take nineteen seconds for my mental health.
I don’t know why this technique works, but it does. It lowers blood pressure and helps manage stress. Try it when you feel stress. It makes a big difference.
Sam Falco 
Works for me, except due to allergies, can’t hold my breath that long. I miss you guys. Maybe later we can celebrate this being done.
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