Box Breathing
A simple but powerful technique to reduce stress and anxiety in just 30 seconds.
Box breathing is a simple technique for steadying yourself in about thirty seconds — used by everyone from special-forces operators to performers waiting in the wings. You breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four, and hold empty for four, tracing the four equal sides of a box, and repeat the square a few times.
Slowing the breath this way nudges the nervous system out of fight-or-flight and back into a calm, deliberate state — exactly what you want before a hard conversation, a big decision, or any moment you can feel your heart rate climbing. The interactive timer on this page paces the four counts for you, so you can close your eyes and just follow along until you have reset.