Squared Breathing

Exams start Monday, yikes! I was feeling a bit anxious this week and so my intern at the school's teaching clinic recommended I try this squared breathing technique to calm myself whenever I'm feeling super anxious to calm myself down. By focusing on our breath, we take ourselves 'out of our mind' temporarily. Breathing exercises like this one have been shown to help people to acutely decrease their stress and anxiety.

Directions:

Imagine that you are tracing a square with your breath (see the drawing above for an exam). Breathe in/inhale over the course of 4 seconds, then hold the breath for 4 seconds, then breathe out/exhale over the course of 4 seconds, then hold for 4 seconds before taking the next breath in. Repeat as necessary.