So far on our breath series we have gone over the Wim Hof method and we have covered Box Breathing. But now we are going to talk about what to do in situations where you might be anxious, nervous or overwhelmed. In these situations you are taking short breaths into the top of your chest and you activate the sympathetic nervous system where you are ready for fight or flight.

In situations where you will be stressed or anxious you can do the Box Breathing or Wim Hof method to relax yourself so that you can focus. Sometimes the fight-or-flight reaction might be good, but if you are about to fly on a plane, or make a business presentation, then you want to be calm and collected.

When feeling anxious or overwhelmed, try this technique to bring you back to a relaxed state.

Simply stretch your hand out and with your other index finger simply start at the wrist and trace a line to the top of your thumb as you breathe in through your nose, trace a line back to your wrist as you breathe out.  Follow this for all your fingers entirely through your nose.

Do this protocol as many times as needed until you are in a relaxed state, your heart rate has dropped and you are feeling calm.

This podcast is brought to you by Waypoint. Produced by Tom Rowland and Brock Rustand. Audio editing by Brock Rustand. If you have any questions, email [email protected].