In this session, Jessica Colarco introduces box breathing as a powerful technique for stress relief. The conversation includes a guided breathing exercise and imagery to help listeners relax and manage anxiety. The session concludes with a reflection on personal boundaries and choices to lower stress levels.
Key Takeaways:
Box breathing helps signal safety to our nervous system.
Breathing techniques can lower stress hormones effectively.
Guided imagery can relieve stress and promote relaxation.
Creating a calm space within is essential for mental health.
Practicing mindfulness can strengthen emotional resilience.
Small choices can lead to significant stress reduction.
Regular practice of breathing techniques enhances well-being.
Imagining a peaceful scene can aid in stress relief.
Self-care practices are vital for emotional health.
Awareness of stress levels can help in managing anxiety.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Box Breathing
03:16 Guided Imagery for Stress Relief
07:39 Closing Thoughts and Next Steps
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All right guys, are you ready for our workout? This is where we are going to.
Are you guys ready for your workout? This is where we're gonna train a new skill. And today we are highlighting box breathing. We wanna take a moment to practice a simple but powerful tool. Box breathing is a simple but powerful tool for calming stress. Box breathing is a specific structured technique where you breathe in, hold, breathe out, and hold again.
each for the same length of time, like tracing the four equal sides of a box. This practice helps signal safety to our nervous system, lowers stress hormones, and can bring down feelings of anxiety or overwhelm in just a few minutes. So here's how we're going to do it together. We're going to inhale slowly. We're going to inhale slowly through our nose for a count of four, hold that breath for a count of four.
Exhale gently through our mouth for a count of four and hold again for a count of four. Various breathing techniques have various benefits and I find for activating the vagus nerve and for calming our central nervous system, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth is very effective. So let's try around together. Ready? Let's exhale all the air out.
And we're going to inhale two, three, four, hold two, three, four. Exhale two, three, four, hold two, three, four. Let's do it again. Inhale two, three, four, hold two, three, four. Exhale two, three, four, hold two, three, four.
Inhale two three four hold two three four Inhale two three four hold two three four exhale two three four hold two three four Inhale two three four hold two three four
Exhale two three four and hold two three four.
Even just one or two rounds can create a noticeable shift in calm and clarity.
Notice what shifted in your body after those breaths. Did your stress rating move even one number lower? At beginning in our warmup, we checked in to see where we were, scale of one to 10. Do you feel a little bit of a reduction in stress? Just take a moment to check in with yourself.
All right, on our therapy is our cardio session. We are moving to our cool down. What we wanna do today is guided imagery. I put together this script for us, which will help relieve our stress. So let's settle it.
Take a moment to find a comfortable position. Let your body settle. If it feels okay, gently close your eyes. Take a slow breath in through your nose and exhale softly through your mouth. Allow your shoulders to drop with that exhale.
Let your body know it's safe to relax here, grounding the body. Notice the support beneath you, the chair, the couch, the bed. Feel the weight of your body being fully held. You don't need to carry anything in this moment. Let the ground, the seat, the earth hold you.
Now imagine yourself standing at the edge of a quiet forest path. The air is crisp, fresh, and clean. Each breath you take in fills your lungs with calm. Each breath out releases tension, like letting go of heavy smoke or gray.
With each step on the path, you notice the soft earth beneath your feet. Your steps feel lighter and lighter as if the stress you've been carrying is gently falling away with every stride. Up ahead, you notice a gentle stream flowing. The water is clear and steady, moving with ease. Imagine placing your stress
worries, tension, to-do lists into the flowing water. Watch as the current carries it away further and further downstream until it's no longer visible.
Now feel what's left in your body. The space that stress once filled is open, calm, light. Breathe into that space. Imagine filling it with a soft golden light. Warm, peaceful, soothing. And this light spreads through your chest, your shoulders, your arms, down your legs, all the way to your feet.
every part of you is held in ease. Take one more deep slow breath in and release fully.
Know that this place of calm is always within you, ready to return, ready to return to when stress feels heavy again. When you're ready, gently wiggle your fingers and toes, bring your awareness back to the room, and when it feels right, open your eyes.
to begin to end today's cardio session. What is one small boundary, breath? Let's ask ourselves or take a moment to write in your journal. What is one small boundary, breath or choice I can make today to lower my stress even 1 %?
Great job guys, you just trained your stress muscle. The more you practice, the stronger and more resilient you become. Thank you so much for listening today. To find out more, you can follow me on YouTube, Instagram at Healing Is My Hobby. You can check out more about the podcast at healingismyhobby.com. You can also sign up for our newsletter, The Healing Journey.
on our website, healingismyhobby.com, or check out my clinical website, jessicacolarcolcsw.com You can find me on Instagram, jessicacolarcolcsw.com ⁓
