How to Do Square Breathing Effectively
My counsellor recommended I do square breathing to bring myself calm:
Here’s how I’ve found works effectively:
I don’t do it soon after waking up when I’m trying to get active, because it pulls in the opposite direction.
At first, I made the mistake of doing it like another task, to check it off my list so that I can proceed to the next task. I ended up breathing in and out aggressively. This is counterproductive. The point is to bring peace, not stress.
I was unintentionally breathing slightly when I should be holding my breath. So I I now hold my nose closed with my fingers. This lets me relax rather than consciously trying to hold my breath.
My nose is blocked most of the time, and I was forcing air through. But when I relaxed and focused on doing it calmly, the breathing became natural. I was no longer fighting it.
If you’re not sure how long to do this exercise for, do it for 1 minute. It has been proven to help.
Breathe out through my mouth.