More Answers... (12/14/25 Newsletter): BREATHE!!!
Hi Everyone,
Here's your Sunday Evening "More Answers..." to help you head into the work week-- remember, you can see previous newsletters at askchrista.com/MoreAnswers !
Tonight’s topic?
The power of breathing as an instant way to diffuse stress (not eliminate it completely, but instantly spread it out so it's not so intense).
I talk about this a lot. When I receive stressed out text messages, direct message, and emails, my first response is almost always, "Before you do anything else: BREATHE."
This time of year brings a lot with it. Shorter days. Earlier sunsets. Cold, blustery weather for many of us. End-of-year deadlines. Economic uncertainty. Personal obligations layered on top of professional ones layered on top of personal ones.
KNOW THIS: The key to feeling better isn't avoiding stress; it's getting into a habit of diffusing it in the moment before it gets going.
BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE
If you need to regulate stress quickly at work (or ANYWHERE), the strongest evidence points to controlled breathing, specifically slow, intentional breathing that directly calms the nervous system.
Better yet: one big inhale followed by a big, loud sigh. (yeah, OK, maybe not in a meeting, but perhaps afterward?)
One of the most effective techniques is a version of what researchers call physiological sigh breathing. It works because it targets the autonomic nervous system, helping shift the body out of a stress response and into a calmer state (Gross, 2015; Zaccaro et al., 2018).
There are days when I do this frequently, and there are ways to do it discreetly:
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Inhale through your nose.
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Take a second short inhale on top of the first.
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Slowly exhale through your mouth (best if you can slow the exhale through a nearly closed mouth).
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Repeat two to three times.
Research shows that slow, controlled breathing lowers the way your body hypes up, and this in turn reduces anxiety and improves emotional regulation (that panicked state that can lead to feeling you have no control over how you feel, most certainly at its worse if you ever felt like you were going to or needed to cry). Building the habit of controlled breathing instantly comes in handy when stressors cannot be removed (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
This matters at work because stress often escalates faster than circumstances change. We're also at risk of being depleted several times during the day due to various factors: not enough sleep, worries, navigating politics, navigating moods of others, dealing with a difficult boss or a difficult client or both!
Breathing gives you back enough control to think clearly, communicate better, and decide what comes next... and I guarantee you'll feel better.
(you'll probably also notice how little you were breathing before you consciously decided TO BREATHE!)
Emotional Regulation Does Not Mean Emotional Suppression
This is an important point. Emotional regulation is not about becoming numb or detached or not feeling at all. Disappointments, pressure, and uncertainty can feel heavy, especially during the holidays and then wintery months when we aren't or can't be outside a lot.
Regulation means allowing your emotions to happen without feeling overwhelmed or overtaken by them, particularly if you feel "triggered."
Research consistently shows that adaptive regulation strategies, like controlled breathing and cognitive reframing-- two of my favorites that I have practiced for decades-- support better judgment, healthier relationships at work, and a solid way to process through the day than suppression or avoidance (Gross, 2015; Troy et al., 2018).
Yeah, we all need a bit of that, right?
Aim for Controlled Breathing Three Times a Day (even when you don't think you feel stressed out)
We feel stress a lot more than we think. Many of us also forget to breathe, or engage in shallow-breathing, several times an hour. Controlled breathing on a regular basis can prevent stress from becoming cumulative-- even when we aren't fully aware of how stress may be building up, and that can be from several sleepless or poor-quality sleep nights, a nagging worry on our minds, or a recent heartbreak.
If you do nothing else this week, make a conscious effort to practice controlled breathing just three times each day. Let me know how it works for you!
BOOSTER FOR YOUR WEEK!!!
This week it's something to READ!
The booster I selected is called "The Power of The Breath," by Karyn Bailey, LCSW. It's on the Yale School of Medicine blog page, published in April 2024.
In it, Licensed Social Worker Karyn Bailey explains that deep, intentional breathing can help counter the body’s stress response by stimulating the vagus nerve, which signals safety and helps calm the nervous system.
The article describes how chronic stress can disrupt physical and psychological well-being, and how slow belly breaths can restore balance. We also receive a step-by-step guide for practicing deep breathing comfortably and effectively.
Go ahead. Three times a day. It will make a difference, I promise.
And remember, if you have a business challenge or workplace issue... Ask Christa!
REFERENCES
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26.
Troy, A. S., Shallcross, A. J., & Mauss, I. B. (2018). A person-by-situation approach to emotion regulation. Psychological Science, 29(4), 593–605.
Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psychophysiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.
(remember that most public libraries can help you access academic papers if they are not listed for public access!!)
