(Part 2) Breathwork for Personal and Professional Well-Being, a three-part series.
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(2/3) Welcome to the second instalment: across this series, we are exploring how training yourself to breathe effectively and efficiently (breathwork) can enhance mental, emotional and physical health, combat stress, alleviate anxiety, and prevent burnout.
Introduction
If you've already read my first article, let’s continue. If not, I encourage you to take a moment to check it out for context on today’s discussion.
During the height of COVID, I found myself grappling with personal loss while adapting to a new way of working and living. Often, the demands of work after life-altering events don’t allow us the time to pause, grieve, and heal. In Australia, the average combined sick leave and annual leave is around 30 days per year.
This leaves you with little choice but to keep going, earning a wage to support yourself, even when nothing in your life feels normal or stable. This situation led to some significant challenges all at once.
As a contractor, I lost my job, however, I understood that my position needed to be filled.
But before we go further, I have something important to say…
SHUT YOUR MOUTH 🫢
Wait, what? That sounds harsh!
Don’t worry, for now, just bring awareness to your breath. If your mouth is open, close it and focus on soft, gentle breathing through your nose - I’ll explain more later and in the next blog in this series.
The Pressure Cooker
Managing multiple challenges simultaneously is something we can all relate to. Work pressures like tight deadlines, multitasking, endless meetings, presentations, and team performance responsibilities, combined with personal pressures such as finances, social commitments, family and relationship dynamics, and existential questions ("Am I really doing what I want in life?"), can blur the lines between personal and professional life. This often leads to internal conflict, stress, anxiety, and, eventually, burnout.
When we reach that point, it feels impossible to find the time to practise tools and skills that support our mind-body connection, presence, and calm. And let's be honest, our routines are so ingrained that making a change, especially when we’re time-poor, can feel overwhelming - even when we know it’s for the better.
We all know the quick fixes or band aid solutions - an intense workout, a run, or a few drinks after work, even a momentary meditation session. While these can offer temporary relief, we often overlook that if we’re already stressed, we need more than a one-off. Some of these activities might actually cause further stress and anxiety by straining our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) if we’re not staying regulated in parallel.
Understanding the Nervous System
Our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) operates under two primary modes: "Fight or Flight" and "Rest and Digest." The ANS manages automatic functions like breathing, heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure, constantly scanning our environment for cues that signal safety or threat. This process goes beyond immediate perception; our mind interprets these signals through the lens of past experiences, memories, and learned behaviours.
In the workplace, the stress we’ve accumulated throughout our lives - even from early childhood - can easily resurface. For instance, the pressures of education - like feeling overwhelmed by exams, expectations from parents, teachers and society - can linger, resurfacing as anxiety over a critical presentation or project deadline. When our nervous system is on high alert due to unresolved stressors, even activities intended to help us relax can become overwhelming. Instead of reducing stress, we might inadvertently make it worse, impacting our work performance and well-being.
Signs of Dysregulation
Improvement begins with awareness. Here are some signs that your nervous system may be dysregulated
Constantly on edge and overwhelmed
Difficulty sleeping and daytime fatigue
Irritability
Scattered thoughts and difficulty focusing
Struggling to switch off, even during quiet times
Persistent muscle soreness and tension
Cravings and appetite changes
Sudden panic attacks
Skin and gut conditions
High sensitivity to others' emotional states
Before I forget, let me clarify what I mean by SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
James Nestor’s book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, cites a passage from George Catlin’s Breath of Life:
“And if I were to endeavour to bequeath to posterity the most important motto which human language can convey, it should be in three words - SHUT-YOUR-MOUTH…. Where I would paint and engrave it, in every Nursery, and on every Bed-post in the Universe, its meaning could not be mistaken. And if obeyed, its importance would soon be realised.”
If your mouth is still open from the shock of my rudeness earlier, please close it until we get to the finish line.
Regulating the Nervous System
Now that we've explored what a dysregulated nervous system looks like, how can we bring it back into balance
Your breath is a powerful tool to regulate the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), either up-regulating or down-regulating it as needed. However, if you're stuck in a 'fight or flight' state - our human stress response - jumping straight into up-regulating practices has the potential to do more harm than good. Current research is delving into the long-term effects of such practices on the mind and body.
Effective regulation requires a proactive approach, not just reacting to stress as it arises. When stress levels rise, it's important to shift your state. Staying in a heightened state for too long can lead to serious health issues like heart attacks, strokes, and damage to vital organs.
So how can you be proactive? Start by becoming aware of your breath and how it correlates with your bodily sensations. For instance, if you're feeling tired or your breathing is shallow and through the mouth, it might be a sign of stress or anxiety.
Here’s a hot tip below and if you’re new to breathwork, begin by practising this mindful breathing for 2-3 minutes, 1-3 times a day. It’s a simple, effective way to start regulating your nervous system, connect mind to body, and improve your overall well-being, and can be done laying down in bed, in your office chair, or even on a mindful walk or commute.
HOT TIP 🔥
Each time you breathe, remember this: your inhale activates the sympathetic branch (the "fight or flight" response), and your exhale activates the parasympathetic branch (the "rest and digest" response). Here's a quick tip for when you're feeling stressed: close your eyes, focus on your breath, and slowly inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of six.
Remember: change doesn’t happen overnight, but with practice and the right breathing foundations, you’ll gain control over your nervous system and build healthy resilience.
Conclusion
In a world where work pressures often blur the lines between personal and professional life, finding a reliable way to manage stress and anxiety can feel like an endless search.
Stress isn’t inherently good or bad; it’s essential for survival and performance. However, our relationship with stress determines its impact on our lives. To perform at your best in a healthy and sustainable way, find a practice that supports mind-body connection, regulates the nervous system, and provides an opportunity for self-discovery, helping you balance all areas of your life.
My recipe: Explore different practices and see what feels right, find a coach, set an intention with a desired outcome, take action, and be consistent - leave the excuses at the door.
This blog does not replace expertise and guidance from licensed professionals such as doctors and therapists. Each person is different, and if you have health concerns, please speak to your professional before taking part in breathwork.
If you’ve enjoyed this series so far, the next blog will discuss the importance of nasal breathing versus mouth breathing, and how to incorporate breath training into your daily routine.
Thank you for reading,
Paul
Want to learn more about how to manage Stress, and Trauma?
I’m Paul Elderkin, a B.A. (hons), M.A., Ex-Pro Athlete, 10 Year Corporate Professional, Breath Coach, and in training Breath Scientist.
I offer a personalised 8-week breath training program to help you transform and change your relationship with stress and anxiety, and process underlying challenges. Click the link in my bio for a free intro call.
