Do Not Take A Deep Breath.
Yes, read that again.
A deep breath is not what you think. It is not the magical easy button for controlling our emotional state. It is NOT the quick hack to calm the nervous system that soooo many techniques proclaim.
Instead, it entrenches a sympathetic nervous system ( fight, flight or freeze) response by suppressing emotions instead of regulating, resolving or integrating them.
That means over time a deep breathing response to stress creates more stress in your system and makes you less resilient not more....
Watch yourself the next two days, keep track of how often you take deep breaths, how you do it and why. Post your observations in the comments if you want to.
Do you fill up all the way to the top of the chest?
Do your shoulders get in on the deep breathing action?
Do you hold that breath in before puffing it out?
Can you feel the diaphragm forcing it out?
Does that big breath flow in and out of the nose or mouth?
What events, people or feelings triggers the deep breathing?
Awareness of our learned breathing habits is a gateway to understanding how we regulate emotions.
P.S.
How many of you were holding your breath while reading this?
Interesting.