Anxiety can feel overwhelming, but there’s a tool we all carry with us: our breath. In this newsletter, I share how conscious breathing helped me navigate panic attacks and stress, offering moments of calm in life’s toughest moments. Here’s my story of discovering breathwork and how it can empower you, too.
Breathing can really help ease anxiety. It’s a technique I relied on long before I discovered other effective ways to manage anxiety. We all breathe without thinking—our bodies handle it automatically. But when you become aware of your breathing and learn to control it, everything changes. You regain control; you become the captain of your mind and body.
The Surprising Power of Breath
Like with cold exposure, I first came across breathwork through the Wim Hof Method during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. The method involves 30–40 deep inhales and exhales, followed by holding your breath after the final exhale (see Wim Hof’s website for the full guide). I was amazed by what I experienced.
For the first time, I reached a place where no thoughts could bother me. I also discovered something remarkable about my body: after exhaling all the air from my lungs, I could hold my breath for two to three minutes without effort. During those 2–3 minutes, I felt a calmness, peace, and clarity unlike anything I’d ever known. It was a worry-free state where I was simply present with myself. It felt like a form of meditation, so if you struggle to meditate, this could be for you too.
I loved that feeling and started doing breathwork as part of my morning routine. But eventually, life got quieter, stress faded, and I was feeling good—so I stopped. Why keep doing it when everything seemed fine, right?
Breathwork Is That: WORK
As time passed, my anxiety stayed low (though it never fully disappeared), and my life improved significantly. I felt so good that one day I thought, “Maybe I don’t need to do breathwork today.” Days turned into weeks, and without noticing, I stopped completely. This habit, which had helped me find peace for months, was gone because I got comfortable. I told myself, “If I’m feeling good, why spend 20–30 minutes on this? I could do something else.” But I didn’t replace that time with anything more useful or beneficial.
Dealing with anxiety, like anything in life, requires work and consistency. It’s work only we can do for ourselves—no one else can do it for us. I also didn’t think of the fact that, the stability I was enjoying, wasn’t permanent. I’d learn that lesson soon enough.
A little over a year later, life hit hard. My brother’s passing, the pandemic, global conflicts, constant scary news, and societal division pushed me into survival mode 24/7. I had only recently started experiencing panic attacks, and it felt like being hit from all sides. Amidst the chaos, I turned back to my breathing, which was undoubtedly one of the tools that helped me get through this difficult period. I didn’t know how to handle everything, but I knew that one thing could bring me peace: I remembered those minutes of calm with no thoughts, which I could access anytime through my breath. I can’t explain how much those 3-4 minutes of peace helped me, especially when I was in survival mode most of the time (I was sometimes doing this breath work 2-3 times a day).
The moral of the situation? We don’t know what life has in store for us, but we do know that there will be challenging times, and it is our responsibility to prepare ourselves as much as possible to face them.
This means doing breath work or any other practice that teaches us how to heal and self-regulate. It's like preparing for an exam: we do the homework and study; or preparing for a big game: we train.
Which Breathwork Is Right for You?
There are many types of breathwork, each offering unique ways to support your mental and emotional well-being. While I haven’t tried them all, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful breathwork can be. In my experience, it’s a vital tool for managing anxiety, reducing stress, and regulating emotions. It helps me find calm in moments of overwhelm and reconnect with my body. Research supports this, showing that daily breathwork can lower stress, improve focus, and promote emotional balance. I’m always learning more about its benefits and will share what I find, including studies and resources, on my resources page to help you explore what works best for you.
I hope this inspires you to try breathwork.
You’re not alone