Written By:
Allie Perugini, M.A. Sport & Performance Psychology
Mental Performance Coach, Owner of Embark Mental Performance
In the first part of this blog mini series, we shared an introduction to the skill of energy regulation, why it’s important, and how relaxation tools can be used to take on high pressure situations with composure, concentration, and confidence.
We focused specifically on mindfulness, discussing how it is a crucial skill that can be developed with time and practice and is also an important tool useful for inducing feelings of relaxation, decreasing worry, improving energy regulation, and building the ability to intentionally respond in high pressure situations where we may want to instinctively react (Baltzell & Summers, 2017).
Mindfulness is an incredibly valuable tool to lay the foundation for a growing relaxation toolkit. As the mindfulness muscle strengthens, it makes the practice and implementation of additional relaxation tools more easy and effective. For example, the use of breathing techniques.
In this blog we will discuss how intentionally using our breath can help to manage feelings commonly associated with high pressure scenarios, share two simple but powerful breathing strategies, and wrap up with some reflective questions and actionable strategies.
Tool 2: Breathing Techniques
Take a second to think… Do you frequently experience unwanted physical and bodily sensations surrounding high pressure situations, such as rapid heart rate, blurred vision, shallow breathing, or muscle tension?
If you answered yes, or sometimes, breathing techniques could be a valuable tool to add to your relaxation toolkit. Using controlled and mindful breathing as a tool to regulate the body’s overall energy level is a personal favorite of mine. Why? Because your breath is something that is always with you. No matter the situation, we can access our breath easily and quickly.
Like any skill, it takes time to train our brain to utilize breathing as a relaxation tool before or during high pressure situations. However, by first practicing in low-stress and comfortable environments, this skill can be mastered with time and effectively used in more competitive, high-stakes scenarios. Below are two simple but powerful breathing strategies that help induce feelings of relaxation.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Also known as abdominal or belly breathing, this is a popular deep breathing strategy. Diaphragmatic breathing activates the part of our nervous system responsible for the relaxation response and normally involves a longer exhale than inhale (ex: in for 5 seconds, out for 7 seconds) and breathing with the belly vs. the chest (Weinberg, 2010a). To tell whether you are engaging in belly breathing, place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. You should feel the stomach rise and fall with each inhale and exhale rather than the chest.
In physically, mentally, or emotionally-demanding situations, it is a natural response for breathing to become rapid and shallow (a.k.a chest breathing). With time and practice, you can train your brain to relax with mindful, deep breathing in these same scenarios.
Box breathing
This breathing strategy is slightly more controlled as it requires mindful counting along with your breath. For example, a 4-count is often used, where one inhales for 4 seconds, holds for 4 seconds, exhales for 4 seconds, and holds for 4 seconds, then repeats. While your count can be longer, when first beginning to practice breathing exercises to activate a relaxation response, it can be helpful to start with a short 4 second count and repeat for 1 to 2 minutes. You may also find it valuable to visualize following along the perimeter of a box as you inhale, hold, exhale, and hold.
Not only does box breathing help calm the nervous system and decrease stress in the body, it can be an excellent technique used for clearing the mind and improving focus.
Wrap Up: Helpful Reflections & Actionable Strategies
To build greater awareness and insight surrounding your own reaction to high pressure situations and your unique use of relaxation tools, consider these few questions below. Feel free to reflect individually, write down your responses, or discuss with others.
> When I do feel high levels of nervous or anxious energy in my body (e.g., fast heart rate, rapid and shallow breathing, blurry or tunnel vision, muscle tension) what sort of situations am I experiencing?
> What are a few examples of low-stress, comfortable environments where I would feel safe practicing mindful breathing techniques?
Lastly, if you are looking for small ways to begin or improve your personal relaxation practice, here are a few strategies to help you put the breathing tool into action:
> Set a small, measurable goal to practice deep/belly breathing for 1-2 minutes a day at a time that works for you. Adding this to your morning or evening routine can be a great way to either kickstart your day or help to wind down before sleeping.
> Next time you are in a safe, comfortable environment and are feeling a lack of mental clarity or focus before completing a task, take a moment to engage in three rounds of box breathing. Reflect on or write down how you feel before and after completing the mindful breathing exercise.
Stay tuned for the final part of this mini series where we plan to dive into a third relaxation tool that can be used for high pressure situations and discuss how this topic can transcend sport. Thanks for reading!
References:
Baltzell, A., & Summers, J. (2017). The power of mindfulness: Mindful meditation training for sport 2.0. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Weinberg, R.S. (2010a). Activation/arousal control. In S.J. Hanrahan & M.B. Andersen (Eds.), Routledge handbook of applied sport psychology: A comprehensive guide for students and practitioners (pp. 471-480). New York: Routledge.