Breathing through a stressful moment: what to do in one minute

What to do in one minute

The One-minute pause is six slow breaths: in for 4 seconds, out for 6. You can do it in a chair, in a line or with your phone in your hand, and nobody will notice.

• Plant your feet and drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw.
• First let go of whatever air you have, without pushing.
• Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds. Let your belly move, not your shoulders.
• Breathe out through your nose for 6 seconds, evenly, as if the air were leaving by itself.
• Repeat until you've done six breaths. That's exactly one minute.
• Go back to normal breathing and check how you feel before you pick up where you left off.

If you have five minutes

Cyclic sighing has two inhales in a row through the nose, one of 2 seconds and a short 1-second one that tops off your lungs, then a long 6-second exhale through the mouth. You repeat it for five minutes.

If you've just had a jolt, After a scare combines both: three long sighs, then six breaths of 4 and 6, a minute of slow breathing.

And if you'd like something simpler, 4-6 breathing is the same one-minute pause kept going for five.

Why the exhale gets longer

Your pulse isn't fixed. It rises a little when you breathe in and falls when you breathe out. That's a normal heart pattern called respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and it's the reason so many calming techniques stretch out the exhale.

Some data point in that direction. In a small 2021 study of 47 adults, five minutes of guided breathing, in for 4 seconds and out for 6, was followed by lower anxiety scores on questionnaires and changes in heart rate variability. The study had no comparison group, so it can't tell us how much came from the breathing and how much from sitting quietly for five minutes.

What the studies say

A 2023 meta-analysis by Fincham and colleagues pooled 12 randomized trials with 785 adults. People who practiced breathing exercises reported less stress than control groups, with a small-to-medium effect. Most of the trials carried a moderate risk of bias, and the authors urge caution so that enthusiasm doesn't get ahead of the evidence.

In a Stanford trial that same year, 108 people practiced for five minutes a day over 28 days. Some did cyclic sighing, some did box breathing, some did a fast breathing pattern with holds, and a fourth group meditated by watching the breath without changing it. Every group reported less anxiety after the sessions. The breathing groups improved positive mood more than the meditation group did, and cyclic sighing improved it most. The study ran four weeks, was done remotely, and the groups were small.

Something needs saying about that one minute. A 2023 review by Bentley and colleagues, covering 58 trials, found that practices with an effect on stress avoided sessions shorter than five minutes and breathing that was only fast. The one-minute pause is a way to hit the brakes and get the moment back in hand. What the studies measured were sessions of five minutes or more, repeated over days.

Practice when you're calm

A new technique is hard to remember right when you need it most. In Bentley's review, what went along with effective practices was repetition: at least six sessions over a week or more, with a person guiding the first one.

That's why it pays to practice for five minutes on quiet days. Then, when the hard moment comes, the long exhale is already a familiar motion and not an instruction you have to look up.

• Don't breathe huge. Slow isn't the same as deep. Take in too much air and you can get dizzy.
• Don't force it. If a count of 6 is a stretch, breathe out as far as is comfortable.
• Don't expect it to erase the problem. Breathing buys you a pause to choose what to do. The cause of the stress is still there and deserves attention of its own.

When breathing isn't enough

Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, tingly or short of breath. If you've had panic attacks, focusing on your breath can feel uncomfortable at first: check with your care provider before you start.

Breathing is a practice, not a treatment. If stress is with you most days, keeps you from sleeping or is affecting your work and relationships, reach out to a mental health professional. And if the distress comes with chest pain, shortness of breath that doesn't ease or fainting, get medical care right away.