Feeling stressed? Feel better in 75 seconds.

We’ve devoted several posts to burnout.

Why? It’s an epidemic. The last year has pushed many of us past the brink when we may have been teetering on the edge. The current systems for work and “work-life balance” don’t actually…work. And most caregivers have taken on another full-time job without any reassessment of their current workloads.

The strategies we’re sharing aren’t silver bullets. Our intention in spotlighting them is that you’ll find something, or things, that can support your well-being.

Deep breathing is the second strategy that doctors Emily and Amelia Nagoski share for completing the stress cycle. If you’re dealing with grief or trauma, and physical activity seems overwhelming, (we’ve both been there), do deep breathing.

They share the science in their book, Burnout: “Deep slow breaths downregulate the stress response, especially when the exhalation is long and slow and goes all the way to the end of the breath, so that your belly contracts.”

Even better, it’s brief. Take one minute and fifteen seconds to breathe in to a slow count of five, hold that breath for five, then exhale for a slow count of ten, and pause for another count of five. Do that three times. See how you feel.