In today’s world, it seems like stress and anxiety are just a part of our daily lives. No one is immune to stress and anxiety. So, how do you take control of stress and anxiety before they take hold of you? Meditation and breathwork, of course!

How Does Stress and Anxiety Affect You on a Daily Basis?

Stress triggers the body’s “fight or flight” response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline. While these hormones help us respond to immediate threats—like when you’re being chased by a vampire or need to finish that spreadsheet by EOD and it’s 4:45 PM, and you haven’t started it yet—being in a stressed state all the time leads to headaches, trouble sleeping, muscle tension, and other physical symptoms.

Anxiety is a nervousness about the unknown future. Anxiety, in small doses, can be beneficial as it can help you stay focused, motivated, and even seek support from others. However, being anxious all the time can lead to headaches, dizziness, nausea, trouble sleeping, feeling overwhelmed, difficulty concentrating, and, in some cases, isolation.

What Is Meditation and Breathwork?

Meditation is the act of focusing the mind for calmness and self-awareness. Sounds easy, right? Yes and no. A lot of people find it hard to stop thinking. It takes practice. Even Yo-Yo Ma practices every day. But when you finally get dialed in, it’s amazing. There are many types of meditation styles—you just need to find the one that’s right for you.

Breathwork refers to breathing techniques that help activate your body’s relaxation response. Did you ever notice when you’re on a roller coaster or watching a scary movie that your heart rate speeds up, your breaths become shallow, and you find yourself holding your breath? Focusing on your breathing will help drop your heart rate to a comfortable level and encourage deeper breaths, allowing you to take in more oxygen. Breathwork helps regulate your nervous system so that you are no longer in “fight or flight” mode.

So, How Do I Meditate/Do Breathwork?

Two of my favorite—and really easy—breathwork techniques are mindful breathing and box breathing. And the best part about breathwork is you can do it anywhere, anytime you need it.

Box Breathing is really simple. You inhale for a count of four, hold the breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and then hold for a count of four. If holding your breath is stressful, then just inhale for four and exhale for four. Either will work. Do this until you find yourself relaxing.

Mindful Breathing is just focusing on your breath. Take deep, slow breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling slowly through your mouth. Focus on that. I will sometimes internally say, “Breathing in. Breathing out,” while I’m mindful breathing. Do this until you are calm and relaxed.

There are tons of meditation resources out there. I find that for beginners, it might be best to start with a guided meditation. There are apps, podcasts, YouTube videos, and even playlists on Spotify. Guided meditations come in all lengths and themes. If you only have a few minutes (though I recommend at least 10), find a short guided meditation and just focus. Any thoughts that come up, just acknowledge them and move them out of the way. I will routinely say to myself, “I see you, thought, and I’ll get back to you after this meditation,” during my sessions.

Another favorite meditation of mine is one a babysitter taught me when I was little and couldn’t sleep. You start by focusing on your breathing, then focus on your toes and ask them to relax, and slowly work your way up your body. Nine times out of ten, you’ll be asleep before you even get to your belly button. So, I recommend this one if you have trouble sleeping or if you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep. Again, if any thoughts come up and interrupt you, just tell them you’ll get back to them in the morning.

Consistency Is the Key

You may get frustrated at first and think that you can’t meditate because your mind won’t stop moving, or you just can’t seem to keep from taking shallow breaths. But keep at it. As I said before, even Yo-Yo Ma still practices every day. Once meditation and breathwork become part of your daily life, you’ll start to notice a difference in how you handle stress and anxiety. And you’ll probably be sleeping a heck of a lot better than before!

Now go forth, find a quiet space, and breathe!