7 Breathing Exercises to Calm Your Mind in 2 Minutes

Step-by-step techniques for the moments when your head won't slow down

It's mid-afternoon, four tabs are open, a message keeps blinking, and you've had a tight feeling in your chest since lunch. You can't leave your desk, and you don't have an hour to spare. If that sounds like a normal workday, this guide is for you.

Breathing is the one thing you're already doing, which makes it a handy place to start. Below are seven exercises, and most take a couple of minutes or less. They can help your body settle, though none of them is a cure, and we'll say more about that further down. If you need something right now, jump to the physiological sigh, which takes about 30 seconds.

The best breathing exercise is the one you'll actually do.

Quick pick: which one is right for you?

Technique	Time	Best for	Difficulty
1. Belly breathing	1 to 2 minutes	Getting started, general calm	Easy
2. Box breathing	About 1 to 2 minutes	Focus before a meeting	Easy
3. 4-7-8 breathing	About 1.5 minutes	Winding down, bedtime	Medium
4. Longer-exhale breathing	1 to 2 minutes	A quick calm, anywhere	Easy
5. The physiological sigh	10 to 30 seconds	Sudden stress	Easy
6. Alternate nostril breathing	About 2 minutes	An evening reset	Medium
7. Counting your breaths	2 minutes	Racing thoughts	Easy

1. Belly breathing

Time: 1 to 2 minutes | Best for: Getting started | Difficulty: Easy

Sit or lie down comfortably and rest one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose and notice whether your belly rises more than your chest. Then breathe out slowly. A minute or two is plenty when you're starting out.

2. Box breathing

Time: About 1 to 2 minutes | Best for: Focus before a meeting | Difficulty: Easy

It's called box breathing because it has four equal sides. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, and hold for 4. Repeat for about four rounds. If you feel lightheaded, do fewer rounds or simply breathe normally for a while.

3. 4-7-8 breathing

Time: About 1.5 minutes | Best for: Winding down, bedtime | Difficulty: Medium

Start by breathing out fully through your mouth. Then breathe in through your nose for 4, hold your breath for 7, and breathe out slowly through your mouth for 8. Four rounds are enough while you're learning. There isn't much research on this exact pattern, but many people find it helpful, especially before sleep.

4. Longer-exhale breathing

Time: 1 to 2 minutes | Best for: A quick calm, anywhere | Difficulty: Easy

Breathe in through your nose for about 4 counts, then breathe out through your mouth for longer, say 6. Making the out-breath longer than the in-breath may help your body settle. Keep going for a minute or two.

5. The physiological sigh {#sigh}

Time: 10 to 30 seconds | Best for: Sudden stress | Difficulty: Easy

You've probably done this without noticing, after a good cry or at the end of a long day. Take two quick breaths in through your nose, one deep and one short top-up, then let out one long, slow breath through your mouth. One to three rounds is enough, which makes it the fastest reset on this list.

There's some research behind it. In a 2023 Stanford study published in Cell Reports Medicine, 108 people practised five minutes of breathwork a day for a month. The group doing cyclic sighing, which stresses a long exhale, reported bigger improvements in mood than a group doing mindfulness meditation. The participants were mostly university students and the study ran for only a month, so more research is needed.

6. Alternate nostril breathing

Time: About 2 minutes | Best for: An evening reset | Difficulty: Medium

This one comes from yoga, though you don't need to do yoga to try it. Skip it if your nose is blocked.

1. Sit comfortably with your back fairly straight.
2. Use your right thumb to close your right nostril, and breathe in slowly through your left nostril.
3. Close your left nostril with your ring finger, so both are closed for a moment.
4. Lift your thumb off the right nostril and breathe out slowly through it.
5. Breathe in through the right nostril.
6. Close the right with your thumb again, release the left, and breathe out through the left.

That's one round. Try a few rounds, slowly.

7. Counting your breaths

Time: 2 minutes | Best for: Racing thoughts | Difficulty: Easy

There's no special technique here. Breathe the way you normally do and count each out-breath, one, two, up to ten, then start again. Your mind will wander, and that's expected. When you notice, gently go back to one. Noticing that you drifted is a big part of the point.

Which one should you pick?

If you're new to this, start with belly breathing or box breathing. Before a difficult meeting, try box breathing or a couple of sighs. At night, many people prefer 4-7-8 or the longer exhale. And if you can't decide, choose the one that feels least awkward. Try them while you're already calm, so they feel familiar when you're not.

Go gently if...

• Focusing on your breath makes you feel more anxious, or you have a history of panic or trauma. Skip these and try grounding instead, like naming five things you can see.
• You're pregnant. Check with your doctor or midwife before trying the breath-holds in box breathing and 4-7-8.
• You have asthma, a heart condition or any other breathing problem. Ask your doctor before trying breath-holds.
• You feel dizzy. Stop and breathe normally.
• Your nose is blocked. Skip alternate nostril breathing.

When breathing isn't enough

Breathing exercises are useful for everyday stress, but they won't fix everything and they aren't meant to. If you feel stressed or anxious on most days, or it's affecting your sleep, work or relationships, it's worth talking to someone. Our stress therapy and anxiety therapy can help you work out what's underneath it. The self-assessment is an easy first step, and you can see all our services.

Breathing won't fix everything, but it can give you a minute to think.

If you're in crisis
If you're thinking about ending your life, please don't wait. In India, you can call Tele-MANAS, the government's free helpline, on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, available 24 hours. In an emergency, go to your nearest hospital. Clear MyMind is not an emergency service.

Frequently asked questions

Do breathing exercises really help with stress?
They can help your body settle in a stressful moment, and the NHS recommends them as a simple technique you can do anywhere. They're a tool, though, not a cure. If the stress is constant, it's worth talking to a professional.

Which breathing exercise is best for beginners?
Belly breathing or box breathing. Both are easy to remember and take only a minute or two.

What are the best breathing exercises for anxiety?
Slow exhale-focused ones, like the longer exhale, the physiological sigh and belly breathing, are good places to start. They can ease the physical side of anxiety in the moment, but they don't replace treatment. If anxiety is a regular visitor, our anxiety therapy can help.

How can I calm down quickly?
Try the physiological sigh. Two short breaths in and one long breath out takes about 30 seconds, and you can do it anywhere. A few rounds of longer-exhale breathing afterwards can help it last.

Which breathing exercise helps with sleep?
Many people use 4-7-8 or the longer exhale in bed. If you've had trouble sleeping for weeks, it's worth speaking to a doctor or therapist, since breathing alone may not be enough.

Can breathing help during a panic attack?
Slow, steady breathing with a longer exhale may help, and it can help to skip the breath-holds, which can feel uncomfortable when you're panicking. Chest pain can have other causes, so if you're unsure, get medical help. If panic attacks keep coming back, please talk to a professional.

Can I do breathe exercises at work?
Yes. Most are quiet and take under two minutes, so you can do them at your desk. If work stress keeps coming back, have a look at our workplace mental health support.

Is it normal to feel dizzy?
A little lightheadedness can happen at first, since you're breathing differently from usual. Slow down and go back to normal breathing, or stop for now.

How often should I practice?
A few times a day is fine, even for a minute. Practicing when you're calm makes it easier to use when you're not.

Which one will you try first? Tell us on our social media, and save this post for the next stressful afternoon, or send it to a colleague who could use a break.

Want to look at what's behind the stress? Explore stress therapy at Clear MyMind.