Coming Back to the Breath: Why It Matters When You're Dysregulated

We all know what it feels like when our nervous system takes over: a racing heart, a tight chest, a spinning mind. Whether it’s a stressful email, a difficult conversation, or something deeper from our past, our bodies are wired to respond with the age-old fight, flight, or freeze. When this happens, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or disconnected. But one of the most powerful ways we can support ourselves in those moments is surprisingly simple: the breath.

Why Breath Matters in Fight or Flight

When we’re in a dysregulated state, feeling anxious, frozen, panicked, our body is doing what it thinks it needs to do to protect us. Our nervous system is in high alert. But what it often needs is not more thinking, or more reactions, it needs safety. And safety begins with the body.

The breath is a bridge between our body and mind. It’s always available, always present, and always happening right now. It’s one of the most effective ways to anchor ourselves in the present moment and begin to regulate the nervous system.

What It Looks Like in Practice

In sessions with my clients, I guide them to notice when they’re in fight or flight. This is something that we work out together, and usually the first step is awareness. From there, we gently come back to the breath. This is a very effective tool to ground ourselves in something steady, something now.

As Eckhart Tolle describes in The Power of Now, the present moment is all we truly have. And when we bring our attention fully to it, even briefly, we can begin to let go of the looping thoughts from the past, and the worries about the future.

You can come into the now by:

• Noticing the sounds around you

• Feeling the skin of your fingers as they touch

• Becoming aware of the scents in the air

And then, simply pause here. Breathe. Take one, conscious breath in and one out. Then another. And another...

You may not feel calm immediately. That’s okay. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Sometimes it takes a little longer. But if you come back to this practice often, it will start to feel familiar. Safe. Like coming home to yourself.

A Gentle Invitation

Learning the path that your individual body takes to get back to regulation can be invaluable in managing anxiety, panic and stress. The breath is not a cure-all. But it is a doorway. A doorway out of the storm in your mind and back into the grounding of your body. Each time you come back to the breath, you’re sending your system a message: It’s okay. You’re here. You’re safe.

If you're curious about working with me or deepening your connection to your breath and body, send me a message and I'll get back to you to answer your questions or to set up some time for an online session or an in person counselling session in Bow, E3.

With warmth,

Jasmine 🌿