5 Breathing Techniques to Calm an Overactive Nervous System
When your mind won’t slow down, your heart races, or your body feels tense and restless, chances are your nervous system is working overtime. Modern life keeps most of us in a near-constant state of alert — juggling work demands, family obligations, and emotional stress. For people who have experienced trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress, the nervous system can become stuck in survival mode.
The good news is that you can train your body to relax again. Breathing techniques are among the most effective, research-backed tools for calming an overactive nervous system. They work by directly influencing the vagus nerve, which helps shift the body from “fight or flight” (sympathetic activation) to “rest and digest” (parasympathetic activation).
In this post, we’ll explore five breathing techniques that can help soothe your body, quiet your mind, and restore balance — plus how individual therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can support deeper healing for long-term nervous system regulation.
Understanding the Overactive Nervous System
Your nervous system is designed to protect you. When it detects danger — whether physical or emotional — it activates the stress response: adrenaline surges, heart rate increases, and muscles tense. Once the threat passes, your body should naturally return to a calm baseline.
But chronic stress, unresolved trauma, and anxiety can disrupt this rhythm. Instead of moving fluidly between activation and rest, your nervous system may stay locked in one of these patterns:
Hyperarousal: feeling constantly “on edge,” anxious, or unable to slow down
Hypoarousal: feeling numb, fatigued, or disconnected from your emotions
This imbalance affects more than just mood. It can contribute to headaches, digestive issues, poor sleep, irritability, and even chronic pain.
Learning to regulate your breath is one of the most direct ways to signal to your body that it’s safe to relax. Each of the following breathing techniques works slightly differently, but all share one goal: helping your body return to balance.
1. Box Breathing (The 4-4-4-4 Method)
Best for: calming racing thoughts and creating focus
Box breathing — sometimes called square breathing — is a structured technique that helps regulate both the mind and body. It’s widely used by athletes, healthcare professionals, and even the military for grounding under pressure.
How to practice:
Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold your breath for 4 counts.
Exhale gently through your mouth for 4 counts.
Pause again for 4 counts before starting the next cycle.
Repeat for at least four to five rounds.
Why it works: The even rhythm of box breathing slows the heart rate and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling safety to the body. It also trains the brain to tolerate stillness, making it an excellent practice for moments of anxiety, overwhelm, or emotional flooding.
Helpful tip: Try visualizing a square as you breathe — tracing one side with each count. The visual cue reinforces a sense of structure and calm.
2. 4-7-8 Breathing (The Relaxation Response)
Best for: easing insomnia, anxiety, and tension before bed
Popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil, this technique emphasizes a longer exhale, which naturally activates the body’s relaxation response.
How to practice:
Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold the breath gently for 7 counts.
Exhale slowly and audibly through your mouth for 8 counts.
Repeat for up to four rounds at a time.
Why it works: The extended exhale stimulates the vagus nerve, lowering blood pressure and reducing stress hormones. It’s especially useful before sleep or after a stressful encounter when you want to downshift your nervous system quickly.
Helpful tip: Don’t force the breath. If the counts feel too long, start with shorter intervals (such as 3-5-6) and gradually build tolerance.
3. Coherent Breathing (Balancing the Rhythm)
Best for: stabilizing mood and reducing chronic anxiety
Coherent breathing focuses on achieving a smooth rhythm of around five breaths per minute. This pace — slower than typical breathing — helps synchronize heart rate variability, promoting emotional balance and resilience.
How to practice:
Sit comfortably and inhale through your nose for 5-6 seconds.
Exhale gently through your mouth for 5-6 seconds.
Continue this steady rhythm for 5-10 minutes.
You can use a timer or calming background music to keep the rhythm consistent.
Why it works: Studies show that coherent breathing improves heart-rate variability, a key marker of nervous system flexibility. It helps your body respond to stress more adaptively and recover more quickly after challenges.
Helpful tip: Use this technique daily — even for a few minutes — to retrain your nervous system toward stability.
4. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
Best for: balancing energy and reducing emotional reactivity
This ancient yogic practice balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain and harmonizes the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system.
How to practice:
Sit upright and relax your shoulders.
Place your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale through the left nostril.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril, close it, and exhale through the left nostril.
That completes one cycle. Practice 5-10 rounds at a gentle, unhurried pace.
Why it works: This method enhances focus and balances the body’s internal rhythms. It’s particularly grounding before stressful conversations or transitions — such as starting your workday or winding down at night.
Helpful tip: If you feel congested, skip this technique until you can breathe comfortably through both nostrils.
5. Resonant Breathing with Visualization
Best for: trauma recovery and emotional grounding
Resonant breathing (also called therapeutic breathing) combines slow, rhythmic breathing with gentle visualization to release tension from the body.
How to practice:
Inhale through your nose for 6 seconds, imagining breath flowing into the base of your lungs.
Exhale for 6 seconds, picturing the tension leaving your body.
Visualize a calming color — like blue or soft gold — washing over your body as you breathe.
Continue for 5-10 minutes, letting your breath guide your focus.
Why it works: Visualization strengthens the connection between mind and body, enhancing the body’s ability to self-soothe. The rhythm of resonant breathing encourages synchronization between the heart and lungs, calming an overactive stress response.
Helpful tip: Pair this practice with gentle background music or nature sounds to enhance relaxation.
What Happens When You Practice Consistent Breathwork
Over time, these breathing practices train your body to respond differently to stress. Clients who incorporate daily breathwork often report:
Feeling more grounded and present throughout the day
Improved sleep and fewer racing thoughts at night
Reduced physical symptoms of anxiety (such as muscle tension or tightness in the chest)
Increased awareness of emotional triggers and the ability to pause before reacting
By learning to regulate your breath, you also learn to regulate your state. This creates a sense of safety within the body — something trauma or chronic anxiety often disrupts.
The Science Behind Breathing and the Nervous System
Breathing directly communicates with the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion.
When stress activates the sympathetic branch (fight/flight), breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Slow, intentional breathing stimulates the parasympathetic branch (rest/digest), signaling that it’s safe to calm down.
Research shows that consistent breathwork:
Increases vagal tone, strengthening resilience to stress
Lowers cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone)
Improves focus, mood, and emotional regulation
Enhances the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies like EMDR
In essence, your breath acts as the remote control for your nervous system — and it’s always accessible.
Integrating Breathwork into Daily Life
It’s easy to think of breathing techniques as “something to do when you’re anxious,” but their real power lies in consistent practice. The more you train your nervous system to relax on cue, the easier it becomes to stay regulated during challenging moments.
Here are a few ways to integrate breathwork into your routine:
Morning reset: Begin your day with 2-3 minutes of coherent breathing before checking your phone or email.
Transition moments: Use box breathing between meetings, before picking up your children, or after stressful interactions.
Evening wind-down: Try 4-7-8 breathing before bed to release tension.
Movement connection: Pair breath awareness with gentle yoga, walking, or stretching.
When Breathwork Alone Isn’t Enough
While breathing techniques can create powerful relief, they may not fully resolve deeper patterns of dysregulation that stem from trauma, chronic anxiety, or loss.
If you notice that your body often feels stuck in high alert or shut-down mode despite your efforts, it may be time to work with a trauma-informed therapist.
That’s where individual therapy and EMDR therapy can provide deeper, lasting change.
How EMDR Therapy Helps Regulate the Nervous System
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based therapy that helps people heal from distressing experiences. It works by helping the brain reprocess stuck memories so they no longer trigger the same physical or emotional response.
When you experience trauma, your brain stores that event in a fragmented way — often alongside the same fear and physical sensations you felt at the time. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping) to help your brain re-file the memory properly, freeing the nervous system from constant hypervigilance.
Over time, EMDR:
Reduces reactivity to triggers
Calms hyperarousal and panic responses
Improves emotional regulation
Expands your Window of Tolerance — your ability to stay calm and present even when stressed
By combining EMDR with breathwork, you can engage both the body and the mind in healing — creating a foundation for calm that lasts long after therapy ends.
How Individual Therapy Supports Regulation and Growth
Individual therapy offers space to explore the thoughts, emotions, and patterns that fuel dysregulation. Together with a therapist, you can identify triggers, build coping skills, and strengthen self-understanding.
Therapy also provides something breathwork alone cannot: attunement. When you are safely seen and supported by another person, your nervous system begins to re-learn trust and safety — two key components of lasting regulation.
Individual therapy can help you:
Understand the roots of anxiety or stress
Practice mindfulness and grounding skills
Reconnect with your body and emotions
Build compassion and self-acceptance
When combined with EMDR, therapy becomes not just about symptom relief, but about transforming how your body and mind respond to life.
Creating a Personalized Regulation Plan
Healing the nervous system is not one-size-fits-all. The most effective approach often includes a combination of:
Daily breathwork to maintain stability
Therapeutic support to address emotional triggers
EMDR to process underlying trauma or chronic stress patterns
As your body learns that it’s safe to relax, your capacity for joy, focus, and connection naturally expands.
Taking the Next Step Toward Calm
If you find yourself caught in cycles of anxiety, overwhelm, or tension that won’t seem to ease, you’re not alone — and there is a path toward lasting calm.
I offer EMDR therapy and individual therapy for clients in Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Orinda, Danville, Pleasant Hill, Concord, San Ramon, and Alamo. Sessions are available in-person or online to fit your schedule and comfort level.
Together, we’ll create a plan to help your nervous system find balance again — combining therapeutic insight, evidence-based tools, and body-based practices like breathwork to support your healing from the inside out.
Ready to Begin?
Reach out today to schedule a consultation or learn more about how EMDR and therapy can support you in calming an overactive nervous system and creating a greater sense of peace in your daily life.