Breathing for work so you don’t get a burnout.

In 2024, a lot of people are tired of sleeping. You might be familiar with this, too. I know I was guilty of it. You go to bed on time, hoping not to upset Father Time. But the moment your alarm clock buzzes, you wake up tired, groggy, and a bunch more adjectives. Even worse, your productivity hits rock bottom, and you’re almost anti-social. This behavior goes on for weeks; you even forget what it feels like to feel energetic. You nearly become agitated around people buzzing with energy. Why is that? Didn’t you go to bed on time? Didn’t you get your 8 hours of snooze time? Why is it that you need more sleep to recover from your sleep? Welcome to a burnout.

According to McKinsey, on average, 1 in 4 people suffer from burnout-related symptoms. This number increases yearly in most countries. We seem to be at the epitome of technology, on the verge of landing on Mars, communicating with Aliens, and listening to whales speak, but here we are, unable to deal with a 9-to-5 job.

What is a burnout?

The World Health Organisation defines burnout as:

“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

• increased mental distance from one, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one; and

• reduced professional efficacy.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

Depression

A burnout doesn’t have to stop there. It can grow into a depression. According to the WHO, 280 million people worldwide suffer from, and if we are to believe professor William Kuyken from Oxford University, a whopping 1 billion people who are currently alive will have depression in their lifetime. I’m not sure about you, but it’s like someone just pressed the do-not-press button in my head. How did evolution lead to a depression pandemic? And even worse, this one is inside your mind.

The result is a lot of people who are unfit to work, failing companies, high staff turnover, chronic fatigue, more errors, plummeting financial numbers for the company, and more. No one benefits from burnout, no matter what your agenda is.

Now, there is a lot to say about working hours, environment, type of job, etc., which impact your odds of burnout. In the end, everything in life is related. As much as we want to compartmentalize life, it simply does not work that way. However, the benefit is that the others grow when you improve one element. So, let’s focus on one element—air. More specifically, let’s focus on breathing.

Breath-work

The amount of research supporting the positive benefits of various breathing techniques is vast and increasing weekly. Numerous professionals support breathwork as part of a daily routine. One study even showed that breathwork can directly positively address burnout symptoms. Here is what you can do behind your desk:

Slow down

Similar to how each genre of music has a particular way of dancing to it. So does the rhythm of breath comes with its effects. If you slow down your breath, think from Rammstein to Andrea Bocelli. Rammstein has its time and place, but for most of your day, Andrea Bocelli is probably a wiser long-term choice (both great musicians, by the way).

Here’s what you do:

1. Take a full inhale through your nose, hold it for a second

2. Exhale completely through your nose

3. Inhale for three seconds, exhale for three seconds, three times

4. Inhale for five seconds, exhale for five seconds three times

5. Inhale for 8 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds, three times

6. Inhale for three seconds, exhale for three seconds, three times

7. Inhale for ten seconds, exhale for ten seconds

8. Prolong to as much as you want, as long as you are comfortable

If one of these timeframes gets difficult, move down the ladder by one second or two seconds. Your inner voice might start yapping, but that is fine. Just focus on your breath and count the seconds. That is all.

Belly Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing) 

Most people tend to only move their chest when they breathe. This chest breathing is what we call a superficial breath. Which again has its purpose. But to combat burnout symptoms or, better yet, prevent burnout symptoms, we want to do the exact opposite.

Here’s what you do:

1. Place one hand on your belly button.

2. Focus on breathing through your nose against your hand. Your belly should inflate on the inhale and deflate on the exhale.

3. Allow your chests to expand, but be mindful to let both your belly and chest expand

4. Try to prolong each breath; count if you have to.

Remember, the goal is to relax. That is all.

Box breathing

Remember playing with letter cubes as a kid? You know, those cubes with one letter on them. Box breathing is kind of a letter box, but for adults. It is simple but powerful enough to lower your heart rate in minutes.

1. Inhale through your nose for four seconds

2. Hold your breath for four seconds

3. Exhale slowly for four seconds through your nose

4. Hold your lungs empty for four more seconds.

You can repeat this until you feel calm and your breathing becomes slower and more regular. You can adapt the seconds to your needs; go longer if possible. See what it does.

Beyond breath

Breath techniques are tools to deal with certain emotions or states of being. They are not a cure for everyone and all things. If you find these techniques are not working, try something else. The problem may be, for example, your sleeping habits or diet. Breathing can be a piece of the puzzle. It worked for ancient people all over the world. That being said, in that world, there might not have been a 9-to-5 job in an office, behind a digital screen, modified food, and what have you.

How great would it be if breathwork could be a practice that the company offers? A regular practice or techniques for you to use during your work day? I think that is a sure future. We know so little about the body, breath, and mind. We can take care of our health much more than we think—Let’s start with these simple breathing techniques.

Keep on breathin’

Sanjay