We see it all the time. Our favorite action movie heroes, in the midst of crisis- typically a gun battle, a high-speed chase, a ticking bomb scenario, or my personal favorite, a fire rescue, are portrayed as being calm, cool and collected, seemingly able to keep their breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and other bodily functions fully under control while they make decisions and take actions that will ultimately save the day. Most of us realize that this ability to remain “Zen” in the midst of chaos is not nearly as common among real life members of law enforcement, the fire service and the military as is so often portrayed on the silver screen.

In fact, as a career Firefighter myself for over 28 years, I can attest to the reality that in life or death (“fight or flight”) crisis situations, the typical first responder is severely hampered in his or her ability to make swift, effective decisions, and to take timely, appropriate action, due to automatic physiological reactions. Factors such as increases to respiratory and heart rate, blood pressure, and perspiration, as well as other impacts to various body functions, all contribute to negatively impact situational awareness, critical thinking, and the ability to perform even the simplest of tasks. However, over the years I have learned that a variety of techniques are effective in managing critical event stress, consequently improving one’s ability to be successful during crisis. We will discuss one of my favorites below.

By the end of this article, whether you are a person who deals with life or death crisis by way of occupation, or you are just “regular folk”, who nonetheless may encounter a variety of chaos and emotional upset in your lifetime, you will have learned a technique that will provide you with the ability to control (to a degree) your physiological processes during traumatic events, and you will be happier, healthier, and safer for having done so.

This technique, Tactical Breathing, is something that can be utilized in stress producing scenarios as minor as dealing with a traffic jam, a job interview, or public speaking, all the way up to the most traumatic situations, such as a fight for survival with a knife or gun-wielding attacker. Of course, most first responders and military members realize the importance of physical fitness, training, and experience in enhancing their ability to survive, and even to thrive in crisis, and there is no substitute for these things. However, with a basic understanding of what Tactical Breathing is, and just a little bit of practice, any person’s ability to manage their own stress and distress will be significantly enhanced.

So? Breathe. It’s that easy. Well, perhaps there is a bit more to it, but not really much more. Let’s begin.

No, you don’t have to close your eyes (and in a crisis, probably shouldn’t)

Tactical Breathing

Breathe from your diaphragm, smoothly and steadily, and allow your stomach to blow up like a balloon. As you breath out, breathe equally as smoothly and steadily. Breathe in through your nose, and out from your mouth, on a four count, as follows:

Do the following four steps for a cycle of three, right now! This will take less than one minute (48 SECONDS) to complete.

1. Inhale from your nose, deeply, expanding your stomach for a count of four- one, two, three, four…. 2. Hold that breath for a count of four- one, two, three, four… 3. Slowly exhale through your mouth, completely, contracting your stomach for a count of four-one, two, three, four… 4. Hold the empty breath for a count of four-one, two, three, four. Didn’t that feel great? See (Loadout Room) for more.

During times of stress, do Tactical Breathing for a minimum of three cycles, and as long as necessary until you feel that you have sufficiently relaxed and “de-stressed.” This can be done inconspicuously. In fact, for many years now, I have used tactical breathing, or a similar breathing technique, within mere feet of fellow Firefighters during crisis situations, and no one has ever mentioned to me that they have noticed.

D ear Reader,

I wanted you to get through this entire article so I kept it short and sweet. If you never learn another thing about the subject of the breath and stress management, you will still be way ahead of the game if you just remember to practice Tactical Breathing. However, there really is a whole bunch of great stuff to discover about this subject that would be life enhancing for anyone from any walk of life, so if you do wish to know more, I recommend that you start by clicking through the links that have been inserted throughout the article, and also here, here, and here.

Namaste