Box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing timer

Box breathing is four even counts: in, hold, out, hold. It is the easiest one to remember when you need it. 4-7-8 is in for four, hold for seven, out for eight; the long hold is the hard part, and many people shorten all three counts at first and keep the ratio.

The other two drop the holds. Slow even breathing is five seconds in, five out, six breaths a minute. The long exhale pattern breathes out for longer than in. Pick whichever you can do without straining. A pattern that makes you gasp at the end of a hold is the wrong pattern for you right now.

Plenty of pages promise that one of these patterns will lower your blood pressure or put you to sleep in a minute. This one promises a steady pace to breathe along to. How it makes you feel is something you can check yourself, over a week, which is better evidence about you than anything we could quote.

If breathing exercises make you dizzy, stop, breathe normally, and try a shorter count. If you have a heart or lung condition, ask your doctor before practising long holds.

Tie it to something you already do. Three minutes after you sit down at your desk, or before you turn the light off. A breathing habit is one of the few that costs nothing, needs no equipment and takes less time than making tea, which means the only thing that stops it is forgetting.