Monday Mindset: Take a Breath

The Ultramarathon Mindset: Trail Talk

"Just breathe" is the advice you get when you need to calm down.

This is good advice, but it's the HOW to breathe that makes your breathing have the exact opposite effect on your body. You feel calmer because you believe what you've been told: that deep breaths--in through your nose and out through your mouth--will reduce your anxiety. But breathing too fast and too deep has the opposite of a calming effect on your body.