Squiggly Careers Podcast: How to Reduce Work Stress and Anxiety With Simple Breathing Techniques

Hosts: Sarah Ellis & Helen Tupper
Episode Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sarah and Helen explore how simple, intentional breathing techniques can help reduce stress and anxiety—especially during busy and high-pressure periods at work. Drawing on recent research, personal experiences, and practical exercises, they break down the science and real-life applications of conscious breathing. The episode is warm and relatable, featuring candid anecdotes and actionable tips designed for immediate use, particularly relevant for the often hectic end-of-year period.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Context: Why Talk About Breathing?

• Seasonal Relevance: The hosts note that, with the end of the year approaching, many people feel an uptick in work and family commitments, leading to greater stress and last-minute overwhelm.
  • “This is our version of Christmas, which… feels like a good time of year to talk about breathing.” – Helen [02:11]
• Back to Basics: The episode embraces a fundamental yet often overlooked skill: breathing, and reframes it as a tool for workplace well-being and resilience.

Science & Credibility Behind Breathing Techniques

• Evidence-Based Benefits: Inspired by Stuart Sandeman (Breathpod), the hosts share statistics from a 7-day conscious breathing experiment:
  • Stress and anxiety down 48%
  • Brain fog down 56%
  • Ability to relax up 54%
  • Energy levels up 49%
• Healthy Skepticism: Sarah and Helen humorously approach these high numbers with a healthy dose of skepticism, while still acknowledging the value in trying breathing exercises for oneself.
  • “My energy has gone up by 50… That would be something to behold.” – Sarah [05:14]
• Mouth vs Nose Breathing: Drawing from James Nestor’s Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, Helen highlights that breathing through your nose is more beneficial than through your mouth, affecting hydration, sleep, and even mental states depending on which nostril is used.

Three Practical Breathing Techniques for Work

1. Calming a Racing Mind Before Speaking/Presenting

When: Right before a presentation or critical meeting when your mind is racing.
Action (Then): Take a slow exhale through your mouth for 4–6 seconds before speaking.
Why: This reduces cortisol (stress hormone), steadies your voice, and helps you show up calmer and with more gravitas.

• “The big long breath gets rid of the cortisol and it also steadies your voice…” – Helen [14:10]
• Anecdote: Sarah shares how she subtly used this technique before a high-pressure presentation at The Shard and found it genuinely effective. [14:47–16:49]

2. Resetting When Overwhelmed or Out of Control

When: Feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks or end-of-year crunch.
Action (Then): Take a quick inhale through your nose, followed by a slow exhale through the mouth. Repeat for a few cycles.
Why: Helps counteract the shallow breathing associated with stress, supporting your prefrontal cortex so you can regain clarity, logic, and perspective.

• “Stressed short, shallow breaths... the way that you are breathing is having an impact on how your brain is processing what you’re trying to deal with.” – Helen [17:58]

3. Managing Hard Emotions to Stay Present

When: Conversations where strong emotions (upset, anger) rise and threaten to derail your presence.
Action (Then): Try the “Stanford physiological sigh”: two quick inhales (through mouth or nose), followed by a long, slow exhale.
Why: Helps regulate emotions, bringing your body out of fight/flight and back to a more curious, engaged state.

• “Mentally focusing on this breathing exercise...I did it about three times...and I was much more in control both of my emotions and of what I was going to say.” – Helen [21:29–22:47]

Personalization & Further AI-Generated Practices

Sarah experimented with AI to create custom breathing prompts tailored to context and setting (like doing them subtly on a train):

• Extended Exhale: Breathe out longer than you breathe in to induce calm [24:53]
• Box Breathing: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4
• Noting Breaths: Simply notice and label “in” and “out” (a mindfulness practice)
• Arrive Calm Routine: Ground feet, open posture, deep breath, one box breathing cycle, and intentional statement (“I’m here now”) [26:29]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Skepticism About “Big” Claims:
  “My energy has gone up by 50… That would be something to behold. I actually don’t want to imagine that. I’m not sure that would actually be a good, dangerous level of energy.” – Sarah & Helen [05:14–05:33]

• On Personal Experiences with Breathing and Emotions:
  “I get more stressed initially...So it just takes me a moment to be like, actually, breathe in a way that this is… I sort of have to get past that first point.” – Sarah [08:28]

• On Presentation Jitters:
  “I often find the moment I get most nervous is when someone is introducing me...Do I try and look, like serious and credible, or do I smile?” – Sarah [15:16–15:25]

• Breathing as a Reset:
  “It helped me just with that tiny bit of perspective of, like, what matters most right now is being here with our team.” – Sarah [27:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:11] – Holiday stress and why breathing matters now
• [04:11] – Stuart Sandeman’s story & Breathpod findings
• [05:46] – Practical breathing approach for work: three techniques
• [06:18] – Mouth vs nose breathing science
• [14:47] – Calming exhale before presentations
• [17:22] – Breath for energy and clarity
• [19:56] – Handling hard emotions in conversations
• [24:10] – AI-generated, personalized breathing routines
• [26:29] – “Arrive calm” ritual & the importance of transitions

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is candid, light-hearted, and practical, making science accessible and tips actionable. Helen and Sarah share their own moments of skepticism and vulnerability, making the case for trying breathing techniques a no-pressure, supportive experiment rather than a “miracle cure.”

Main Takeaways:

• Conscious breathing can be a powerful workplace tool for managing stress, clarity, energy, and emotional presence.
• Small, intentional breathing exercises can be seamlessly integrated into busy workdays—even during meetings and on public transport.
• Everyone can benefit from experimenting with different breathing methods, finding what works best for their own stress triggers and routines.

For more tips and resources, the hosts recommend signing up for their Squiggly Careers in Action newsletter.

Contact:
helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

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