Having breathing techniques at my disposal has really changed my life. Not only because I’m an introvert, but also because I can get anxious when it comes to my writing. 

Is it good enough? Will people like it? Did I word that correctly? What if … (fill in doom scenarios).  

These and many questions plague me every time I put pen to paper or hands to keyboard. 

Adding breathing exercises to my writing rituals is essential. 

There are a lot of different techniques, but I always fall back to this one I’ve learned in yoga: square breathing. 

If 5/7 is too easy for you, you can switch to 7/9 9/11 etc, just make the hold count 2 higher than the in and out count. 

This breathing technique instantly calms me down. All the swirling thoughts disappear like clouds and I’m centered in seconds. 

And then I write again, of course. Anxiety has nothing on my yearning for words.