Navy SEALs train to stay calm in situations most of us can barely imagine. The same technique that helps them manage high-pressure missions can also help with the kind of stress you face at home or work, and it has everything to do with breathing.
Former Navy SEAL and FBI agent Errol Doebler says that breathwork, the simple act of controlling your inhale and exhale, has helped him through everything from combat operations to parenting three kids. Experts agree this military mindfulness tool can help regulate stress, improve focus, and bring your body back from the edge of fight-or-flight mode. Let’s look at the practice and how you can use it too.
The breathing technique Navy SEALs swear by
The technique is known as Box Breathing, or Tactical Breathing. It’s used by soldiers, first responders, and even surgeons to steady their minds and bodies under pressure. The method is simple: breathe in through your nose for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. This rhythm slows the nervous system and helps control physiological stress responses.
Doebler says the practice started for him during one of the toughest parts of SEAL training—drownproofing, a drill where recruits float and sink vertically in cold water with their wrists and ankles bound. “When they throw you in the water”, he recalls, “you just have to start recognizing, apparently when I breathe in deep through my nose and blow out hard, I settle down.”
He didn’t realize it then, but what he was doing was structured breath control—training his body to override panic through mindful breathing. Years later, after leaving the military and recovering from a traumatic brain injury, he began using the Wim Hof Method, which combines breathwork and cold exposure to improve focus, resilience, and mood.
Today, Doebler uses these same breathing patterns in daily life, especially in parenting. “Family life stress is as real as it gets”, he says. “Breathwork gives us a fighting chance of getting through those tough moments”. He even teaches his children to use it when they’re hurt or upset, guiding them through “in through the nose, out through the mouth” until they calm down enough to talk.
Other mindfulness methods for stress control
Breathwork is even more effective when combined with a few simple habits that support your body’s stress response:
- Cold water exposure. Doebler recommends the Wim Hof method, which uses short bursts of cold water to train your breathing and reduce anxiety. It’s uncomfortable at first, but it mimics how your body reacts under pressure and teaches you to stay calm.
- Short daily sessions. Even five minutes a day helps train your body to stay steady during chaos.
- Mindful movement. Adding light yoga, stretching, or a walk after work supports relaxation by keeping your breathing deep and steady.
- Tech breaks. Stepping away from screens for a few minutes to focus on breathing helps reset your attention and lower your heart rate.
- Community support. Group breathwork sessions can enhance the effect, creating a similar calm, connected state to that seen in meditation or therapy.
Stress may be a constant in modern life, but it doesn’t have to take over your mind or body. The same breathing practice that helps Navy SEALs stay composed under extreme pressure can help you handle a tough meeting, a bad commute, or an argument at home.