Your Breath Stress Test

Welcome to the Soothe Your Stress Mini Lesson!

Enjoy this free lesson about how to take hold of your stress, anxiety, and worry right now!

We are committed to delivering this information in a simple & digestible way that leaves you with a practical takeaway for how you can soothe your stress ASAP.

Let’s begin!

Your Breath Pattern is your Stress Pattern

  • Faster breathing = more stress.

  • Slower breathing = less stress.

But what actually triggers us to breathe fast or slow? The answer lies in our relationship with carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Most people assume we feel the urge to breathe because we need more oxygen (O₂). Not true. The primary driver of breath is rising CO₂ levels. If our body has a low tolerance to CO₂, we’ll breathe faster and more shallowly. If we have a higher CO₂ tolerance, we naturally breathe slower and feel more calm.

Low CO₂ tolerance = faster breathing = more stress.

Takeaway 1: Breathe Slower (more ways to do this and how to make it a habit and comfortable in the full course)

The CO₂ Anxiety Loop

CO₂ isn’t just a “waste gas”, it’s actually a natural calming agent. When we breathe too quickly and blow off too much CO₂, we lose its soothing effect, and our nervous system stays stuck in stress mode. This creates what I call the CO₂ Anxiety Loop:

Fast breathing → CO₂ drops → body doesn’t calm → stress spikes → breathing speeds up.

Takeaway 2: CO₂ is the key when needing to relax ( techniques for how to increase CO₂ in the full course )

Testing CO2 Tolerance with BOLT

There’s a quick test that shows how well your body tolerates stress. Remember, the higher your tolerance, the better. It’s called the Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT), and it takes less than a minute.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Take a gentle inhale and exhale through your nose.

  2. Pinch your nose shut and hold your breath while timing yourself.

  3. Stop as soon as you feel the first distinct urge to breathe. We are not trying to see how long we can hold our breath!

  4. When you inhale, it should feel calm and easy. You shouldn’t need to gasp for air.

  5. Record your time. (Tip: Take the average of 3 rounds, resting a few minutes in between.)

Try your BOLT test right now!

Here is your Guided Breath Track