Ever notice how you get out of breath when speaking in front of a group? Many people turn to breathing exercises, but in the heat of the moment, these don’t always help. When nerves kick in, focusing on controlling your breath can actually increase the tension.
The real solution lies in shifting your focus. When we’re nervous, it’s often because we’re thinking about ourselves—how we’re coming across, what others are thinking, or whether we’ll remember everything. This focus on ourselves disrupts our natural breathing rhythm, making it shallow and rushed.
The key is to immerse yourself fully in what you’re there to share. Think about the ideas, the story, and the message you want to convey. When you do this, your breath will naturally regulate itself because you’re no longer caught up in how you’re coming across. Instead, you’re in the flow of the presentation.
This experience is called Flow, a concept explained by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. In Flow, you’re so deeply engaged in the task that you lose self-consciousness, and distracting worries melt away. Your words, thoughts, and even your breath fall into a steady, natural rhythm, helping you present with ease and confidence.
So, next time you’re in front of an audience, skip the breathing exercises. Focus fully on your message, and let yourself enter this state of Flow. That’s where you’ll find calm, clarity, and breath that follows naturally.
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