Recovery can come with difficult moments. Stress, cravings, frustration, anxiety, and overwhelming emotions can sometimes appear unexpectedly. Having healthy ways to respond to those moments can give a person more options before acting on an urge to use substances.
One simple coping skill that some people find helpful is box breathing. You can find other options for stressful moments in our Everyday Recovery Tools guide.
What Is Box Breathing?
Box breathing is a controlled breathing exercise that involves following a simple, repeated breathing pattern. The technique encourages a person to slow their breathing, focus attention on the present moment, and create a brief pause during periods of stress or emotional discomfort.
A common approach is to slowly breathe in, hold the breath briefly, slowly breathe out, and pause briefly before beginning the next breath. The pattern can be repeated several times at a comfortable pace. The goal is not to make every difficult feeling disappear, but to create an opportunity to slow down, notice what is happening, and choose what to do next.
Practice a Breathing Exercise
Video resource: This educational video from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) discusses stress management, healthy coping strategies, self-care, and a breathing exercise. It is provided for educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical or behavioral health care.
Why Can Box Breathing Be Helpful in Recovery?
During recovery, recognizing personal warning signs can be an important part of responding to challenges before they become more difficult to manage. A person might notice increased stress, racing thoughts, muscle tension, irritability, loneliness, or thoughts about using substances.
Box breathing may provide a brief, healthy pause between experiencing those feelings and responding to them. During that pause, a person can consider what they are feeling, what may have triggered the response, and what healthy action they can take next. Developing this type of self-awareness can support more intentional responses to cravings, stress, and difficult emotions. Our article on the pause-and-choose skill offers another practical way to respond thoughtfully.
What If Box Breathing Doesn’t Work for Me?
Box breathing may not be equally helpful for everyone. Recovery is individual, and different coping strategies may be useful for different people or situations. A technique that helps one person manage stress or cravings may not provide the same benefit for someone else.
This is why developing more than one healthy coping skill can be important. Having several options allows a person to choose a strategy based on what they are experiencing at that moment rather than depending on a single technique.
Other Healthy Coping Skills to Consider
Having several coping strategies can provide more options when stress, cravings, or difficult emotions occur. Depending on the situation, healthy coping strategies may include taking a walk or exercising, journaling, listening to music, practicing grounding or mindfulness exercises, engaging in prayer or other spiritual practices, attending a recovery or support meeting, talking with a peer or trusted friend, contacting someone in a support network, spending time on a hobby, or moving away from a triggering environment when possible.
Different strategies may be useful for different needs. Breathing exercises might help during moments of stress, while connecting with another person may be more helpful when experiencing loneliness. Physical activity may provide an outlet for frustration, while journaling can provide an opportunity to identify and reflect on thoughts, emotions, and possible triggers.
Build a Coping Toolbox
Think of coping skills as tools in a toolbox. Just as one tool would not be expected to handle every type of repair, one coping strategy may not be enough for every challenge that occurs during recovery.
Building a coping toolbox means identifying several healthy strategies that are realistic and accessible in everyday life. Practicing these skills during ordinary stressful situations can also make them more familiar before a particularly difficult moment occurs. Over time, paying attention to what helps, what does not, and what works best in different situations can help a person develop a more individualized collection of coping strategies that supports recovery.
Coping Skills Are Support, Not Medical Treatment
Box breathing and other coping techniques may support emotional regulation, stress management, and recovery, but they do not treat physical dependence or medically significant withdrawal. Coping skills should not be used as a replacement for appropriate medical or behavioral health care when professional support is needed.
Withdrawal from some substances can involve serious or potentially life-threatening health risks. Anyone experiencing severe or concerning withdrawal symptoms should seek appropriate medical attention rather than relying only on breathing exercises or other self-directed coping strategies.
A Gentle Way to Practice
Try this exercise at a time when you already feel reasonably comfortable, rather than waiting for a crisis. Sit in a supported position and breathe at a pace that feels natural. If holding your breath feels uncomfortable, skip the holds and simply breathe in and out gently. Stop if you feel dizzy or unwell. Afterward, ask yourself whether the exercise helped you feel more settled; if not, choose another coping skill that suits you better.
Finding the Next Healthy Step
Recovery does not have to depend on one coping technique. Building several healthy ways to respond to stress, cravings, triggers, and difficult emotions can provide more choices when challenging moments occur. What helps may also change depending on the situation, which is why learning and practicing different strategies can be valuable.
Instead of focusing on finding one “best” coping skill, a more useful question may be: “Which healthy coping skill can help me take my next step right now?” Over time, recognizing personal warning signs and choosing healthy responses can become an important part of supporting continued recovery and personal growth.
Disclaimer
This article is intended for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, substance use, counseling, diagnostic, or treatment advice. Coping strategies such as box breathing may support stress management and recovery but should not replace professional care when it is needed. If you are concerned about substance use, withdrawal, relapse risk, or your recovery, consider speaking with a qualified medical or behavioral health professional. If you believe you or someone else is experiencing an immediate medical or mental health emergency, contact emergency services or an appropriate crisis service.