Self-Regulation Is Resistance

When the world feels chaotic, it is easy to lose your center. The news, the noise, and the constant demand to respond can leave your mind and body on edge. In those moments, self-regulation is not weakness. It is power.

It is an act of quiet rebellion to say: I will not let the outside world decide what happens inside me.

Why Breathing Matters

Breathing exercises are one of the most effective ways to regulate your nervous system. With every slow, intentional breath, you send a message of safety to your brain. Your heart rate slows, your muscles soften, and your thoughts clear.

This process activates the vagus nerve, the body’s built-in calm button, which shifts you from survival mode to self-control. Over time, practicing conscious breathing teaches your body that calm is always available, even when the world is not.

Box Breathing

This method is simple but powerful. Imagine the four sides of a square, each side representing a phase of your breath.

How to do it:

1. Inhale through your nose for 4 counts.

2. Hold your breath for 4.

3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4.

4. Hold again for 4 before repeating.

   
   

Why it works:

Box breathing balances oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, regulates heart rate, and sharpens focus. It is ideal for calming anxiety, refocusing attention, or preparing for difficult conversations.

Infinity Breathing

Infinity breathing is about flow, a continuous movement that mirrors balance and renewal. Picture tracing an endless loop, like a sideways figure eight.

How to do it:

1. Start at the center of the infinity shape.

2. Inhale as you trace one side of the loop.

3. Cross the center and exhale along the other side.

4. Repeat in a gentle, unbroken rhythm for a few minutes.

Why it works:

The motion and symmetry engage both sides of the brain, improving focus and emotional balance. It is especially soothing for stress, sensory overload, or ADHD regulation.

When to Practice

• Before entering a stressful environment

• During activism or protest when emotions run high

• Before sleep to unwind tension

• After reading or hearing distressing news

• Anytime you feel disconnected from yourself

How Self-Regulation Protects Your Power

1. It Keeps the Brain Online

When you are overwhelmed, the amygdala, the brain’s threat center, takes over, flooding your body with cortisol and adrenaline. Self-regulation activates the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for logic, empathy, and decision-making.

Result: You can think, plan, and choose rather than react on impulse.

2. It Preserves Personal Power

Losing control of emotions can make you easier to manipulate through fear or chaos. Regulating your internal state lets you decide what deserves your energy.

Power shifts back to you. Instead of reacting to every trigger, you choose your response with intention. That is true self-leadership.

3. It Creates Space Between Stimulus and Response

Viktor Frankl wrote, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose. ”Self-regulation builds that space. When you pause to breathe or ground, you widen the gap between what happens to you and how you respond.

That pause is where self-respect and strategy live.

4. It Improves Information Processing

A calm nervous system restores blood flow to the brain, strengthening working memory and attention. You absorb information accurately and recognize nuance instead of jumping to extremes.

Regulation enhances cognitive flexibility, the ability to see multiple perspectives, solve problems, and learn from feedback.

5. It Makes Emotional Energy Sustainable

Burnout, outrage, and anxiety drain mental capacity. Self-regulation channels emotional intensity into directed energy rather than chaos.

Self-regulation keeps your nervous system stable, your mind clear, and your choices intentional.

It is not avoidance. It is strategy.

Staying grounded is how you keep your power, process reality accurately, and respond with wisdom instead of reactivity.

Remember

Every deep breath is a declaration: I can control what is within me. You cannot always choose the world’s pace, but you can choose your own. That is what self-regulation truly means, a steady kind of strength that does not crumble under pressure.

Self-Regulation Is Resistance. Breathe. Take your power back.

With calm and courage,

-Alicia Glenn

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist | Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant