How to Regulate Your Nervous System with Simple Breathing Techniques for Stress | tabatha debruyn | Ep. 73

Mar 31
2 min read

Two men appear in a podcast image. One smiles with eyes closed, wearing a suit. The other reacts animatedly, wearing a T-shirt. Text: "Wired but Drained?" and "The Superhuman Blueprint Podcast." Dark background.

How to Regulate Your Nervous System Starts With One Better Breath

Most people think stress starts in the mind. This episode makes a stronger case. Stress often starts in the body, and your breathing pattern can either calm that stress or keep it going.

On The Superhuman Blueprint Podcast, host Drew Griesel sits down with breathwork coach Tabatha DeBruyn to talk about nervous system regulation, stress, and performance. Their conversation centers on one simple but powerful idea. Breath is not just automatic. It is a tool you can use on purpose.

The most useful insight in this episode is that breathing changes your state in real time. Tabatha explains that shallow chest breathing and constant mouth breathing can keep the body stuck in fight, flight, or freeze. That is why people feel wired, foggy, and tired at the same time. A slower breath, especially one with a longer exhale, helps the body shift toward parasympathetic activation, where rest, recovery, and clear thinking are easier.

How to Regulate Your Nervous System When Stress Feels Normal

A lot of people think stress is just part of modern life. They stay in a rushed state for so long that it starts to feel normal. That is the hidden cost. When your body never fully comes down, you lose clarity, patience, and resilience.

Tabatha breaks this down in a very practical way. She explains that a calm breath can lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and help you think more clearly. That is why simple tools like breathing exercises for anxiety can work so fast. It is also why methods like the box breathing technique and physiological sigh breathing are used in high-pressure situations.

There is also a common misunderstanding here. People treat breathwork like it is soft or optional. In this episode, it is presented as a performance skill. Drew connects it to martial arts, cold plunges, and high-stress moments where calm breathing improved stamina and control. Tabatha shows that breath can help with recovery, focus, and even how to get out of fight or flight mode when emotions spike.

One of the best takeaways is that you do not need an hour-long routine to start. Breathe through the nose when you can, let the belly expand, and make the exhale longer than the inhale. These small shifts build awareness and help turn stress into a response you can manage.

That is what makes this episode matter. Learning how to regulate your nervous system is not about becoming passive. It is about becoming more steady, more focused, and more in control.

To hear the full conversation and learn the breath patterns Tabatha shares, listen to the full episode of The Superhuman Blueprint Podcast.