This is why you overeat, overthink, and overreact - and how to breathe through it
You’re Not Broken. You’re Dysregulated.
You know the moment:
You promised yourself you wouldn’t eat the entire block of chocolate.
You swore you’d stay calm in that conversation.
You thought, this time, I won’t spiral.
But then, you do. You overeat. You overthink. You overreact. And afterward? You beat yourself up for not having more control.
But here’s the truth that no one talks about: These behaviors aren’t about weakness. They’re about survival. They’re the product of a nervous system stuck in a chronic state of dysregulation.
And the real solution?
It doesn’t come from forcing yourself to change. It comes from working with your body and your breath.
In this guide, we’ll break down the science behind why you overdo it, emotionally, mentally, and physically, and share a breathwork sequence designed to restore calm, clarity, and control from the inside out.
Stress habits aren’t random. They’re wired.
Let’s be real: modern life is stressful. And your nervous system? It’s doing its best to protect you.
The problem is, it wasn’t designed to handle constant pressure, stimulation, and unresolved emotion.
So it adapts. It finds coping mechanisms. And before you know it, your body develops patterns like:
Overeating to soothe emotional discomfort or sensory overload
Overthinking to prepare for worst-case scenarios
Overreacting when your system is already overwhelmed
These aren’t bad behaviors. They’re adaptive responses to chronic stress, often shaped by years of unprocessed emotion and unconscious triggers.
And they all share one thing in common: they begin in the body, not the mind.
Until your nervous system feels safe, sustainable change won’t stick.
This is where breathwork becomes your most powerful reset tool.
Your breath is the bridge between reactivity and regulation
Every emotion you feel shows up in your body, and your breath is the first place it registers. It’s also the first place you can intervene.
When your nervous system perceives a threat (whether real or imagined), your breath becomes:
Shallow
Rapid
Erratic
Held
This sends a signal to your brain: “We’re not safe.”
And in response, the body doubles down on protective patterns, overeating, overthinking, overreacting.
Breathwork reverses the signal
It tells your brain: “We’re okay. We can slow down. We can choose something new.”
When practiced consistently, breathwork retrains your system to return to baseline faster. It helps you feel safe in your body, which is the foundation for all lasting behavioral change.
Let’s explore the breathwork techniques that make this possible.
5 breathwork techniques to unhook stress habits and reclaim control
Each of the following techniques is designed to down-regulate your nervous system, bring you back into your body, and give you space to choose a new response.
You don’t have to do them all at once, choose one when a trigger hits, or use them as part of a daily regulation routine.
1. Slow nasal breathing
Best for: Shifting out of reactivity and into present-moment awareness.
How to do it:
Inhale gently through your nose for 4 - 5 seconds
Exhale through your nose for 6 - 7 seconds
Keep the breath smooth, low, and quiet
Repeat for 3 - 10 minutes
Why it works:
This breath calms the sympathetic nervous system and engages the parasympathetic response. Nasal breathing also boosts nitric oxide production, improving oxygenation and cognitive function, reducing the fog that leads to mindless reactions.
Use this before meals, during moments of overwhelm, or when you feel yourself spiraling.
Nasal breathing can take you from heightened stress to a sense of calm.
2. Rechaka - extended exhale
Best for: Interrupting emotional moments and creating a pause.
How to do it:
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds
Exhale through pursed lips or nose for 8 – 10 seconds
Focus on completely emptying your lungs
Rest for a second before your next inhale
Repeat for 2 – 5 minutes
Why it works:
The long exhale activates the vagus nerve, reduces cortisol, and brings your system out of survival mode. Rechaka is especially powerful in breaking the cycle of emotional overeating or reactive outbursts.
Use it in the moment when the craving hits or when you feel the tension building.
The rechaka breath brings your body out of survival mode to make clear decisions.
3. Anchor breath
Best for: Grounding your energy when emotions feel too big or thoughts too loud.
How to do it:
Sit or stand with feet flat on the floor
Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly
Inhale through the nose for 4 – 5 seconds
Exhale slowly for 6 – 8 seconds
Visualize your breath as an anchor dropping into stillness
Repeat for up to 3 minutes
Why it works:
Touch activates safety cues in the body. Combined with slow breathing and visualization, this technique helps anchor you in the now and bring awareness back to your body.
Use when you feel out of control, disconnected, or about to react.
The anchor breath can ground you when you feel overstimulated.
4. Colour breathing
Best for: Processing emotions stored in the body.
How to do it:
Close your eyes and choose a calming color e.g., blue, green, or pink
Inhale through the nose and imagine breathing this color into your body
Exhale and release a darker, duller color e.g., grey, black, or brown
Continue for 3 – 5 minutes
Why it works:
Colour Breathing engages the imagination and helps you process emotion visually and somatically. It shifts your focus from external triggers to internal regulation, clearing emotional tension that often leads to reactive behaviors.
Use after a stressful situation or as part of a daily emotional reset.
The colour breath helps process stored emotions.
5. Deep diaphragmatic breathing
Best for: Restoring full-body calm and resetting your emotional baseline.
How to do it:
Lie on your back or sit in a relaxed position
Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly
Inhale deeply through your nose, feeling the belly rise
Exhale slowly through pursed lips, feeling the belly fall
Repeat for 5–10 minutes
Why it works:
Diaphragmatic breathing restores your natural breathing rhythm and signals safety to the nervous system. It’s deeply relaxing and helps release stored tension from the gut, often called the “second brain.”
Use before bed, after emotional conflict, or when you're stuck in a triggered state.
Diaphragmatic breathing restores your natural breathing rhythm and helps to reset your emotional baseline.
How to create a breathwork ritual for long-term change
When practiced consistently, breathwork doesn’t just help you manage stress, it rewires the way you respond to it.
Here’s how you can use these techniques to support lasting nervous system regulation and behavioral transformation:
Morning reset:
Practice 5 minutes of deep diaphragmatic or slow nasal breathing
Set your intention: “Today, I respond with presence, not pressure.”
Midday interrupt:
Use rechaka or anchor breath after emotional triggers, tough meetings, or energy dips
Ask: “What’s happening in my body right now? What do I actually need?”
Evening cleanse:
End your day with colour breathing or diaphragmatic breathing
Reflect: “What patterns did I fall into today? How can I meet myself with compassion?”
In-the-Moment emergency:
The next time you feel the urge to overeat, overthink, or overreact, pause and breathe
Start with just one breath. One long exhale. One moment of space.
Final thoughts: you don’t need to try harder, you need to feel safer
You don’t need another crash diet. Or another productivity hack. Or another apology for snapping.
You need nervous system safety.
You need somatic tools.
You need breath.
Because once your body feels safe, the mind can stop overthinking.
The emotions can stop overflowing.
The patterns can finally shift.
The breath is your way back.
Back to calm.
Back to clarity.
Back to you.
If you found this helpful, you might also like to check out:
How breathwork can help you set boundaries without guilt or drama
Exhale the critic: a breath ritual to release negative self talk
From overwhelm to calm: how to use breathwork to regulate your nervous system
Ready to experience the power of breathwork in action?
Click here to download Master Your Breath, Own The Moment, your free step-by-step guide to reducing anxiety and increasing confidence in just five breaths.
