As a university student, my life is often filled with deadlines, multiple assignments, and not enough time to squeeze in adequate sleep. The reality is that I am not always able to dedicate hours to mindfulness techniques such as meditation or yoga.
However, I had the pleasure of joining the Keep Fit Kingdom team, which pioneered a simple yet incredibly effective technique—the 3:3 Breathing Method—that can become anyone’s go-to strategy for calming the mind and easing stress.
The 3:3 Breathing Method is incredibly straightforward: quickly inhale through the nose three times, then exhale through the mouth three times, and repeat, for your choice of one minute, two minutes, or three.
I gave it a try one morning when I had the pleasure of being instructed in this technique by Raj Khedun and Marleen Lam. To my surprise, within just three minutes of practicing this technique, I felt my heart rate slow down significantly, and the constant chatter in my mind began to fade away.
The change was almost immediate. I went from feeling tense and anxious to experiencing a profound, peaceful silence in my mind. I had never encountered such rapid relief from stress before. My morning, stress-induced brain fog lifted, leaving me feeling focused and at ease. More than that, I had a deep awareness extending beyond my body to my surroundings.
What surprised me even more was that the effects of the 3:3 Breathing Method lasted throughout the entire day. After the morning instructional session, I found myself operating in a calm “flow state” that helped me start the day positively: I met the challenges of university life head-on and with a greater sense of self-efficacy. Whether I was watching lectures or tackling complicated homework questions, I felt more composed, untroubled, and present.
As someone who is facing the many stressful stages of university life, I highly recommend the 3:3 Breathing Method to anyone looking to reduce stress and anxiety. It’s fast, simple, and can be practiced anytime—whether in the minutes before a challenging exam, during a study session in which you need to focus and stay clear of distractions, or simply whenever you need a moment for yourself to reset and relax. The technique is also great for helping calm the body down for those dealing with stress-induced insomnia.
I definitely think that anyone struggling with stress, anxiety, or burnout should give this breathing technique a try. In just one to three minutes, you will feel the deep impact it can have on your mental well-being.
