Subject

In this podcast, I chose to talk about deep breathing. I think that this is an important, easy technique to use when we feel overwhelmed or stressed. I talk about a strategy I’m familiar with and the effect deep breathing can have on your body.

Project Process

Pre-Production

I began with a little research to back up what I’ve experienced personally, and make sure that my information and ideas were correct. I wrote down some notes and an outline of my talking points. I figured out how I was going to record and how I would edit my audio, and planned a time to record.

Production

I checked out an audio kit from the HCC and went down to the first floor to use the vocal booth. I took my notes in with me and recorded my podcast. When I got back to my apartment, I decided to re-record a couple of things, so I went into my closet with the audio recorder to achieve a similar quiet environment. It was cramped but it worked.

Post Production

I used Soundtrap to edit my audio. I added background music from Mixkit, and cut out some extra pauses and places I stumbled a little bit. I think it could be better, but I guess you learn with experience.

Supporting Source

I read an article I found on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website discussing the benefits of deep breathing exercises, particularly in the workplace. The authors conclude that taking periodic breaks to practice deep breathing can lower blood pressure, increase productivity, and reduce stress. Seeing that this article was peer reviewed and published in a scientific journal told me that it was likely a reliable source, but I also did a quick Google search on the NIH and found that it is a federal medical research organization, based off of information from Wikipedia, USA.gov, and LinkedIn.

Thank you to…

Arulo on Mixkit, who created the music used in my mini podcast.

Transcript

Hi! My name is Katy, and you’re listening to My Two Cents: A Podcast.

Today I’m gonna talk a little bit about deep breathing.

Deep breathing kind of acts as a factory reset for your body. When we feel stressed or overwhelmed, our brain is kind of on the cusp of that fight or flight mindset. When we’re at this point, it can be hard to focus on things, or feel productive. When we do deep breathing, that tells our body, “Hey, everything’s okay, we’re not in any kind of threat or danger.”

One of my favorite breathing strategies to use is called box breathing. In your mind, you picture a square, with each side representing three seconds. You move around the perimeter of the square, first inhaling for three seconds, holding that breath for three seconds, exhaling through your mouth.

Thank you for listening.