We enter this life with an inhale and exit with an exhale. The breath is our constant companion, yet it is so often unnoticed—an automatic rhythm we assume will always be there. It carries us through our days, through moments of laughter and moments of grief, through the mundane and the extraordinary. And yet, only when something disrupts it do we truly realize its power.
Breath is more than a function—it is a gateway. A means of restoration. When the mind races, tangled in thoughts too numerous to name, when the body moves too quickly, desperately grasping at tasks and to-dos, it is the breath that can bring us back. Back to balance. Back to homeostasis—a state where all systems recalibrate, where calm can settle in.
Almost a year ago, I learned just how vital breath can be. Taking out the trash seemed like an ordinary, mundane task, but as I lifted the bag, a sharp pain seized the left side of my chest. The same pain had struck the day before, a warning I brushed off as heartburn. But in both moments, something within me knew to slow down. Instead of letting fear take over, I turned to my breath and took control. Inhaling slowly, I minimized the pressure on my chest, then exhaled deliberately. I felt the pain ease just enough to give me clarity to seek help, to take the necessary steps instead of allowing panic to rule the moment. Thanks to that calming breath, I made it to the hospital where they told me I had experienced a cardiac event.
In writing, breath can play a pivotal role in revealing character. Perhaps a character has a habit of breathing faster when they’re lying than when speaking the truth. Or maybe, because of some past trauma, a character hyperventilates when around a certain person or personality type. Breathing can be used to reveal fear, anxiety, confidence, or any emotion.
Just as breath reveals truth in our bodies, it can reveal truth in our characters.
Breath is presence. It is the quiet wisdom of the body reminding us that even in fear, in chaos, in the fragile spaces between stability and crisis, we have a way back to ourselves.