Got 5 minutes? Take a breather with me.

Got 5 minutes? Take a breather with me.

From Try This by The Washington Post

November 6, 2025 · 6 min · Season 9 · Episode 4

About this episode

Cristina Quinn leads a 5-minute box breathing exercise to help reduce stress and improve mental health.

Now that we’ve learned that chronic stress ages the brain, let’s put what we learned into practice. Join “Try This” host Cristina Quinn as she leads a 5-minute box breathing exercise. For more on ways to reduce your risk of dementia, check out some of The Post’s reporting: How to calm your mind with breathing, according to science How to use your voice to reduce your stress and feel calmer 5-minute breathing exercises can improve your mood and reduce anxiety Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts .

People in this episode

Host: Cristina Quinn

Topics covered

  • stress reduction
  • breathing exercises
  • mental health
  • dementia prevention
  • mindfulness

Keywords

  • box breathing
  • chronic stress
  • dementia
  • anxiety reduction
  • mood improvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Washington Post

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