Jake Burhans argues that a dysregulated nervous system triggers fight-or-flight responses during high-stakes moments like presentations and sales calls, shutting down clear thinking. He recommends box breathing (4-second inhale, hold, exhale, hold) to calm your nervous system and stay sharp when it matters.
The biggest thing holding you back from stepping into the next version of yourself is a dysregulated nervous system. You're tripping into fight or flight as you go to do the presentation or it's a new business opportunity or something comes up. You're not able to stay in a relaxed state. And as a result, your nervous system flips into the sympathetic state, the fight or flight, your prefrontal cortex shuts completely off. You can't think, you can't execute, you don't have any energy and you're squandering the opportunity. You're literally sabotaging yourself, self-sabotaging yourself. So the key is to stay in a state of peace, and the breath is the best regulator of the nervous system. You can use a simple technique, box breathing technique, 4 seconds in, 4 seconds hold, 4 seconds out, 4 seconds hold. It's gonna be a quick and easy way to regulate your nervous system when you're going into an uncomfortable situation, whether it be a presentation, a new meeting, a sales call, difficult conversation, you're gonna crush it.
