October and World Mental Health Day
October is a special month. On October 10th, the World Health Organization (WHO)commemorates World Mental Health Day, with the goal of raising awareness, reducing stigma, and promoting concrete actions.
According to the WHO, 1 in 8 people worldwide live with a mental health disorder, with the most common being anxiety and depression. These conditions affect quality of life, relationships, and work performance, yet they remain undertreated: more than 70% of those who need it do not receive adequate care (WHO, 2022).
That's why October shouldn't just be a month of campaigns, but a reminder that mental health needs daily care.
My Story: From Anxiety to Breathing
I'm not a therapist or psychiatrist. I'm a developer and entrepreneur. For years I worked in finance and technology, with long hours, constant stress, and that feeling that my body was always on alert.
There came a point when I understood I couldn't keep ignoring the signals: insomnia, palpitations, racing thoughts. That's when I discovered something simple and transformative: breathing with consciousness.
At first I was skeptical: how could something so basic help me? But I tried the 4-7-8 technique before sleep and felt immediate calm. Later I learned box breathing, the physiological sigh, and heart coherence. And it wasn't placebo: there was scientific evidence backing what I was feeling.
That's how Pausa was born: an app to guide anyone, anywhere, to take five minutes to breathe and regain balance.
Cold Facts: What Science Says About Breathing and Mental Health
- Diaphragmatic Breathing and Anxiety
A meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Psychology (Zaccaro et al., 2018) showed that slow, deep breathing significantly reduces anxiety levels and improves emotional regulation. - Heart Coherence and Stress
Studies in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014) demonstrate that rhythmic breathing of 5-6 seconds per inhalation/exhalationimproves heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of stress resilience. - 4-7-8 Breathing and Sleep
Research on slow breathing has shown improvements in sleep onset and rest quality (Tsai et al., 2015, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine). - Physiological Sigh and Rapid Calm
A study from Stanford School of Medicine (Huberman et al., 2023) demonstrated that a couple of "sigh breaths" (two quick inhales and one long exhale) reduce anxiety faster than meditation in acute stress situations.
Breathing Techniques You Can Practice in October
In Pausa, we guide with audio and haptic vibration these proven techniques:
- Box breathing (square breathing): 4-4-4-4. Widely used by athletes and military to control the mind in pressure moments.
- 4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4, hold 7, exhale 8. Ideal for insomnia.
- Physiological sigh: two short nasal inhales, one long exhale. Immediate calming.
- Heart coherence: inhale 5s, exhale 5s. Synchronizes mind and heart, lowers blood pressure.
Life Habits That Enhance Mental Health
Breathing is key, but daily habits are the true foundation:
- Regular physical exercise: 150 min weekly reduces depression risk by 30%(Harvard T.H. Chan, 2021).
- Restorative sleep: sleeping less than 6 hours triples anxiety risk (Harvard Medical School, 2020).
- Balanced nutrition: the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower depression risk (Sánchez-Villegas et al., 2009).
- Social connection: people with solid support networks have 50% less risk of premature mortality (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010).
- Mindfulness and journaling: mindfulness practices reduce cortisol levels by up to 25% (Tang et al., 2015).
October Ends, But Care Continues
Mental Health Month and October 10th are important reminders, but what matters is what we do the rest of the year.
At Pausa, we believe that breathing is the simplest gateway to well-being: you don't need equipment or long hours, just a few minutes and your own body.
If this October you decide to gift yourself five minutes a day, you might discover —as I did— that breathing can be the most powerful tool to reconnect with yourself.