Box breathing vs 4-7-8: which one?
Both work, and they are built for opposite jobs. Box breathing has equal counts and keeps you alert under pressure. 4-7-8 has a doubled exhale and pushes you toward sleep. Equal breath steadies you, long exhale sedates you — picking the wrong one is why people say breathing does not work for them.
Box breathing →4-7-8 breathing →Coherent breathing →
Breathe is a free guided breathing and meditation web app — no download, works in your browser. Enable JavaScript for the interactive guided session.