"The space we want to get to that's a great space to create from is a space of internal validation."\n- Nick Onken\nHello once again, and welcome to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION radio), the podcast where we dive deep into the mind, body, soul, and process of the creative entrepreneur. I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re joining me today on this journey where it\u2019s my goal to help you take your creativity, life, and business to the next level.\xa0\n\nI\u2019ve got a fun little solo episode for you today, and I\u2019m going to talk about some things that have really changed my life over the past years. Some of you may already be aware of the power of breathwork, but it is something that has really helped me gain perspective on my creative process and my life in general.\xa0\n\nHave you ever found yourself in a loop of negative thought patterns?\xa0\n\nIt\u2019s quite an unpleasant and dark experience when your brain continually bombards you with upsetting and hurtful negative thoughts about yourself. This is a common symptom of people with anxiety, and not only can it really affect your quality of life, but it can tear your creativity to shreds and leave you in a space where creating everything seems impossible.\xa0\n\nIn today\u2019s episode, I\u2019m going to talk about a practice you can do that can actually lift you out of these patterns and reorient you to a more positive, creative space. Let\u2019s get into it.\nHow My Experience with DMT Encouraged Me to Try More Breathwork\nAbout a year and a half prior to the recording of this episode, I embarked on a psychedelic journey that really changed my life.\xa0\n\nDMT is a plant medicine that, when smoked, blasts you off to another dimension \u2014 into the cosmos. Your conscience quite literally gets transported somewhere else, and you have this otherworldly experience that really shifts your perspective on so many things.\xa0\n\nHowever, upon coming down from my crazy DMT trip, I had difficulty reintegrating back into normal, everyday life. I found myself in a deeply self-critical space where I came to a profound realization \u2014 much of my identity revolved around external validation from others. I had become totally comfortable, yet blissfully unaware, with the concept of basing my self-worth around validation from others.\xa0\n\nAs a creative, I was getting a great deal of validation from my work and who I was shooting with over the past 10 years. When I began to realize what I was subconsciously doing, that\u2019s when everything began to change.\xa0\n\nThis pushed me to embark on a journey of self-discovery, or re-self-discovery if you will. Through the help of several mentors and books like A New Earth by Eckhart Tole, I began to rearrange how I validated my own creativity. Instead of receiving validation from others, I began to learn how to internally validate myself.\xa0\n\nWe all are somewhat accustomed to external validation, especially in the world of social media. We\u2019re constantly itching for that hit of dopamine we get when we get likes on a picture or engagement on a post on any social media platform. What you\u2019re really doing is teaching your brain to rely on external validation rather than internal validation.\xa0\n\nAlong this transformative journey, something that really helped me re-center myself was breathwork.\xa0\nThe Anxiety-Defeating Benefits of Square Breathing\nMaybe you\u2019re thinking I\u2019m crazy by placing such value on breathing \u2014 even though it\u2019s the first thing we do when we enter the world and the very last \u2014 but I encourage you to stick with me on this because there are so many different ways in which you can utilize breathwork.\xa0\n\nOne great example of effective breathwork is how you can use it to calm your nerves if you find yourself in a panic with a practice called squared breathing.\xa0\n\nWhen you suffer from a panic attack or intense anxiety, your brain is in fight-or-flight mode because it thinks you are in a life-threatening situation. Your brain floods your body with adrenaline and cortisol, and it leaves you short of breath,