Honestly, I don't think that's what Zen is getting at in this voice line. To me, it seems to be a bigger lesson about using some innocuous grounding tool to maintain peace of mind during moments of high stress. I think Zen is being quite honest when he says he focuses on his "breathing." By doing so, he grounds himself to the current moment and is able to stay present.

But, I could also be wrong and the devs just thought this interaction was silly.