On The Spot Stress Solutions
"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor."
Thich Naht Hahn
Between the fast pace of modern living and the technology that keeps us distracted, detached and in a constant state of “busyness" it can feel like our human nervous systems hardly stand a chance.
We live in a constant state of low level stress, and it affects everything from hormones and aging to quality of sleep and mood.
Notice if your shoulders are a little tense, your jaw is clenched, or your breathing is shallow throughout the day.
You may be so used to it, that’s just your normal baseline. You don’t identify it as real stress because it’s not dramatic.
But it takes a toll on your health and well-being because when you’re in a low level of stress all the time, you can’t heal properly. And eventually it becomes unsustainable. Something has to give. Dr. Charles W. Mayo, of the Mayo Clinic said "Worry and stress affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system, and profoundly affects heart action."
The good news is, we have a fairly good grasp on how stress works and how to alleviate it.
We know what activates our stress response (the sympathetic nervous system) and we know what activates our relaxation response (the parasympathetic nervous system).
And most importantly, we know how to control it. Yes, you can turn stress off and on, if you work with your biology.
Here’s a quick list of stress solutions to activate your parasympathetic nervous system within seconds and take control of how you feel throughout the day.
#1 Diaphragm Breathing
Anytime someone tells you to breathe, doesn’t it seem too simple? It seems that way, but breathing is completely underrated.
Slow, deep, controlled breathing is the quickest and easiest way to turn off fight or flight and get relaxed and focused.
Army rangers, martial artists and professional athletes all use breathing techniques to get them into an optimal state of relaxation because they know it actually enhances their performance.
Here’s one great technique:
Inhale in through your nose for four counts deep into your belly.
Hold for four counts.
Exhale for 8 counts through your mouth, slowly, as if you’re blowing into a straw.
Repeat for 2 minutes.
Sometimes you can just do one breath cycle and already start to feel relaxed in seconds. Anytime you can take even one slow deep breath it’s a good thing.
But sometimes it takes a few minutes to really feel calm, so setting a timer for two minutes is a good practice to do throughout the day to reset.
#2 Mindfulness Practices
A good mindfulness practice is anything that puts you into a meditative, calm state.
One great way to achieve this is communing with nature.
There are scientific studies showing that simply walking in the forest is calming to us. Our nervous system relaxes when we are surrounded by nature.
So you can take a walk in nature and feel the serenity of the trees, listen to the ocean and feel the hypnotic trance of the waves going in and out, or sit on a porch swing gazing at the stars and letting the motion relax you.
Even going out in your yard or visiting your neighborhood park and walking through the grass can help. Anyway that you can immerse yourself in nature can help to increase mindfulness and turn off the stress response.
The second way to create mindfulness is meditation.
If you’re a beginner, download an app like"Insight Timer" that will ease you into a meditation practice with guidance. It’s great because it really takes away the guesswork and makes it a no-brainer to get into the habit.
But if you feel comfortable meditating on your own, simply get into a restful position, set a timer for however long you want to meditate (5-20 minutes is a good start) close your eyes, and focus on your breath. That’s it! You actually can’t get it wrong.
Thoughts are going to pop up, and that’s perfectly fine. The idea that meditation is supposed to clear your mind completely is a myth.
What you want to do is simply allow your thoughts, and observe them as if you’re observing clouds passing in the sky.
You’re allowing your thoughts to exist, without trying to edit, control or judge yourself. You just let them pass through.
Here’s a bonus tip: If you start making to-do lists and can’t let your thoughts simply pass through without engaging, give yourself permission to make your to-do lists. Once you’ve written everything down that you don’t want to forget, then start your timer. You’ll have an easier time relaxing.
#3 Yoga
Yoga is a way to bring harmony between your mind, body and spirit. And it’s all brought together with the breath.
When done properly, yoga combines the breathing and mindfulness that we talked about above.
An easy way to get started is to look for YouTube videos that teach beginner yoga poses. There are a ton of videos out there, so just pick one that you enjoy doing.
You don’t have to be flexible or in great shape. Some poses are just as easy as sitting with a straight spine and breathing.
Simply by focusing on your breath throughout the pose is enough to activate your parasympathetic response.
Sure, you can do a 90 minute class. But as yoga teachers will often tell you, “A little yoga all of the time is better than a lot of yoga some of the time.” A little bit every day goes a long way.
Whether you choose yoga, meditation or a simple breathing technique, all of these methods for reducing stress and resetting your nervous system are effective.
It doesn’t matter which one you choose, the most important thing is to notice when stress is there and do something to release it.
The more consistently you interrupt stress in your system, the better you will feel in the moment and over time.
Let me know how your practice goes and which method works best for you.