How to Relax Like a Boss

Six ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress and increase wellbeing

Our body has something called the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which increases positive emotion, strengthens our immune system and reduces stress. In today’s world where we are exposed to almost chronic stress levels, activating it seems more relevant than ever.

This is what science says about activating the body’s natural ability to relax:

1. Take deep breathes
   Inhale to fill your lungs, hold for a second, then exhale slowly. Repeat for a minute. This will expand the part of your airways called the bronchioles which activates the PNS.
2. Listen to your body
   Find a relaxed, steady breath. Start to register the activity in your body: feel your chest rising, feel the surface beneath your feet and feel the temperature of the air on your tongue. This awareness activates the PNS.
3. Balance your inhale and exhale
   As you inhale, count to five. Exhale and repeat the count. Keep doing this for a minute to balance your breathe and harmonize your heart beats. The practice of increasing heart rate variability is used to treat patients suffering from post-traumatic stress.
4. Yawn
   Yawning activates the PNS, although yawning on demand might be tricky. Why not try a movie from this list?
5. Do good
   Emotions like gratitude, contentment and tranquility activate the PNS. Recall three things you are grateful for, or even better, engage in charity work to expose yourself to gratitude on a regular basis.
6. Visualize
   Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a comfortable setting such as in nature, by a lake or at the beach. As your body receives the signal of relaxation, the PNS will reinforce it to create a positive loop that causes you to relax even more.

While over-stimulating the PNS in theory might cause you to “freeze up”,
most of us just don’t get enough relaxation in our daily lives. For that reason I highly recommend including one of these activities in your daily routine.

And in case you thought they were too hard there is a hack…

BONUS: Fiddle with your upper lip
Use your finger to *blub-blub-blub* with your upper lip like a child! Evidence shows that this too will increase PNS activity. If to believe Freud, stimulating the mouth is calming since it reminds us of when we were breastfeeding. Whether you believe it or not, at least you’ll have fun trying ☺

References: Hanson & Mendius (2009), Dow (2008) and Hanson (2007)

Everyday is the school for everything you didn’t learn in school with weekly classes on subjects like communication, love, relationships, work and health. Join the conversation at www.everydayschool.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.