Try this to quickly calm your mind and body
“You flounder through life, struggling desperately so you won’t drown, even though you would float if you’d just relax.” — Natsuki Takaya
Your body has a natural coping mechanism that helps calm you down when you’re stressed. Sighing is one of them. It’s your body’s built-in reset button. The good news is, you can activate a calming response, whenever, wherever.
How? By lengthening your exhale.
When you exhale longer than you inhale, you turn on a switch in your nervous system. You shift out of fight-or-flight mode and into rest-and-digest. You tell your body it’s safe. It’s a signal to your mind to stop racing. And no, you don’t need candles or yoga mats or ten spare minutes.
You just need your breath.
At any time, if you want to switch to a more relaxed state, just lengthen your exhale. Breathe in for a count of four. And then breathe out for a count of six. Two counts longer than your inhale.
In for four. Out for six.
That little drop in pressure is your body getting into calming mode.
That’s it.
Repeat as many times as you want.
The process stimulates the vagus nerve (the longest cranial nerve, connecting the brain to major organs like the heart, lungs, and gut), which takes you out of a stress response. By slowing the heart rate. Lowering your blood pressure. Andreducing stress hormones.
This trick works anywhere.
Standing in line. Sitting in traffic. Right before a tough conversation. Or during one. I use it a lot. It’s my tiny pause button.
You don’t need a new routine. You don’t have to “get it right.” You just have to remember. Breathe in. Breathe out longer.
At any time you can take one big breath, one longer exhale, and change your whole mind and body response to anything stressing you out.
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” — Etty Hillesum.
Anytime something feels like too much, don’t overthink it.
Just breathe out. Longer. And consciously slow the process down.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly calm comes back.
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