Neuroscience Says These 5 Simple Tricks Will Calm Your Anxiety Instantly
Five takeaways:
It is natural to experience periods of heightened worry, stress, and unease. Fortunately, research from numerous studies has provided us with effective techniques to calm an overactive, anxious mind. These are:
- Use the 4-7-8 breathing method: This method requires you to sit comfortably, exhale through your mouth with a “whoosh,” then inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. Repeat three times. This practice helps calm the body and works well for sleeplessness, too.
- Listen to this specially designed song: “Weightlessness,” an eight-minute song created by sound therapists, reduces stress by gradually slowing its beat from 60 beats per minute to 50 beats per minute, helping listeners’ heart rates sync and lower. The author noted that he returns to this song regularly for stress reduction.
- Get 45 minutes of vigorous exercise: Research shows that exercise reduces anxiety, especially vigorous 45-minute sessions. However, anxiety was positively affected by moderate 80 minute exercise and 2 hours of light exercise. Of course, shorter, more intense workouts may be more practical for busy schedules.
- Get some nature: Being in nature, even if only for a short walk, can have markedly productive effects on your anxiety. However you can– even if only along a commute, or putting plants around your desk– increasing your interaction with nature has proven positive effects on your mental well-being.
- Save it for later: This is less about shutting anxiety off than it is making it manageable. You can address stress by actively deferring it. However you keep your schedule- by hand or via phone/computer, schedule a time later in the day to address the source of your anxiety. Writing down worries and dedicating time for them sets boundaries, often reducing their impact by the designated time.
The brain works in unexpected and impressive ways. We hope these tips help you manage the moments when its anxiety responses are working overtime.
By Bill Murphy Jr, for Inc.
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