Using what we know about how our stress response works from the Inner Workings of Our Stress Response blog post, we can start to work on de-activating our stress response. The stress response begins with perceiving a threat in the brain; however, the first physical response is the unconscious tightening of our core and back muscles. The overall goal is working on relaxing those muscles to make sure they are not pinching your vagus nerve and activating the rest of your stress response.

The best way to practice is by beginning to notice when your body’s stress response is ramping up. This means being aware and paying more attention to increased heart rate, breathing, muscle contractions, and body temperature. When you notice these signs, and you are not engaged in physical activity or in a life threatening situation, your stress response may be activating. At this point, you have several options that you can use to disengage the stress response:

  1. Deep breathing exercises

    1. Exhale through your mouth until all of the air is out of your lungs. Then breath slowly through your nose, until your lungs are all the way filled up. Repeat this for 1-3 minutes. This will relax your core muscles. Pay attention to your breathing when you do this exercise and let it be the center of your focus.
  2. Relax your core muscles

    1. If you have enough awareness of your body, you may also be able to notice when some of your muscles tighten in the stress response. When this starts, simply disengage your muscles. By relaxing the core muscles you are not using, and the muscles in your back, this will help stop your stress response.
  3. Progressive muscle relaxation

    1. This option has you tighten your muscles. Start in your feet and tighten them. You may start tightening muscles in the feet and slowly move up your body until you are tightening all of your muscles. Take it in stages, feet to upper leg, then feet to abdominal, then feet to chest and shoulder, then all the muscles from feet to head. Tighten all muscles for about 5 seconds then release. This will bring those unconscious muscle contractions to your conscious brain, and it will help you to relax those core muscles after you tighten them. It is almost like tricking your body into disengaging your stress response.
  4. Mindfulness

    1. This technique requires the most practice but can also be the easiest over time. Begin by brining all of your attention to one thing of your choice, such as breathing or something in your body/environment. Your attention will start to wander to something else, but you continue to guide it back to what you are focusing on. You repeat this until your feel the calming effect. This can disengage the anxiety that is being produced, since no attention is being given to it. Your body will naturally go out of the stress response once no threat is being perceived. Mindfulness is a large encompassing technique and this is only one component to begin with. This is also different from the other techniques since it addresses the anxiety component occurring in the mind rather than addressing it through reducing the stress response in the body.

Your stress response will not disengage immediately; your body has a “cooling down” process, but you will notice a change using these techniques. I encourage you to practice most of these as they are each applicable to different situations. If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me and I will help you however I am able to.

These options are some of the easiest to learn and practice on your own; however, if they do not work and your anxiety and stress continue then looking at options for counseling or seeing a medical doctor may be needed. Stress is the #1 cause of early death in the world, which is why it is important not to let it go unchecked. Call today to talk to a professional about your anxiety.