In 3 minutes you can shift your mood from stressed or anxious to calm and grounded. (Learn more about the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety here.)
In light of ongoing uncertainty, everyone should have this quick practice in their stress relief medicine cabinet these days!
This can be done in moments when you feel anxious, fearful, overwhelmed, alone or isolated. But I also recommend practicing this when you feel good!
Practicing when you’re NOT triggered or stressed helps to train your nervous system to down regulate more quickly. You essentially train your nervous system to learn to let go and respond in the way you want vs. always reacting to stress when it blindsides you.
So, when you practice at times when you feel neutral or good, this practice becomes even more effective at times when you feel triggered and really need to calm and sooth yourself quickly.
One option is to set your phone alarm throughout the day, based on your schedule. If your schedule allow, you can set your alarm for each hour. Or you can wait until you’re at home and set your alarm, if this is more realistic. There’s really no right or wrong way to do this.
The idea is to create new neural pathways so that when you feel anxiety, fear, worry, anger or any of your usual “triggers” arise, you can catch yourself, acknowledge the feeling and begin the heart breath practice to calm yourself. (To learn more about how to integrate self care practices into your life, click here.)
Heart Breath
Time investment: 3 minutes.
Set up
You can be seated, lying down or standing.
If you’re outside, if you’re outside, stand with your feel on the ground and imagine roots from your feet extending deep into the earth
Do this when
You feel anxious
You feel fearful
You’re overwhelmed
You feel abandoned emotionally
Benefits
Regulates heartrate and breathing
Uses the vagus nerve to bring a parasympathetic state of coherence throughout your body
Calms nervous system
Builds self trust
Gives you sense of peace
Gives you sense of safety
Practice
Place both hands over your heart.
Focus your attention on the area of your heart.
Begin to breathe in and out of your heart space.
Optional: allow a memory or imagined moment of something that brings you a sense of peace, calm, appreciation, gratitude, or some other regenerative feeling and bring that feeling into your heart as you continue to breathe in and out of your heart.