Are you feeling overwhelmed and anxious? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! In fact, most of us experience these feelings from time to time.

Did you know that you can actually use your body to help calm your mind? By tapping into your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), you can slow down your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and help your food digest effectively.

Here are some science-based tools that you can use to switch from feeling overwhelmed to cool, calm, and collected:

Cyclic sighing

Take a deep breath in through your nose, sip in any last air with a second inhale, and keep your mouth closed. Then exhale loudly through your mouth with a sigh, and let your shoulders soften. Try adding a count to your breath, breathing in for four, and exhaling for six. This type of breathing has been found to be more effective in improving mood and reducing respiratory rate compared to mindfulness meditation.

Grounding

Take a moment to ground yourself by finding the anchors of your body. Notice the grounding of your feet on the floor and press all four corners of your feet into the earth. Also, notice the sit bones grounding into the chair and feel the chair holding you. Place your hands on your lap or one on your heart and one on your belly to tell your body that you are safe and that it is okay to slow down and be still. There are more health benefits to doing this outdoors and barefoot.

Cold water exposure

Have you heard of Wim Hoff and his cold water therapy? Whether it’s a cold shower or a dip in the cool ocean, cold water exposure over time makes our nervous system more resilient to stress. This works by strengthening the vagal tone. So, turn on a cold shower and focus on either side of your neck. Pools, ice baths, and the ocean are also great options.

Bhramari Pranayama

Singing out loud can feel so good, right? But did you know that it also stimulates the vagus nerve? This is also the case with humming and gargling. So, try the bee-humming breathing technique, known as ‘Bhramari Pranayama’ in yoga, and add it to your calming hack tool bag. It involves inhaling through the nose silently and then pressing the lips together and making a humming sound like a bee on the exhale through the nose. Yogis also press their index fingers on the tragus of their ears, which is cartilage in between the cheek and inner ear, to block off the ear canal.

Remember, the vibrations of this sound have been shown to significantly increase parasympathetic tone via stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, helping to improve heart rate variability. So, whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, try one of these tools to switch to a calmer state of mind.

References

Balban, M. Y., Neri, E., Kogon, M. M., Weed, L., Nouriani, B., Jo, B., Holl, G., Zeitzer, J. M., Spiegel, D., & Huberman, A. D. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 4(1), 100895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895

Chevalier, G., Sinatra, S. T. (2011). Emotional Stress, Heart Rate Variability, Grounding and improved Autonomic Tone: Clinic Applications. Integrative Medicine, 10 (3), 18-20. Retrieved from: https://www.earthing-vitalite.org/wp-content/uploads/Stress-emotionnel-variabilite-de-la-frequence-cardiaque-earthing-grounding-connexion-a-la-terre-recherche-medicale-sur-la-sante-etudes-scientifiques.pdf

Ghati, N., Killa, A. K., Sharma, G., Karunakaran, B., Agarwal, A., Mohanty, S., Nivethitha, L., Siddharthan, D., & Pandey, R. M. (2021). A randomized trial of the immediate effect of bee-humming breathing exercise on blood pressure and heart rate variability in patients with essential hypertension. EXPLORE, 17(4), 312–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2020.03.009

Jungmann, M., Vencatachellum, S., Van Ryckeghem, D., & Vögele, C. (2018). Effects of cold stimulation on cardiac-vagal activation in healthy participants: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Formative Research, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.2196/10257