Have you been worrying or thinking too much to the point of creating anxiety, feeling an intermittent anxiety background hum that puts you at the verge of reactivity at the slight trigger?
If you do not interrupt that pattern, your nervous system may get stuck in overdrive.
It is then that you need tools that work quickly and quietly – like turning down the volume without anyone knowing.
Six science-backed ways to bring yourself back to calm
Here are 6 science-backed ways to bring yourself back to calm, even in a busy café, office or social setting. I’ve personally used them all in the past. They are very effective…
1️⃣ Physiological sigh:
Take a deep breath, then sip in a little more air at the top. Exhale slowly, like fogging up a window. Do this 2–3 times to lower stress hormones fast.
2️⃣ Gentle ear pull:
Hold the tops of your ears and lightly stretch them outward and down. This stimulates your vagus nerve – think of it like pulling the plug on a buzzing amplifier.
3️⃣ Bilateral taps (subtle):
Under the table, tap each thigh one after the other like a slow drumbeat. This signals both sides of your brain to sync and tells your body you’re safe.
4️⃣ Micro muscle release:
Press your tongue gently to the roof of your mouth, relax your jaw, and drop your shoulders. Imagine melting like butter on warm toast.
5️⃣ Focus on one sense:
Pick a single thing to notice: a sound, a texture, a color. This acts like an anchor, pulling you out of racing thoughts and into the present.
6️⃣ Movement reset:
Gently roll your ankles or shrug your shoulders. It’s like hitting “refresh” on your body’s stress cycle. You can also march in the same place by lifting opposite limbs touching the elbow of the left arm to the knees of the right leg, and the elbow of the right arm to the knee of the left leg. This aligns the energies of the left side of your body to the energies of the right side.
Excellent Breathing Tools for your Wellbeing
Our breath is always with us, and we can use it at any time to calm us down. It offers us a private and discreet way to balance our nervous system, and when done consistently, it can beautifully stabilize our emotions allowing us to think clearly and respond to triggers wisely.
I invite you to visit The Breathing Practices for Relaxation that I put together as an extra tool for you to keep in your tool box.
All these tools work like invisible levers, giving you control over how you feel – no matter where you are.
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