The 10 Steps to Boost the Immune System would not be complete without a section on stress management. Today, we are going to look at the fastest and simplest strategy to manage stress.
When you’re stuck in traffic and late for a meeting, your ‘fight, fright and flight’ system (otherwise known as your sympathetic nervous system) is activated increasing the stress hormone, cortisol. Appropriate cortisol release is healthy however if this becomes chronic, the body will pull all it’s resources into this system instead of the ‘rest and digest’ system (parasympathetic nervous system) and become quite imbalanced and malfunctions. This is not a healthy place to be.
So, what’s your strategy for dealing with stress?
Here’s what you need to know: the fastest way to activate your rest and digest system is through box breathing.
- Breathe in for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Breathe out for 4 seconds
It is said that the Special Forces, public speakers, and surgeons use box breathing to help control their thoughts and emotions when faced with challenging situations. Now you can do the same.
For those who want a slower, more calming breathing exercise, you can try the 4:7:8 technique (breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds and breathe out for 8 seconds)
A device that can be helpful to practise breathing and regulate emotions is the HeartMath device. You attach a ear-piece and it calculates your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as you breathe through the exercises. You want your heart rate to be flexible and varies throughout the day. The higher your HRV, the more coherent you are with yourself and your surroundings. There is emerging evidence that increasing HRV can be better for your health, decreasing the stress hormone, cortisol[i]. I aim to use my HeartMath device at least twice a day.
And if you’re inclined, meditation is an excellent way to destress and help the body put things into context. If you’re like me, it was never easy for me to meditate however with much practice and starting slow and steady with 5 minutes, 10 minutes and now 30 minutes, the process became easier. The benefits are immense as it create awareness of the stress points in my body and allow me to address them.
There are 2 apps that can help you start meditating. If you are from a Christian heritage like myself, try the Christian-based Pray As you Go app or the secular Australian Smiling Mind app used in schools.
Reference:
[i] Rollin McCraty, M.A.; Bob Barrios-Choplin, Ph.D.; Deborah Rozman, Ph.D.; Atkinson, Mike; Alan D. Watkins, M.D.The Impact of a New Emotional Self‑Management Program on Stress, Emotions, Heart Rate Variability, DHEA and Cortisol Integrative Physiological
