Vision is the dominant sense we use to navigate and survive the world. The eyes are the only external part of the brain, so it makes sense to use them to help decrease stress. When stressed, your pupils dilate, changes take place in the eye's optics to bring the “threat” into sharp focus - think portrait mode on your phone.
From Managing Stress to Influencing It - Part 5 Ears
From Managing Stress to Influencing It - Part 4 Mouth
From Managing Stress to Influencing It - Part 3 Nose
We have all heard about taking a deep breath when we are feeling stressed. It’s true that deepening your breath into fuller, belly breaths can help activate a calming response but being told to “take a deep breath” when you are stressed can be downright annoying.
Understanding that stress shifts your breathing helps us recognize that you can use breathing or the area of your nose to shift stress. Breathing bypasses the stressful thoughts swirling around in your head and impacts the body directly.
From Managing Stress to Influencing It - Part 2 Hands
Touch.
Most of us take our sense of touch for granted. Our hands for example, an appendage we use on a daily basis to conduct our lives — to cook, clean, work, show affection, play, text, channel surf, eat and more — are often not give a second thought.
Sure, you could summon a feeling of gratitude for your hands or sense of touch in the moment that could result in shifting your stress response. But today, I am going to share less cognitive ways to use your hands and sense of touch to calm yourself when you are activated in a stress response.
From Managing Stress to Influencing It - Part 1
Work pressure, trouble with family or friends, juggling responsibilities, and overwhelming emotions - any of these things can cause stress.
Stress is real and it can result in mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. What if instead of just managing life's stressors you could influence how your body responds? This blog series will explore why stress happens as well as body-based practices that can influence and calm the body's stress response.