3 minutes on how to stress less.

Three minutes on how to breathe your way calm, handle scary situations better (with a little help from your friends), and reframe your attitude to stress - as synthesized from our weekly newsletter you can subscribe to here.

How to breathe your way calm

Most of us are under constant, chronic stress—it’s just one of the facts of modern-day living. Always being ‘on’, and juggling work, life, deadlines, admin, social engagements, and home responsibilities can mean that our stress response is triggered many times throughout the day. 

One of the ways stress can manifest in the body is in the breath. Instead of using our diaphragm, and telling our parasympathetic nervous system that we’re safe—we breathe quick, shallow breaths high up in our chests, which signals our body that we’re in danger.

Yoga breathing exercises are a fantastic way to learn how to calm our breath, and ease our stress response in the process.

Want to feel less stressed? The answer could be closer than you think.

Open any health mag or listen to any wellness podcast, and you’ll likely be faced with the dangers of stress on your body. The results are just as stressful as the issue itself - with more possible physical and psychological effects than we can count.

We're just scratching the surface here, but things like high blood pressure, reduced immune function and disrupted sleep can all be attributed to stress.

The secret to handling your stress response and avoiding those myriad symptoms might be a lot closer than you think. Super close actually, like… as close as your best mate.

Studies have found that in a stressful situation, having a friend with you can significantly reduce your stress response. 

Reframe your attitude to stress

It’s widely acknowledged that stress is a Bad Thing, that should be avoided as much as possible - in pursuit of the evasive balance. But, according to Stanford’s Dr Kelly McGonigal; 

‘(Stress is there) to help us engage with, and adapt to life. It can force you to clarify your values and priorities, and help you rise to a challenge. It is necessary for learning and growing, and it can often be a catalyst for strengthening and increasing social connections.’

Here are 3 ways to use your stress response to your advantage:

Press reset

Telltale stress signals like a faster heartbeat or a churning stomach are there to remind yourself that this is matters to you.

Choose the right response

Do you need to fight, freeze, face the challenge head-on or be extra brave and ask for help?

Show your appreciation

Be grateful for the positive people that help you to take on the things that matter. Doing this fosters your need to connect, help others, and seek out people who might help you.

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If you enjoyed this snappy snippet - you can check out my weekly newsletter on optimizing brain health and mental performance every week, according to science, in your inbox every Sunday by signing up here.

I'm the Co-Founder of brain health and mental wellness company Heights.

We make the highest quality brain health natural, plant-based smart supplements taken daily by some of the sharpest brains in Europe, and create content from science designed to help you reach your heights.