As a mental health therapist I teach people how to stop the chemical part of the “fight or flight” response by controlling our breathing and our thinking. This is effective to stop a panic attack and can also be used during the day to hit the reset button on your personal stress level.  

Once we understand the “fight or flight” response we realize that our bodies start changing our chemicals when our brains perceive stress.  One of the ways our body does that is with our breath. When stressed, the speed of our breathing increases and becomes more shallow.  Try breathing fast and shallow for a moment. You get light headed! That gives us an idea how quickly a change in breathing can change our physical situation.

When we take control of our breathing by taking deep, abdominal breaths we are signaling to our brain that the situation is not as bad as it thinks. A very simple way to start is by taking deep breaths on a count of 1,2,3 as we inhale 1,2,3,4,5,6 as we exhale.  (Note: you are not holding your breath. The idea is to exhale for twice as long as you inhale.) This is especially effective if we breathe deeply, using our diaphragm. One way to see if you are breathing deeply enough is to rest your hand over your belly button and try to move your hand outward when you breathe in.  

Another part of the “fight or flight” response that we can control is our thinking. When our brain perceives a stressful situation it shuts down higher level thinking and goes into emergency mode. It starts scanning for exit strategies and self-defense plans.  Imagine the last time you had an argument with someone. Now check the muscles in your shoulders and neck. Just imagining an argument will often cause our body to begin tensing up to defend itself! That is an example of how thoughts can change our physical situation.

When we take control of our thoughts by imagining pleasant things we are signaling to our brain that we are okay. One of the most popular ways to do this is to imagine your favorite part of your favorite vacation. Close your eyes and really get lost in the moment. What were you seeing, smelling, and feeling? Was there a beautiful sunset to look at, the smell of the beach, and the feeling of sand beneath your toes? The more senses you can imagine the better. Were you sipping a fruit drink and hearing the sound of seagulls calling? Once you get an image locked into your mind, come back to it every time you want to take a time out from stress. 

We CAN take control of our stressed out bodies. When we are purposeful with our breathing and our thinking we are rebooting our brains and body and restoring ourselves to a resting, non-anxious state of being. When you replace your daily stress habit with a daily restoration habit your body will thank you!

TO LISTEN TO A RELAXATION EXERCISE FOR TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND BREATHING FOR A FEW MINUTES, PRESS PLAY.