I recently listened to a podcast with Tony Riddle about nervous down regulation and it was incredibly inspiring so I decided to write a blog about it.
Our nervous system spends far too much time in fight or flight mode, releasing all the stress hormones often at the wrong times. Don’t get me wrong…stress hormones are important but only when they are being released at the correct time.
If we are hiking on the trail and we come across a bear or mountain lion, we want those stress hormones to lead the way. But when we are getting ready to go into an important meeting, we do not want our stress hormones to lead the way.
So how can we regulate our stress hormones?
There are several ways we can do this, the quickest and easiest way is with the breath. Amazing right?!
And…you can do it in just 60 seconds. It’s called Box Breathing.
- Inhale for a 4 count
- Hold for a 4 count
- Exhale for a 4 count
- Hold for a 4 count
That’s all. It’s super easy. If you have longer than 60 seconds, go for it. I have found that doing this at least 4 cycles works best for me.
We are all living busy stressful lives and this is an easy way to calm the nervous system quickly.
Give it a try!
