If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious, hit the pause button, and try one of these calming tips.

It’s always a good time to learn some techniques to influence emotions, engage in self-care, and decrease stress.

These evidence-based exercises can bring you towards balance by decreasing the stress response and calming the body and mind. Everything is connected—the thoughts you think are related to the feelings you have and the sensations in your body. Slowing down your breathing helps to slow down your mind and body.

Using a breathing exercise can bring you towards balance by decreasing the stress response and calming the body and the mind down.

• Allow your inhale and exhale to be equal in length, strength, sound, and effort; allow your breath to be deep, even, smooth, seamless, and silent.  
• Find a comfortable seat and breathe this way through your nose with eyes open or closed for 1-5 minutes.  
• To make this extra relaxing, calming, or soothing, breathe into your belly so it rises on the inhale and softens on the exhale.  
• This is the foundation for all the rest of the breathing exercises. 

2. Count with Box Breathing

Your breath will make up the sides of the square. Start with a count of 3 for all four sides of the square. Breathe in for 3 seconds, hold for 3, breathe out for 3, and hold for 3. If a shorter or longer count feels better, do that. 

Adjust the length if a shorter or longer breath count feels better to you and if the holds make you panic or uncomfortable you can shorten them so it may look like 3-1-3-1. Find what works for you.

4. Be still with Grounding

When caught up in the swirl or chaos of big feelings, expectations, or events, take a few moments to be still and quiet. This could be in the form of prayer, meditation, journaling, or simply sitting in stillness and noticing what you notice. Think of it as allowing the snow to settle in the snow globe.

•  Spend some time in nature—feel the sun or breeze, notice the trees or sky, watch the animals move around.
• Try to feel your feet on the earth; it doesn’t matter whether you are inside or outside or whether you have shoes on or not.
• Press your feet down and sense or imagine that you can plant them into the soil (even if you’re inside, connect with the sense of the earth below the building).
• If you like this imagery or visualization, you can take it to the next level by imagining or sensing that you have roots coming out from the soles of your feet and burrowing down into the earth. Allow yourself to feel connected, rooted, and supported.
• Hold this sense of grounding, of connection to the Earth below you, for a few minutes while you breathe deeply and gently in and out through your nose. Notice what you notice.

5. Release tension and Engage your Muscles

If you are able, find something to engage your muscles (try 12 repetitions)

• Push on a wall
• Carry a gallon of milk or water
• Pick up a backpack
• Hold yourself using the arms of a chair
• Hold yourself in a sitting position with your arms out

Hold this pose long enough to notice your muscles engaged.

Notice how it feels. Notice any changes. Take some deep breaths.

These techniques are not a magic bullet, but rather a direction of action that builds toward a more present and sustainable life.