Reset Before You React
Life can be stressful! And when your stress goes up, your communication skills go down. (Way down!)
So the next time you feel your temperature rise, or feel triggered and about to say or do something you’ll regret, try this simple technique.
Take a breath!
When you’re under stress, your body automatically goes on high alert. Your breathing becomes shallower and faster as your body instinctively prepares to protect itself through a fight, flight, or freeze response.
Pausing to take a breath gives your conscious mind a chance to come back online, so you can respond intentionally rather than emotionally.
In the heat of the moment, any breath practice will pull you back from the brink of reacting negatively, but the fastest technique is the physiological sigh. It’s a quick and powerful tool you can use anywhere, anytime you need to reset.
Give it a whirl today (and every day!)
Mastering the Art of Instant Calm
The physiological sigh is a natural breathing technique that has an immediate, calming effect on the body. It involves taking two quick inhales followed by a long, slow exhale, and it plays an important role in regulating the nervous system.
It’s easy an easy technique for improving your ability to communicate well under pressure. Make it a daily practice and soon it will be an instinctual response that allows you to communicate at your best more often than not.
Here’s what it does:
Reduces stress and anxiety. By exhaling slowly you trigger a relaxation response that lowers your heart rate and reduces feelings of anxiety or tension. (Ahh, that sure sounds good!)
Balances oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, which can get disrupted during periods of stress or shallow breathing.
Lowers heart rate. The long exhale activates the vagus nerve, which helps slow down the heart rate. This is quite helpful in moments of acute stress when your heart might be racing.
Improves focus and clarity By calming the body and rebalancing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, your brain moves out of a heightened emotional state and into a more focused, thoughtful state. This improves your ability to think clearly and choose your response!
Here’s how you do it:
First Inhale: Take a deep breath in through your nose, filling your lungs about 80-90% of their capacity.
Second Inhale: Without exhaling, take another quick, sharp inhale to completely fill your lungs. This second breath expands the tiny air sacs in your lungs (alveoli) that were not filled by the first breath.
Exhale Slowly: Now, exhale all the air out through your mouth, as slowly and fully as possible. The longer the exhale, the more effective the sigh.
Repeat. Just one or two repetitions can help calm your nervous system and bring you back to a state of balance.
When you’re likely to need a reset:
As soon as you recognize that you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed.
Before you a difficult conversation, during a disagreement, or when you feel misunderstood.
Before a presentation or speaking up in a high-stakes meeting.
Before you give feedback and before responding to feedback.
Before you open email, go into a meeting, or any other situation where communication can feel overwhelming.
Remember, repetition is the fastest way to turn a new technique into an instinctual habit.
When you create a daily practice around using the physiological sigh in stressful daily situations, you’ll find you stay calm, grounded, and intentional in your communication when the heat is on.
Here’s to communicating at your best under stress and instilling the practices that make it feel easy!
Happily,
Maryanne
