How I dissolve stress in seconds

Nowadays, people seem to have more anxiety than ever before. Whether it’s through social media or the news — you can’t escape from the horrors of the world. I often wonder: Are more bad things happening or are we just more exposed to them? Or is the first a consequence of the latter? Whatever it may be, managing our anxiety is as important as ever. Fortunately, there are simple ways to reduce stress. Before we jump to an incredible technique that can calm you down in seconds, let me give you the obvious:

• exercise (3+ times a week)

• sleep (8+ hours for most people)

• healthy diet (at least 80% of your diet should consist of healthy foods)

• eliminate stressors 🤯 (can anyone design this emoji, but in sarcasm?)

Now, let me show you a trick that you've probably never heard of before: the physiological sigh. It’s a unique breathing technique that exploits your body’s natural breathing pattern when you’re under enormous stress — e.g. when you forget that your chicken nuggets are in the oven. Here’s how it works:

1. 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 (𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗲): It fills your lungs (primarily the lower lung areas) with fresh oxygen — DUH.

2. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 (𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗲): Yes, it’s another inhale after an inhale. Don’t exhale, yet. This 2nd inhale helps fill the upper parts of your lungs and inflates the tiny air sacs (alveoli) to prevent them from collapsing. By inflating them, your body can replace more carbon dioxide with oxygen. This is great because the more carbon dioxide your body can replace, the greater the stress relief.

3. 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 (𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵): It clears out carbon dioxide from your lungs, stabilizing the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood. This signals your nervous system to slow down and lower your heart rate. The outcome: reduced levels of stress and anxiety.

Do this a couple of times (3-5 times is a good rule of thumb) whenever you feel overwhelmed and/or extremely anxious. It has helped me a lot to:

• survive my PhD

• handle the news

• calm down after I sent a risky text to my crush

• relax after the ice cream shop tells me pistachio’s sold out

Bonus tip: It's also a great method to endure cold showers or ice baths longer.

That’s it for now. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out on Instagram @husseinnaji_ or email — my door (aka inbox) is always open. Just reply to this mail☺️

Much love,

Your kiwi-with-the-skin-on-eating friend

Hussein

PS: If you want to see more content, check out my other channels:

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