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How to destress

In this lesson you learn the science behind your stress response. This bodily survival system was designed for life or death situations. That’s not what we use it for today. In today's modern world, we often get stuck in a stressed out state. I lead you through several of my favorite brain breaks – 20 second to 2 minute interventions that resolve the stress response and return you to a state of healthy balance.  

In the diagram, on the left is the sympathetic nervous system -- the fight, flight or freeze arm of your nervous system -- with several organs that kick into high gear when the stress response is activated (heart pumping, fast breathing, muscles ready for action). On the right is the parasympathetic system -- the rest, digest or recover arm -- with several bodily systems that are shut down during stress (the digestive, reproductive, and immune systems are at the bottom of the priority list when you're being attacked by a lion).

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For Discussion

I shared a menu of brain breaks including interventions such as soft belly breathing, savoring, humming, tactile stimulation, and dots and squeezes. What brain break is your favorite? Teach us something new, or highlight the one from the existing menu that you like best!

Add your brain break to the comments below.

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For Experimentation

Your challenge this week is to identify a stress cue in your body – tight shoulders, a frown or scowl, clenched stomach muscles. Whenever you feel that sensation, use a brain break. See if you can practice at least once a day, every day this week. 

Better yet, practice your favorite brain break not only every time you feel that stress cue, but when you are just waiting around unstressed. The more you can practice when you are calm and peaceful, the more that brain break becomes associated with a state of calm relaxation, and the more effective it will be at resolving your body’s stress response.

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Going Further 

Read more with your choice of three of my blog posts (yes, I write a lot about stress): 1) Controlling back to school stress with science (on stress). 2) Needing a brain break (on brain breaks). Or 3) Jedi mind training for normal humans (on meditation). 

Or watch this video about the science of stress from Dr. Robert Sapolsky, my thesis advisor at Stanford, for a fantastic PBS documentary: Stress, Portrait of a Killer.