4 Ways to Keep Calm In Any Stressful Situation, According to Neuroscience - Fairygodboss

4 Ways to Keep Calm In Any Stressful Situation, According to Neuroscience - Fairygodboss We all encounter stress in ur daily lives--its part of being human. But that doesnt mean we have to let it overwhelm and consume us. Believe it or not, there are many easy ways to control yur reaction to stress and keep calm in environments that would typically cause your blood pressure to skyrocket. Here are four ways to do so, according to neuroscience.1. Breathe. As simple as it sounds, breathing mindfully can have a huge effect on your stress and anxiety levels. The connection between the mind and body is strong, andslowing your breathingcan help to calm your nervous system.Try whats called four-square orbox breathing inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and hold for another four seconds. Repeat as many times as you need in order to calm yourself down. The best part of this technique is that you can literally do it anywhere--even in the middle of a high-anxiety meeting or while having a one-on-one conversation with someone whos stressing you out. Think of it as your secret weapon against stress2. Label your emotions. Often times self-awareness is the first step to solving a problem, and thats very much the case in the face of stress. When an anxiety-inducing situation arises, instead of embarking on a downward spiral trylabeling your emotions. Its as simple as it sounds, butbe creativein naming what youre experiencing. For instance, instead of identifying an emotion assad, explore if theres an underlying theme of disappointment, shame or regret. Labeling helps us to make situations feel less threatening and better recognize how to regulate our feelings, thereby lessening our emotionalandphysical reactions.3. Meditate. When you picturemeditation, do you think of a Buddhist monk sitting atop a peaceful mountaintop in a perfect lotus position, Om-ing for hours? Well, meditation can be way less intense--and a lot less time-cons uming--than that. In fact, starting with a just a few minutes of meditation per day can be hugely effective at reducing anxiety and helping you to chill out overall.Not sure where to start? Try an app likeMeditation Studio,CalmorHeadspaceand do a short session (five minutes or less).Pick a time of day, like when you first wake up, when you know you wont be distracted and will actually remember to do it. If youre digging it, stay with the shorter meditations for a while until you feel ready to upgrade to a longer session. With practice, youll be able to bring the principles of meditation to any situation without the help of an app.4. Remain present. Its easy to get caught up worrying about whats going to happen in the future, or to dwell on something that happened in the past that you wish went differently. But guess what? The reality is that no matter how much time you spend on either, it wont change the outcome. Byfocusing on the present--aka practicingmindfulness--and not assignin g judgment to those thoughts, youll reduce the levels of stress in your day-to-day life.Remember that stress is inevitable, but you have total control over how you respond.--Kaitlin Bitting is a vice president of public relations atAllen Gerritsenand a certified health wellness coach. Shes passionate about helping people find the motivation to create lasting, positive change in their lives, whether personal or professional. Learn more atkaitlinbitting.com.