An easy way to quickly reduce stress

Want to get the stress busting benefits of meditation, even when you only have a few minutes? Read on to learn an easy way to quickly reduce stress levels.

People often avoid meditation because they think it is too time consuming or complicated. Having an easy way to quickly reduce stress levels can be key to getting the benefits of meditation, and to improving your overall health and wellbeing.

First, let’s talk about why you might want to meditate.

Meditation has many benefits including:

• Reduce stress in the moment
• Reduce overall stress level
• Reduce anxiety
• Improve sleep
• Lower blood pressure
• Lower heart rate
• Improve cognitive function
• Increase heart rate variability

As you can see, finding a way to incorporate meditation into your day could potentially have a huge positive impact on your overall health. One simple method for beginning to experience these benefits is with HeartMath.

What is HeartMath?

HeartMath is a heart-focused breathing meditation that can help you regulate your emotions, quickly shifting you from feeling stressed to feeling calm. It is a simple technique that can help you achieve the benefits of meditation, but in a way that fits into your life.

Heart Focused Breathing is the first step of the HeartMath technique. Heart Focused Breathing can help you quickly shift from an unpleasant stress reaction to a calm, but alert, neutral emotional space.

You can do this technique during a quiet moment with your eyes closed, however it is particularly useful with your eyes open, during any situation where you need to “turn down the volume” of emotional intensity and neutralize stress.

Here are the three simple steps to Heart Focused Breathing:

1. Focus your attention in the area of the heart. You may want to place your hand over the center of your chest.
   
2. Imagine you are breathing through the area of your heart. Picture your breath flowing in and out of the heart area.
   
3. Breathe a little slower and deeper than usual.

Do this until your breathing starts to feel smooth and balanced, and you begin to notice a shift in a emotional state.

In addition to the steps above, you can try these tips:

• Try breathing in for a count of 5 or 6 and out for a count of 5 or 6.
• Breathe in and out through your nose, rather than your mouth.
• Relax and soften your belly.
• Use smooth and sustained breaths.
• When you have finished Heart Focused Breathing, take a moment to notice what you are feeling in your body and in your mind.

Do this regularly and you’ll begin to more effectively manage short-term acute stress and also build resilience against chronic stress. It will help you to calm your nervous system, manage stress in a healthier way, and improve your overall wellbeing.

For increased benefits, try practicing this technique during non-stress inducing times in your day. For example, you can do this when you first wake up, before going sleep, before getting on a call or going into a meeting. The more you practice this technique, the easier it will be for you to pull it out of your toolbox during high-stress moments.

Did you like this simple way to quickly reduce stress levels? You might want to check out a few more tools for stress, anxiety and emotional regulation.