How to Reset (or at Least Lower) Your Stress in 5 Minutes

How to Reset (or at Least Lower) Your Stress in 5 Minutes

Jenny TaitzDe-stressing in Los Angeles 💆‍♀️

Try music medicine: Focusing on relaxing sounds reduces stress. Explore different music options and create a playlist that you find comforting when you need a break. And try a more uplifting soundtrack, which research has shown can improve your mood.

How to Reset (or at Least Lower) Your Stress in 5 Minutes

Jenny TaitzDe-stressing in Los Angeles 💆‍♀️

Cool off: Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a timer for 15 to 30 seconds. Then take a deep breath and hold it, dipping your face into the water. This activates your body’s dive response: Your heart rate slows and blood can flow more easily to your brain.

How to Reset (or at Least Lower) Your Stress in 5 Minutes

Jenny TaitzDe-stressing in Los Angeles 💆‍♀️

Pace your breathing: Slow your breathing down to six breaths a minute by consciously inhaling and exhaling. Paced breathing offers a host of physiological benefits, like reducing your blood pressure, which helps promote a sense of tranquillity.

How to Reset (or at Least Lower) Your Stress in 5 Minutes

Jenny TaitzDe-stressing in Los Angeles 💆‍♀️

Practice ‘anchoring’: Center yourself by digging your heels into the floor. Then observe: What am I thinking? Feeling? Doing? Then ask yourself if your response is: a) helpful; b) aligned with your values now; or c) related to future worries or a past problem.

How to Reset (or at Least Lower) Your Stress in 5 Minutes

Jenny TaitzDe-stressing in Los Angeles 💆‍♀️

Hyperventilate (yes, really): Practice can improve how you tolerate the physical symptoms of anxiety. In a recent therapy group I led on Zoom, I set my timer for a minute as my clients pinched their noses and tried to breathe only through thin coffee straws.