Calming Down Fast: 7 Science-Based Ways

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Smell lavender, wash dishes and listen to the sound of the waterfall.

Psychologists say that negative emotions cannot be suppressed all the time. Anger, resentment, sadness are important feelings that deserve to be expressed. But sometimes the nerves fail at the wrong time. In this case, the advice of scientists will help you quickly calm down.

1. Breathe deeply

This is an old thing. But scientists did not understand for a long time why deep breathing works. Only in 2017, the journal Science published the study The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults, which dotted the i's.

Its authors, biochemists at Stanford University School of Medicine, discovered Study shows how slow breathing induces tranquility deep in the brainstem, a tiny cluster of neurons that is thought to link the speed and depth of breathing and emotional state. The more active and superficial the breaths, the higher the level of excitement and nervousness. Conversely, the deeper we breathe, the more relaxed and calm we feel.

True, experiments proving the connection between breathing and relaxation have so far been carried out only on mice. But researchers are fairly confident in extrapolating their results to humans.

2. Use blue light

Blue light helps people to relax faster after psychosocial stress. This was discovered by Blue lighting accelerates post-stress relaxation: Results of a preliminary study by scientists from the University of Granada.

Psychosocial stress, according to the researchers themselves, is a short-term nervous shock that occurs during contact with other people. Simple examples: you had an argument with a friend, you had a fight with a colleague, you are nervous because your boss is sitting on your head and yelling about the deadline that was yesterday …

Curious scientists arranged similar experiences for 12 volunteers aged 18 to 37 years, and then took the subjects to the so-called chromotherapy room. There was nothing in it to help calm down - only LEDs emitting either standard white or blue light.

It turned out that under the blue light, the brain and heart activity of people returned to normal in an average of 1, 1 minutes, and under the white light - in 3, 5. That is, three times faster!

By the way, in addition to lamps, screens of modern gadgets - computers, laptops, smartphones - emit blue light. Stress is the very case when even scientists recommend: stick it into your favorite device for 10 minutes. This will help you relax.

3. Play the world's most soothing song

Weightless was recorded back in 2011. This happened by order of the scientists of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, who decided to experiment and create a song that could calm and even put you to sleep as quickly as possible.

The composition is just over 8 minutes long and is full of various sound effects. The trick lies in the rhythm: the body adjusts to it, the heart beats less often, breathing slows down …

The effect of the song was so amazing that Time magazine even listed Weightless as one of the 50 Most Significant Inventions of the Year.

For a more powerful Weightless calming effect, take care of the surroundings: put on your headphones, get into a comfortable position, relax, close your eyes.

4. Listen to the sounds of nature

A 2017 study by IT'S TRUE - THE SOUND OF NATURE HELPS US RELA by researchers from the Brighton and Sussex School of Medicine showed that when people listen to the sounds of nature, their stress levels are noticeably reduced.

The researchers exposed volunteers to natural and artificial (man-made, social) noises. In parallel, MRI scans of the participants' brains and monitoring of the heart rate were performed. As it turned out, brain activity is highly dependent on the nature of sounds.

With a natural scale, the focus of our attention is directed outward: we listen attentively, peer into the world around us, falling into a kind of calming trance. Artificial soundtrack shifts the focus of attention inward: we begin to more actively delve into ourselves, worry, exaggerate our own shortcomings, which ultimately further exacerbates stress.

Ideal if there is a walking park near you, where you can hear birdsong and rustle of foliage. Or a running stream, on the banks of which you can sit. If nothing is suitable, use posts from these sites and applications.

5. Smell something nice

While aromatherapy looks scientifically dubious in general, the effects of certain essential oils on stress levels have been proven over and over again.

The scents of lavender and rosemary essential oils on test-taking anxiety among graduate nursing students, as well as ylang ylang, reduce blood pressure and heart rate, reduce anxiety and anxiety.

Carry with you a small bottle of whichever of the listed oils you find most pleasant, and shake 1-2 drops on your wrist in times of stress. A couple of breaths - and it will be much easier to calm down.

6. Do something as focused as possible

Do the washing up. Sweep the floor. Lay out the papers. Clean your desktop on your computer or smartphone. The main thing is to try to concentrate on this activity.

The Chore or stress reliever: Study suggests that washing dishes decreases stress, conducted in 2015 at the University of Florida, proved that focused activity is a very effective way to quickly reduce stress.

This happens because, wholly concentrating on some activity, we are distracted from negative experiences. The brain "switches" and reduces the production of stress hormones.

7. Distance yourself from yourself

Try to look at the situation from the outside, as if all this is not happening to you. Imagine that the problems are not yours, but someone else's. The technique is elementary, but surprisingly effective: psychologists record Beneficial effects of training in self-distancing and perspective broadening for people with a history of recurrent depression, a sharp decrease in the level of anxiety and stress, and even recommend a similar approach in the fight against protracted depression.

Old joke “If these are your problems, you can solve them. If you cannot solve them, these are not your problems”takes on a modern, scientifically grounded sound. Remember him and smile. This, by the way, is also a good way to reduce stress.