5 effective techniques to get yourself together

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

Two of them use SEALs to keep their cool even under enemy fire.

1. Diaphragmatic breathing

When someone is very worried or angry, they are usually told to take a deep breath. This is a case where traditional advice is quite correct, despite being clichéd. However, just taking a deep breath is not enough - you need a special technique called diaphragmatic breathing.

Research confirms that diaphragmatic breathing can help you quickly relax and deal with stress. It improves attention and concentration, and leads to a decrease in blood cortisol levels. And cortisol is known to be a hormone associated with anxiety.

Diaphragmatic breathing, as the name suggests, is carried out primarily by contraction of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. The chest should not expand with this type of breathing. This kind of breathing is mostly typical for men. In principle, this exercise can be done while standing, but completely it looks like this:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your stomach, under your ribcage.
3. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose, using your belly. Make sure that the hand on your stomach rises up as you inhale, and the hand on your chest remains motionless.
4. Exhale slowly through your half-open lips, drawing in your stomach. The hand on the stomach returns to its original position, the hand on the chest remains motionless.

Diaphragmatic breathing is worth practicing and practicing whenever you are scared, upset, or stressed.

2. "Box" breathing

Mark Devine, former US Navy Seal Commander, New York Times bestselling SEAL Leadership School, and founder of SEALFIT SEALFIT, shared a couple of tricks SWATs use to quickly master themselves in a stressful situation. … One of them is the so-called box breathing, or 4-4-4-4 breathing.

This is the essence of this technique. When you feel nervous, you should imagine a box with four identical sides. Next, do this:

1. Inhale slowly, imagining yourself moving up the side of the box, counting from one to four.
2. Then hold your breath for four more counts and move along the top of the box.
3. Then exhale for a count of four and work your way down the other side.
4. Finally, hold your breath again for four counts and walk along the underside of the box.

Repeat until you feel calm - this will take about 5 minutes. This technique is being taught to SEAL and Special Ops candidates through the Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL and US Air Force Pararescue training programs. Ideally, this should be done while sitting or even lying down, but it can also be done while standing - it all depends on the situation.

If you do not have enough strength to hold your breath for 4 counts, you can shorten the scheme to 2-2-2-2 or 3-3-3-3. You can also use the 5-5-5-5 or 6-6-6-6 pattern if you like if you want to take even deeper breaths. “Long delays don't make sense unless you're spearfishing or intending to serve with SEAL,” says Devine.

By the way, special applications, such as BreathAir, will help you try box breathing. It is unlikely that seals have the opportunity to use it directly on the battlefield. But in a peaceful environment, it can come in handy.

3. "Tactical" breathing

Another technique from cats, which is called tactical breathing. This technique can be used in tense stressful situations to help focus.

In fact, it is very similar to "box" breathing - so much so that in some manuals for US Navy sailors, these techniques are not separated. But Devine prefers to talk about them as two different tricks.

The difference between "box" and "tactical" breathing is that in the latter there is no delay between inhalation and exhalation. And you don't need to imagine the box - just counting in your head is enough.

1. Inhale through the nostrils for four counts.
2. Exhale through the nostrils in four counts.

Repeat until you calm down. If desired, you can exhale through your mouth - but not inhale. And don't forget to count to yourself.

By the way, research says using breathing techniques improves mood and concentration when repeated regularly. So, you can use "tactical" breathing not only in stressful situations, but simply whenever you want.

4. Rule 3-3-3

This method is suggested by psychologist Tamar Chansky of the Pennsylvania Association for Behavioral Therapy. If you are very nervous, do the following.

1. Look around and mentally name three things that you see around you. For example: "Table, flower, chair".
2. Listen and name the three sounds you hear. "Cries of birds, whistle, creak."
3. Move with three different body parts. For example, right foot, left hand and any finger.

When performing the exercise, you should stand straight with your shoulders squared. According to Chansky, when we are in a stressful situation, we instinctively hunch down to protect the chest, heart and lungs. Standing or sitting up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and your chest open will signal your body that it is out of danger.

5. Chewing gum

It may sound strange, but chewing gum can help keep your mind clear in stressful situations. For example, one study from psychologists at Cardiff University in Wales found that subjects who were forced to chew gum at work experienced improved mood and decreased tension and anxiety. In addition, their symptoms of depression were reduced.

By the way, seals and sailors of the US Navy also chew gum. Only special, military. Caffeine and other stimulants are added to them to make the fighter stay awake longer, even with a lack of sleep.

An earlier study by experts from Swinburne University in Australia also showed similar results: people who chew gum are less sensitive to irritation.

Scientists aren't sure what this is, but they speculate that chewing causes an increase in blood flow to the brain, which in turn somehow helps the body regulate cortisol levels.