How to Rest and Recover from Stress: Two Things to Help Calm Your Nervous System NOW.

Many of my clients come to me in a stressed state.? Overworked, overwhelmed, all the "over" words.

They usually want "tips and tricks" to be more organized, more productive, and more on top of things.? And there is a LOT you can do.

Sometimes, though, less is more when it comes to calming the nervous system.

I had a client who desperately needed time away from his desk. He took time off here and there, including a 2-day vacation with his family (unheard of in the fast-paced corporate world).

He had a performance review at work later that month and expected his rating to fall due to his absence.

Instead, his rating rose by 8%. Talk about a successful reset!

Vacations, breaks from work, and rest are imperative to being successful and moving forward in your career.

For me, I love getting out in nature.? The image of me here doesn't look like much, but when I'm out in the middle of a state park somewhere with my camera, that's a major reset for me - even if it's just for a few hours or a day.

Not everyone has the time or finances to take 2 days off or to skip off to the closest state park. With that in mind, here are two "tips and tricks" that cost zero dollars and will only take a few minutes of your time:

1) Reset Your Nervous System with Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is the best way to reset your nervous system.? Period.

Yoga Nidra does not include fancy poses that require flexibility or physical strength.

Yoga Nidra is done lying down and allows your nervous system (and your mind) to relax through guided meditations, which can last anywhere from five minutes to sixty minutes.

The meditations usually include what's called "rotation of consciousness", either with a body scan or suggested images.

The instructor will move quickly from body part to body part or image to image.? You will become aware of each body part/image without having time to think about it actively (active thinking is not always a good thing, especially when those thoughts are unproductive!).

This speed of the rotation of consciousness not only trains your brain to be present and in the moment, but it also trains your nervous system that you are safe in your body.

This helps you be focussed and calm with whatever comes your way "off the yoga mat".

A client said that this practice of Yoga Nidra allowed her to feel stress in her body for the first time ever.

While this sounds counterproductive (I mean, who wants to feel stress?!), she realized that she was ignoring her body's signals and messages.? She ended up holding on to so much physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Yoga Nidra let her feel all the feels... stress, grief, anger... and then move on instead of holding on.

Yoga educator Ally Boothroid has a whole YouTube channel full of these guided practices if you are curious to try Yoga Nidra.

2) Rest through Breathwork.

I offered another client a simple breathing exercise to use when she noticed stress rising in her mind and body.

Dr. Andrew Weil, the creator of this exercise, has this to say about his technique:

"This breathing exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it, but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass."

"Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens – before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension or stress or use it to help you fall asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it."

Dr. Weil explains the exercise here:

"Sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there throughout the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of?four.
• Hold your breath for a count of?seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of?eight.
• This is one one-breath cycle. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four cycles.

"If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice, you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply."

Here's a video of how to do this exercise.

The cool thing about this particular calming exercise is that you can do it in the middle of a meeting - no one will know what you are doing!

(unless you choose to breathe like Darth Vader, of course)

How do you calm and reset when *you* are feeling stressed?

I hope these two tips are helpful; please let me know if you have calming exercises you'd like to share - I would love to hear from you.

- Sandy

Sandy Swanson, PCC,?NBC-HWC,?A-CFHC

Swanson Coaching, LLC