We all know the feeling. A moment of panic. Whether it’s a troubling text or stress at work, we’ve all experienced that sinking feeling that sends us into a spiral. It can sometimes feel like hours until your heart rate gets back to normal and you’re finally able to calm down.
This feeling occurs as a result of your fight, flight, or freeze response. When this occurs, your automatic nervous system (ANS) is stimulated, leading to the release of adrenaline and cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. This directly affects your heart rate, blood pressure, skin temperature, breathing, and more. While you may feel like you’re losing control, this is a very natural response to dangerous situations or situations of high stress or panic.
While you can’t train your body to not feel stress or panic, there are ways to lessen the effects of fight, flight, or freeze and reset your nervous system. Keep reading as we break down some ways you can calm down and bring your body back to equilibrium.
Breathe
The simplest of techniques, breathing is an extremely effective way to bring down stress and anxiety. Deep intentional breathing signals to our parasympathetic nervous system that the body needs to calm down and let go of anxiety.
Focusing on the breath additionally can do wonders for focus and concentration. By slowing down and turning your attention to your breathing patterns, you have an easier time putting stressful situations in perspective and approaching them more rationally.
Unplug
When “fight or flight” was first coined, it was in reference to the feeling our ancestors experienced when faced with dangerous and threatening situations. While we may not face the same types of danger today, it doesn’t mean we don’t get the feeling still. It just comes from other places.
Social media is a significant instigator of anxiety in 2022, making it imperative that we put our devices down every now and then and take a break from the whirlwind of information at our fingertips. Taking a digital detox can be one of the best ways to bring our nervous system back to normal.
Get Cold
Exposure to the cold soothes our vagus nerve, the central nerve of our parasympathetic nervous system. This means that your fight or flight response will naturally decrease when you expose yourself to cold temperatures and your system will start to reset.
Cold therapy is something you can do on your own. This can range from spending a few minutes in a cold shower, soaking in an ice bath, or simply splashing some cold water on your face. If spending time in cold water is difficult for you, start with 20 or 30 seconds in a cold shower and build your way up to a couple of minutes.
It’s impossible to avoid stress and panic completely, but there are ways you can levy the effects of them. With these simple tactics, you can easily minimize the effects of stress and bring your body back to a normal state. See some more techniques for lessening the impact of panic and restoring your nervous system below.
