The Surprising Way to Tame Stress Fast

High-stress situations make you feel tense because they activate your sympathetic nervous system. This triggers the well-known fight-or-flight response, says Willie E. Lawrence Jr., MD, a preventive cardiologist and chief medical officer with the Cardiac and Vascular Interventional Group in Dallas. As a result, you breathe quickly and shallowly, your heart rate spikes, and your arteries narrow, which raises your blood pressure.

Most people breathe shallowly throughout their day. To learn how to breathe deeply, lie on your back, slowly inhale—letting your rib cage expand and your stomach rise—then exhale, letting them contract and fall. Over time, deep breathing more of the time may become natural for you.

Juanita Guerra, PhD, a clinical psychologist in New Rochelle, N.Y., and Lawrence also suggest doing exercises that slow your breathing, which can offer a reset when you’re under pressure. Try practicing one or more of the moves below once a day. (Start with three to five cycles at a time.)

Box (or square) breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold your breath for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four.

4-7-8 breathing: Inhale through your nose for four counts, then hold your breath for seven. Then slowly exhale through your mouth for eight counts.

Alternate nostril breathing: Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale. Close your left nostril with your ring finger and release your thumb; exhale, and then inhale. Close your right nostril and exhale. Start again.

Deep breathing may be even more effective at reducing stress when it’s done as part of another activity. That also helps you incorporate deep breathing more easily into your life, Lawrence says. Consider these options.

Yoga, Pilates, and tai chi: These exercises focus on controlling your breath while you’re moving your body.

Mindful meditation: Paying close attention to your breathing helps you focus on the present moment and not think about other things. It’s been found to reduce levels of stress hormones.

Spending time outdoors: Research has found that being in a natural setting like a park for just 20 minutes can lower stress hormone levels. If it’s difficult to get outside regularly, some evidence suggests that looking out a window or viewing natural scenes on a screen may help.