Read time: 4 min.

Working a 9-5 can be exhausting.

• Commuting to and from work in busy traffic.

• Socializing with colleagues you dislike.

• Working stressful, long hours.

You're mentally drained once you get home, lash out at your family, and pass out on the couch at 9.00 PM.

Only to wake up the next day and repeat the same cycle again.

It slowly destroys not only your life but that of your loved ones too.

5 years ago, I was in a similar situation

I would turn on my gaming console the second I got home from school.

If I didn’t game, I would be scrolling on my phone.

I was in constant action mode and didn't care about rest.

Because of it, I trapped myself in a cycle of stress.

• My immune system weakened.

• It damaged my gut health (and mood)

• I argued with my family for the stupidest of reasons.

Stress is a drug, and I was its addict.

Years of ignoring it resulted in a leaky gut syndrome.

It was only after this diagnosis that my life took a different turn.

My body had enough of my nonsense.

It shook me awake.

The days of living on autopilot were over.

I got fascinated by stress and studied the system responsible for managing it.

I applied what I learned, and got crazy results:

3 Quick Methods to Manage Stress

Meditation, enough sleep, and regular exercise are all super useful.

They are the basics of stress management.

But sometimes life gets hectic and leaves you feeling more alert than you'd like to.

The next 3 methods are a quick way to help you take off that edge:

Method 1: Belly Breathing

The breath is hands-down the most powerful tool to manage stress.

Belly breathing activates something called the ''vagus nerve''.

It flips on your body's relaxation response.

1. Place a hand on your belly

2. Inhale: push your belly outwards and fill it with air.

3. Exhale: let the air out and let your belly fall back in.

It's important to breathe from the stomach—not chest or throat.

Do this for a couple of minutes until it feels comfortable.

It might take some getting used to, but it's worth it.

Bye shallow, anxious chest breaths.

Hello deep, relaxed belly breaths.

Method 2: Psychological sigh

The most common cause of stress is shallow breathing.

When you're stressed, you inhale longer than you exhale.

Here's where the psychological sigh comes in.

1. Inhale through your nose until your lungs are full.

2. Squeeze in a little bit more air with another sharp inhale.

3. Long exhale through the mouth until your lungs are empty.

4. Repeat one to three times.

I won't go too scientific on why it works.

But it's the fastest way to calm down your body's stress response.

Fun fact:

Your body does this automatically when sobbing or grieving.

It's a self-soothing technique.

Cool, right?

If you're feeling stressed right now, try it out, and notice how you feel.

Method 3: Rubbing the Sternum

This one's my favorite.

The sternum is the area in the center of your chest where your ribs meet.

1. Place 3 fingers on it

2. Apply a little pressure

3. Rub up and down

Close to the sternum runs your vagus nerve.

Rubbing stimulates the nerve, which slows your heart rate and breathing.

It sends waves of calm sensations throughout the body.

Massage for two or three minutes to experience the full effects.

Closing words

Of course, these are all quick fixes.

They work like a charm, but most times stress goes deeper.

If you have difficulty managing it, book a free call below.

I'm able to help you.

Peace and love,

— Martijn