To soothe a stressed nervous system and calm the mind, consciously slow down your movements and speech, lengthen your exhalation, and ground yourself in the present moment by paying attention to your senses (sight, sound, smell) through a daily practice.

noli's read

This body-based regulation advice is built on extremely solid scientific foundations. A major meta-analysis led by Sylvain Laborde in *Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews* (analyzing 223 studies) confirms that slow breathing significantly increases heart rate variability, a sign of the autonomic nervous system returning to a calm state. Furthermore, a randomized clinical trial from Stanford University conducted by Balban et al. (2023) proved that breathing exercises emphasizing prolonged exhalation are particularly effective for reducing stress and improving mood on a daily basis. Sensory grounding through attention to the immediate environment is also a mindfulness technique validated by numerous observational studies for lowering anxiety. Although consciously slowing speech or movements is more difficult to isolate in strict clinical trials, it remains a very consistent somatic supporting tool. Finally, the assertion that a daily practice is essential to induce lasting changes is fully supported by research data on neural plasticity training.

the sources

1. 1Zaccaro A et al. 2018
2. 2Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EMS, et al. 2014