Published on
Updated
Reading 1 min.
in collaboration with
Linda Piazza (Sophrologist)
Medical validation:
October 25, 2023
Heavy workload, children going back to school, anxiety-provoking news… There are many reasons to be stressed on a daily basis. How then can you “come down” and instantly de-stress? Our sophrologist Linda Piazza gives us her key tip.
Adopt deep breathing
We can’t say it enough: learning to breathe well is essential for reducing stress and anxiety. And for good reason: when we adopt slow, regular and abdominal breathing, the heart synchronizes with the breathing. Cortisol secretion is then adjusted and the feeling of calm persists. A process used by our expert sophrologist in times of stress.
“My number 1 tip is deep breathing. To adopt it, simply inhale deeply through your nose for 5 seconds, then exhale deeply through your mouth for 5 seconds – while mentalizing the fact that you are filling yourself with positivity and calm. Oxygenating your brain and filling yourself with positive thoughts allows you to calm down quickly..”
The other method favored by the practitioner to relieve her anxieties? The shoulder pump exercise.
“This exercise helps relieve negative thoughts and accumulated stress, while relaxing the cervical and trapezius muscles. To reproduce it, simply stand up straight and visualize large bags at your feet loaded with the cause of all our ills. With your fists clenched, you then inhale through your nose, raise your shoulders, then hold your breath, pump. Then, blow through your mouth, releasing your arms and opening your hands. The objective? Unload all your bags and all the stored stress“, reveals Linda Piazza.
If, despite these tips, you continue to be very stressed, a consultation with a specialist may be necessary. Only he can help you work on the causes.
Slide: 8 original techniques to combat stress