Three Quick Hacks for Calm & Focus

We’re all time-poor these days, aren’t we? And often all the things well-meaning people suggest to us – from friends to professionals – to make our life stress-free and better overall, only add to our to-do list and stress us more.

So to make it easy for you to weave powerful mental health habits into your workday, here are three simple practices to calm and relax you.

They’re not difficult.

They don’t take long.

And they are guaranteed to help you feel calmer, clearer and more focused.

1) The failsafe breathing technique to calm you within a minute

Close off your right nostril and breathe slowly and smoothly in and out through your left nostril only.

Most people don’t realise that we don’t breathe equally through both nostrils at the same time. Dominance naturally shifts roughly every 90 minutes. However, chronic stress, fatigue, allergies or colds can disrupt this rhythm.

The left nostril is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system – our “rest and restore” mode. If you want to reduce stress quickly, encourage left-nostril dominance.

One minute. That’s all it takes to begin shifting your state.

2) Go even further: extend your exhale

Now add this:

Breathe in for the count of three, and out for the count of six. (If closing one nostril isn’t for you or your nose is blocked, just drop the hand.)

Your exhalation is directly linked to the parasympathetic nervous system. (Have you ever noticed your heart rate increases slightly when you inhale?) When you deliberately make your exhalation longer than your inhalation, you amplify your body’s rest and digest response.

This is a powerful tool before meetings, presentations, difficult conversations – or sleep.

3) Legs up the wall (more than a nervous system reset)

Lie on your back and raise your legs up, maybe resting them against a wall.

Research shows this position can increase levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) – a neurotransmitter that slows down neural firing, helping you feel calmer and less anxious.

Ongoing research – along with ancient yogic wisdom – seems to suggest that this posture may even slow down cellular ageing by increasing levels of telomerase, a protein associated with cellular longevity.

Only three minutes (but make that a daily thing) is enough to reap those benefits.

Oh, and it’s also great against varicose veins. So what’s not to like?

All these practices are easy.

The key is doing them.

They take only a minute or two – and surely our mental health is worth that. ☺️