Why is promoting a sense of calm important?
Positive moods are associated with greater health and longevity, decreasing the risk of depression, suicide, and mortality. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization 2006). Hostile, negative moods and stress are one of the biggest risks of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) and mortality from CHD. Whereas the opposite feeling to hostility, agreeableness, is associated with reduced risk of mortality from any cause (Young 2007). Low social support is correlated with greater stress, depression post-traumatic stress disorder, morbidity, and mortality. Lower levels of serotonin are associated with poorer physical and mental health, thus non-pharmacological methods of increasing serotonin can promote mood, social functioning, and decrease the likelihood of mental and physical problems.
Our “rest and digest” or “feed and breed” functions are governed by our parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), part of the body’s autonomic, or automatic, nervous system. This relaxation response is associated with a slower breathing and heart rate, reduced muscular tension, lower blood pressure, and a calming of the brain’s “default mode network,” linked with anxiety, worry, mind-wandering, and ruminating thoughts. Some cranial, pelvic-splanchnic nerves, and the vagus nerve (also known as the “great wandering protector”) have parasympathetic functions (Yuan and Silberstein 2015). The vagus nerve has been associated with restoration of health through inflammation, mood, and pain regulation.
Four important methods to increasing calm (stimulating the parasympathetic response or vagal nerve stimulation) are:
- meditation
- sun or full-spectrum light
- exercise
- diet
Mindfulness, mind, and mindset
Bringing awareness to the present moment improves mood, focus, motivation, resilience, calm, sleep, and your overall balance and well-being. Meditation, breath techniques, and yoga can increase neurotransmitter levels associated with pleasure and reward, dopamine (Krishnakumar 2015). How can we cultivate calm? Many Buddhist monks, such as Thich Nhat Hanh, embody calm through the practice of mindfulness and meditation. In the quote above the article, Thich Nhat Hanh describes mindfulness in his every day moments of drinking tea. This is one way to cultivate calm. It takes practice. You can practice while doing the dishes, noticing the feel of the soapy sponge and temperature of the water on your hands. Feel your feet connecting with the kitchen floor. Notice the sounds of the birds outside of the kitchen window. Take pleasure in the smell of the soap. Feel gratitude for the beauty of the mug or spoon in your hands. Notice how you are breathing through the movements as you wash the dishes. Are there areas in your body of tension that you can release? There are benefits you can see within those everyday moments of calm, but also in the moments of pressure, stress, and trauma, you will begin to notice that you can be more resilient after strengthening your mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is feeling the present moment during these everyday activities. Thich Nhat Hanh’s book How to Eat has been a great read, especially to remind my family to slow down and chew our food carefully and mindfully.
Adopt an attitude of acceptance, surrender, and going-with-the-flow. Let go of your thoughts, and come into your body. Focus on all of your senses. Pause before you act—focus on being before doing. Bring attention and awareness to the present moment, rather than ruminating on the past or being anxious about the future. Below, I will describe breathing techniques and simple meditations that can also boost your calm.
Breathing exercises
Whenever I am nervous, angry, sad, overwhelmed, or cannot sleep slowing down my breath is the first step to calming down. Long, deep, belly breaths almost immediately can have a calming effect. Slowing down the exhale is one of the quickest ways to physiologically activate the parasympathetic system—your rest and digest system. One of the most memorable moments from my yoga practice, was the idea that we should “save space for the breath in every moment of your practice on the mat and off the mat.” My teacher advised us to at least save 20% for the breath in everything you do.
There are breathing techniques that can induce non-ordinary states of consciousness such as holotropic breathwork or Wim Hof’s breathing techniques (there are many others such as, Integrative Breathwork, Transformational Breathwork, Shamanic Breathwork, Conscious Connected Breathing, Radiance Breathwork, and Zen Yoga Breathwork). These are wonderful therapeutic ways to alter your state of consciousness, however I only advise you to start these with a certified practitioner. It is possible to pass out, if you are not careful.
Note: Breath retention should not be performed by pregnant mothers, who already may have a tendency for dizziness and nausea.
There are many safe ways to practice simple breathing techniques that will noticeably shift your mood. Three of my favorites are:
- Alternate nostril breathing
- 4-7-8 breathing
- Extended exhales
Alternate nostril breathing (also known as, nadi shodhana pranayama)
- Make the shaka sign with your right hand—extend pinkie and thumb and close the remaining fingers.
- Place thumb on your right nostril to close it off.
- Exhale through your left nostril.
- Then inhale slowly through your left nostril.
- Release thumb and place pinkie on left nostril to close it off.
- Exhale through your right nostril.
- Inhale from your right nostril.
- Repeat two or more times.
4-7-8 breathing
- Inhale for 4 counts.
- Hold the breath in for 7 counts.
- Exhale for 8 counts.
- Repeat two or more times.
Extended exhales
- Count as you inhale and let your exhales extend for more counts than your inhale. If you inhale for 5 counts, see if you can slow down your exhales to 7-10 or more counts. You can even count how many steps you take on your inhales while walking or running, and focus on trying to take more steps on your exhales as a way to promote a calm state of being.
Meditation and eye movement techniques
Reading about mindfulness and tools for meditation is helpful (see book suggestions below) and also practicing meditation (start with even just 1 min sitting in a comfortable position or lying down), focusing on your breath, and observing the present moment. You can start by counting your breaths. Breathe in for 4 counts and out for 6 counts and in 6 breaths you will have completed one minute!
If you have children, you could invite them to slow down their breath by chanting “Om.” Or a personal favorite when my kids were around 3-7 years old was transforming the “om” to “meow” over and over, then chanting our pet names, family, and friend names over and over. The goal is to lengthen the breath, which promotes relaxation, and singing and om-ing are fun ways to get there.
Another of my favorite techniques for dropping into meditation are eye movement techniques which feel like a “brain-massage” to me. Your eyes can be open or closed as you do these.
Up and down
- Keeping the head still, look up as you inhale.
- Look down as you exhale.
- Repeat three or more times.
Left and right
- Keeping the head still, look left as you inhale.
- Look right as you exhale.
- Repeat three or more times. You may switch the direction of the inhale/exhale halfway.
Circles
- Keeping the head still, make clockwise circles with the eyes. Inhale as you begin the upward movement of the eyes.
- Exhale as you begin the downward movement of the eyes.
- Repeat three or more times. You may switch to counter-clockwise circles halfway.
Ideas to meditate on:
- Loving kindness (see Jack Kornfield’s books)
- Acceptance
- Gratitude
- Forgiveness
- Empathy
- Surrender to the present moment
- Visualizations—imagine going to a place you love to go to with your loved ones or do a yoga practice in your head
- Finding space for breath in every moment (This does not need to be only during a seated meditation. You could be doing the dishes or going for a walk!)
- The five senses—name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 think you can taste.
Sun and full-spectrum light
Sun and full-spectrum light increase serotonin levels in people with seasonal affective disorder, depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and depression during pregnancy. “Light cafés” have opened all over the world, especially in places with little sunshine in the higher latitudes such as Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and valley areas near the Alps in Austria.
Start your day with the sun, if possible. I describe why this is important for boosting your mood in my Support Sleep article. Find ways to connect with nature. Get outside daily, or be near a window as much as possible. Place a plant in your office and bedroom, or wherever you spend a lot of time indoors. Take a moment to walk around the block between meetings, take pleasure in watching the wind blow the trees outside your office window, or take a moment to close your eyes to even imagine yourself in your favorite place in nature.
Exercise
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had greater levels of both sunlight and exercise, thus our current-day society’s reduction in outdoor activity and activity in general is associated with greater levels of depression. Exercise increases tryptophan availability and serotonin levels. (Tryptophan gets converted to 5-HTP and then to serotonin (which boosts mood and sleep) and then converted to melatonin (which regulates the sleep-wake cycle) see my Support Sleep article for more details). The hypothesis for the mechanism for increasing mood with exercise is due to fatigue associated with higher tryptophan and production of serotonin. Dance, walk, or move your body whenever you can!
Diet
Serotonin is the happy hormone and also is needed for proper gut motility. Studies have shown an association between low serotonin levels and tryptophan deficiency. In addition plasma tryptophan can be elevated with carbohydrate consumption, which will increase tryptophan and thus serotonin in the brain (Bruta et al. 2021). Fructose malabsorption may be associated with depression.
Other ways to promote pleasure
- Sleep. One of the most important ways to promote calm and pleasure is getting sufficient sleep (see my Support Sleep and subscribe to my email list to receive my Support Sleep Resources).
- Gratitude. Develop a practice of being grateful, which helps promote staying in the present moment.
- Play. Take breaks from working to play games with kids, sports with adults, sing, play or listen to music, be in nature, move your body, and laugh.
- Be social. Smile, laugh, connect with friends, family, and animals.
- Get outside. Get in the ocean, on the beach, or in the mountains, forests, rivers, and creeks. Even fresh air on a balcony can increase pleasure. If possible, you can exercise, meditate, read, or write outside.
- Touch. Have sex, give a massage to a friend or family member, pet a dog or cat, and snuggle with your family. Practice self-massage (with yoga tune up balls or tennis balls) or get a massage paying particular attention to the head, neck, face, and belly to promote vagal nerve stimulation.
- Cold therapy. Techniques such as cold showers, ice baths, and cold open-water swims can stimulate vagal nerve.
- Enjoyable activities. Devote some time to what gives you pleasure. Dedicate some part of your day to dancing, reading, writing, gardening, playing an instrument, listening to music, or some other favorite hobby. Maybe do something that is intellectually challenging, maybe you can read about something you have always wanted to know more about. Maybe connecting with others through volunteering could be a satisfying activity. Spend time with family and friends. Keep a gratitude journal.
- Say no. Learn to say “no” to engaging in activities that you just don’t want to or need to do. If you can, avoid people that may contribute to your stress or drain your emotional energy. Learn to say “yes” to activities that may be rewarding but not something you would typically do.
- Food, fluids, and supplements Balance your macronutrients. Get enough fluids and electrolytes. Ask your doctor about supplements that could help increase your calm. Many supplements that help promote sleep will also increase your calm, many of which I have compiled here in my Support Sleep Resource List. Others that are fine to take during the day are: vitamin B, passionflower, lemonbalm, and CBD for example.
References
Brach, T. (2004). Radical acceptance: Embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha. New York: Bantam Books.
Brach, Tara. (2016). True refuge: Finding peace and freedom in your own awakened heart.
Bruta, K., Vanshika, Bhasin, K. et al. The role of serotonin and diet in the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review. transl med commun 6, 1 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41231-020-00081-y
Hanh, Thich Nhat. (2016). How to Live: Boxed Set of the Mindfulness Essentials Series. How to Sit, How to Eat, How to Walk, How to Love, and How to Relax: Parallax Pr.
Kornfield, J. (2010). The Art Of Forgiveness, Loving Kindness And Peace.
Krishnakumar D, Hamblin MR, Lakshmanan S. Meditation and Yoga can Modulate Brain Mechanisms that affect Behavior and Anxiety-A Modern Scientific Perspective. Anc Sci. 2015;2(1):13-19. doi:10.14259/as.v2i1.171
Nestor, James. (2020). Breath: The new science of a lost art.
World Health Organization. Constitution of the World Health Organization. In: Basic documents, forty-fifth edition, supplement. 2006. Available: www.who.int/governance/eb/who_constitution _en.pdf (accessed 2007 Oct 3).
Young S. N. (2007). How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN, 32(6), 394–399.
Yuan, H., & Silberstein, S. D. (2015). Vagus Nerve and Vagus Nerve Stimulation, a Comprehensive Review: Part I. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 56(1), 71–78. doi:10.1111/head.12647