We know that a revved-up nervous system is a threat to problem solving, creativity and recognising situations that could undermine our good intentions, and frustrate the accomplishment of business and personal objectives. So, what supportive actions could you take to uphold yourself when this happens, so that you can begin to access your best thinking and interpersonal relationship resources once again?

6 Simple Protective Actions

Here are 6 actions you could take to calm yourself and reduce your brain’s threat response:

1)  Avoid multi-tasking:Our brain is more adept at sequential task performance. Overloading it with more than one task at a time, especially novel ones, is very demanding of glucose, oxygen and blood circulation your bodily system needs to multi-task. You are likely to feel tired very quickly and find yourself making unforced errors as your attention slips.

2)  Front-load heavy lifting tasks: Tackling tasks that are more demanding of brain energy first, will go a long way towards enabling you to get through your day more productively and satisfied. It is easy to get side-tracked by checking social media and your inbox first thing in the morning. Before you know it, so much time has passed that you will have to extend your working hours to meet a pivotal client’s service request.

3) Boost your Oxygen Supply:  The quality of our breathing affects performance on tasks requiring mental effort. Where are your breathing from? Above your diaphragm or below it? Are you taking increased, shallow breaths, to increase your oxygen intake, as your brain senses a reduction in supply? Breathe in deeply and slowly, from below your diaphragm so that your lungs expand to take in more oxygen, and expel carbon dioxide waste when you exhale. Boosting oxygen supply improves brain functioning.

4) Let your mind travel: Recall a memory from the past associated with positive emotions. This will result in feeling the pleasurable emotion in the present, to override your brain’s threat response, and activate positive emotional energy to accomplish your day’s workload.

5) Change your environment:  When we are stressed, we ruminate about our unwanted circumstances, and the more we think about them, the more ingrained our negative thoughts become. Taking ourselves out of our usual environments, even if just for a short while, can have a calming effect. Leave the office to take a walk around the block, or jog in a nearby park to awaken your senses. Even better, take a quick weekend break to a destination that inspires and invigorates you. If none of this is possible, due to COVID-19 restrictions, then simply step outside for breaths of fresh air, periodically, to expand your lung’s intake of oxygen.

6) Do something just for fun. Activities that inject humour into our everyday lives relieve stress levels by lightening our spirits and emotional load. When we are under enormous pressure to meet a tight deadline, or solve a seemingly intractable problem, even when experiencing mental strain, we tend to push on. This is even when our train of thought is along a rutted track. Allowing yourself an interlude, even if just briefly, to do something you enjoy, could increase your levels of oxygen and glucose needed for demanding mental processing. Whether taking in an entertaining movie, engaging in an exciting computer game or connecting with a friend who inspires you, any behavioural activity, that results in lifting your mood, would be helpful to restore your emotional balance and grow your resilience.