Are you anxious right now? Try this…
Very recently I’ve learnt of a technique to calm anxiety by “resetting” or calming the vagus nerve. If you are in the height of a panic attack or generally feeling particularly anxious- try these techniques to calm yourself. After discovering this, I feel totally in control of my anxiety as I basically have the ability to stop an attack at any point.
Ear Pulling
1)Place your ear's upper cartilage or lobe between your thumb and forefinger.
2)Gently pull the ear outward and slightly back, away from your head.
3)Hold for a few seconds and release.
Eye Movements
1)While looking straight ahead, slowly look as far to the left as you can, hold for 15-30 seconds
2)Repeat on the right.
The Physiological Sigh
1)Inhale deeply through your nose until your lungs are full
2)Take a quick sharp second inhale
3)Let out a slow, extended sigh through your mouth. 4)Repeat 3 times.
Ear and stomach combo
1)Place one hand on your stomach and the other in the entrance of your ear canal.
Press downwards with some force in your ear.
Simultaneously inhale until your lungs are full and exhale until they are empty
Focus on the rising and falling of your stomach.
Continue until signs of improvement
How do you know when it has worked?
You should very quickly notice a change in physical symptoms of anxiety- including nausea, high heart rate, shakiness, sweating, muscle tension. Your mind will shortly follow, though allow some minutes for your brain to adjust to the shift. You should also feel the immediate urge to yawn, swallow, sigh or a warm sensation in your hands/feet as blood flow returns to normal. Even should you not be actively feeling stressed, it is still a fun technique to try- as it shifts your body into full relaxation mode quite noticeably.
The vagus nerve is the longest and most important nerve in your body! It acts as the main transmitter of relaxation and counterpart to the sympathetic nervous system (the one essentially responsible for all your anxiety). Understanding the reason behind our anxiety and why it makes us feel the way it does opens up doors to some of the most effective ways to help ourselves.
I have struggled with emetophobia for over 15 years, this has helped me immensely and I hope that I can bring some comfort to others too!