Go on walk
I know you probably hear it a lot.. but going on a walk really can make a fascinating difference.
Need for Calm
Evidence
Recovery states can allow learning, immune function, and executive control to rebound after stress. This need may motivate reducing stimulation, pacing demands, and building rhythmic routines. Restoring calm supports regulation and higher-order thinking.
Details about the rewritten claim
Periods of calm and recovery are essential for the brain and body to bounce back after stress. Research suggests that during calm, low-arousal states, processes like memory consolidation, immune system activity, and top-down cognitive control (executive functions) get a chance to recuperate (see e.g. Frontiers in Psychology review on stress recovery and cognitive performance). The need for calm may drive us to dial down excessive stimulation, manage our workload, and establish soothing routines or rhythms in daily life. By restoring a state of calm, we improve our emotional self-regulation and allow higher-order thinking (like problem-solving and impulse control) to function more effectively. In short, regularly seeking calm moments helps counteract stress and supports better learning and decision-making.
Supporting sources
Citations
- 1Chronic stress disrupts (and relief can restore) executive controlhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19139412/
- 2Breath regulation lowers stress and anxiety (review)https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00253/full
- 3Meditation programs reduce psychological stress (systematic review & meta-analysis)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24395196/
- 4review on stress recovery and its effects on cognitive function and healthhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6438088/
Strategies
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Listen to music
A lot of variety available to you here. Could benefit from calming music or raging music. You do you ;)
Align x3
Choose any three nearby items and apply one simple rule: align one edge, sort big-to-small, or make a clean line. Arrange them once, then stop to register the order you created.
Shadow Line
Rotate a nearby object until its shadow makes a clean line or pleasing shape, then pause to take in the look you created.
Exit Count
Pick your preferred exit or safe spot and count the exact number of steps from where you are to there; keep that number in mind.
Grain Trace
Run a fingertip along a visible line (wood grain, tile grout, fabric seam, etc.) until it ends, and let that completion register.
Window Quarter
Use the window frame to pick one small quadrant of the view and give it a one-line title you like; hold that title for a moment.
Corner Count
Pick any rectangle in view (screen, book, ceiling tile) and count its corners clockwise until you return to the start; let the tidy loop register.
Seat Press
Press the surface you're on (chair, floor, bed) firmly once with your palm or thigh and say "held" quietly; note the contact, then stop.
Add a strategy
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