Stress Less: The Science Behind Stress & How to Regulate It
[5 Minute Read]
Unfortunately, most of my friends and peers who work in music, feel like they work in an environment where they’re in a constant state of stress. I certainly felt this way, and living in this state all the time basically means your body is out of balance and in survival mode 24/7.
Thousands of years ago, this bodily response was a good thing because it told us if we were being chased by a predator and needed to run. While those scenarios are now unlikely, being yelled at by your boss or receiving an angry, aggressive email from a client can send your body into a fight-or-flight response that causes you to react and feel a very similar way. If we’re constantly in a state of fear, we’re never at ease, and this long term feeling is believed to cause disease. After everything I’ve studied, learned and experienced first hand, I certainly believe it.
What’s even crazier, is that we are so used to the feeling of stress, that our bodies start to actually crave it and find it in our daily lives. For example, say you’re enjoying a beach walk with friends on a Sunday morning. You’re loving the nice weather, the good company and having an enjoyable conversation. Then all of a sudden you zone out of the conversation and start thinking, “What if someone needs me? What if [xyz artist] called and is pissed about their billing on the Rolling Loud Lineup? What if my boss is just seeing my email about the album rollout and wants to talk about it now?” This is an example of an imagined threat that has caused your body to release stress hormones, and has now made a lovely Sunday morning walk anxiety ridden.
In addition to that, it’s now 2024 and we have a million other potential distractions to grab our attention and shift our mood within seconds. Our brains weren’t made to withstand mass amounts of news and information at all times. We have Instagram, TikTok, email, news, and ads stealing our attention in the blink of an eye, and if that’s not the case, our brains are worrying about our jobs, clients, bosses, parents, that pain in our back, needing new clothes, wanting more money, finding time to exercise, and the list goes on and on.
The sad truth is that most people spend the majority of their time in a state of heightened arousal, which is chronic stress. If we’re never calm, we aren’t allowing our bodies to recover and return to that balance that is SO important for our overall health and longevity. This was one of the many factors that made me decide it was time to leave the industry.
If you’re wondering what you can do to regulate your stress, one very impactful and simple technique is breathwork. You can do this anytime and anywhere. Practicing breathwork is the number one thing I do on a daily basis that has positively impacted my life, stress and health. I had a science teacher in highschool who made us start every class with a deep breath, and it always made me feel calm and focused. It has stuck with me ever since.
For most of my life, my mind would start racing the second I woke up. My heart rate would increase, I would immediately feel stressed out for the day ahead, or I would think about all the negative things that could happen. I had to consciously decide that was not ok, and I wasn’t going to live that way anymore. I started practicing breath work first thing in the morning, last thing in the evening, and anytime I felt overwhelmed throughout the day.
Here’s why it works. Deep breathing can help slow your heartbeat and lower blood pressure. Ever notice how after just a few deep breaths, you feel calmer? That’s because deep breathing allows for a healthy amount of oxygen to flow into your body, reducing your stress hormones, and making you feel more relaxed. It also increases your physical energy, boosts your immune system, regulates and resets your nervous system, and increases feelings of calm and wellbeing overall. The amount of deep breaths I’ve already taken since sitting down to write this is too many to count (and I am feeling calm, happy, and zen right now)!
A technique I love to use is the 4-7-8 method. This entails breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, holding for 7 seconds, and breathing out through your mouth with a sigh for 8 seconds. Stop right now for just 1 minute and take 3 deep breaths using this model. Now, how much calmer do you feel from that alone? Did you notice your heart rate slow down? Typically when we feel stressed, our breathing speeds up and we take small shallow breaths out of our chest (which promotes more stress). Usually when we are relaxed, we breathe in through our noses in a slower manner, using our diaphragms (which is the proper way of breathing).
While I could also write about how getting good sleep, meditating, eating healthy and exercising are all other very helpful ways to regulate stress, breath work will always be my number one. This is because breath work is the one benefit that you can feel almost instantly. When my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, had a stroke and was given 2 weeks to live all simultaneously last year, breath work is what saved me. When I was sitting in the hospital for hours, waiting to hear how her emergency procedure went and if she had any chance at living, focusing on breath work is what kept me from having a panic attack. It’s what allowed me to keep fighting, fall asleep at night, and find the strength to get out of bed in the morning.
That was a more extreme life scenario of course, but if you are feeling stressed before a meeting, presentation, conversation with your boss, or anything else that could occur in the workplace, I really encourage you to practice breath work. Take 2 minutes to go somewhere private (bathroom, empty hallway, etc) and take a few deep breaths until you feel calmer. Everyone has a minute or two to spare, and the benefits are immeasurable.
Understanding and implementing breath work has allowed me to take control of my emotions, and to know that when I do feel stressed, I have the tools and power to calm myself down and channel my inner peace.
References:
Dispenza, Dr. Joe (2017). Becoming Supernatural. How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon. Carlsbad: Hay House, Inc.
Fincham, Guy; Strauss, Clara; Montero-Marin, Jesus; Cavanagh, Kate (2023). “Effects of Breathwork on Stress and Mental Health.” <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9828383/>
Copyright © 2024 Gabi King