Feeling stressed? This can help you get a better perspective

If you are feeling stressed, take a few moments to look at this picture. Don’t rush and read on just yet; give yourself a few seconds to take in the colours, think about how you feel, and identify the little blue dot.

Don’t try and rub your screen, the dot is supposed to be there! So what is it? A dust particle caught in a ray of sunlight?

Guess again. This is actually a picture of us. The greatest selfie ever taken; this is the photo of our planet that the Voyager 1 probe took from a distance of about 6 billion kilometres, as it passed beyond Neptune. At this distance the Earth takes up less than a pixel’s space on the picture (by the way there are 640,000 other pixels in that image).

The Voyager mission was launched in 1977. It took 13 years for Voyager 1 to travel to the point where it took this photo. Voyager 1 carried on though and in 2013 Voyager 1 actually left the solar system, the first human made object to do so.

How do we manage stress?

Stress is natural, even helpful, but too much of it can be a bad thing. Stress helps us react to challenges and to grow, but too much stress can break us. When we talk about ‘being stressed’ we generally mean being overburdened. When we feel overly stressed it is good to have some techniques to manage the stress and, where possible, turn the pressure into something positive.

One such approach to dealing with stress is keeping a proper perspective.

Have you ever had a challenge in your sights, a test, exam, deadline or project that looked impossibly big, until you were passed it?

Whatever issues we face it is important to acknowledge the facts and have proper situational awareness, but our ability to focus on something – to look closely – often makes challenges seem bigger than they really are.

How do you keep things in perspective?

If you feel yourself getting stressed try to lift your eyes up from the problem and see the bigger picture. I often find that doing this physically can help. Go for a walk somewhere beautiful; look at the ocean, the mountains, the night’s sky.

I find it useful to take time out and contemplate creation to give a broader perspective. Whether I look at the complexity of a blade of grass or the vastness of the solar system, it helps to put my challenges, concerns and ideas into there proper place.

The Wisdom we gain from Perspective

The astronomer Carl Sagan sums things up really well in this thought provoking speech about the Voyager photo:

“We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It’s been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.

Carl Sagan, speech at Cornell University, October 13, 1994

See the bigger picture

With environmental issues creeping up in the public consciousness and the political agenda, and yet with so much war and strife across much of our planet, it is good to reflect on our place in the universe and the responsibility with have to look after each other on our Pale Blue Dot.

If we want to lead ourselves and others well we need to keep a proper perspective. Perspective helps to reduce stress and gives us the understanding we need to make good decision and plan effectively.

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

The Best Breathing Techniques to Reduce Anxiety

We all know, even if just at some intuitive level, how important regulating our breathing is. Most of us have been told to “count to 10” or “take a deep breath” at some time. Maybe it was a time you were anxious about giving a presentation. Or perhaps it was when you felt yourself losing your temper. But most likely you were asked to slow your breathing in response to some stressful situation.

There is an ever-growing body of research that backs up these practices. It turns out that controlling breathing is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress. And, the good news is, learning a technique to regulate your breathing as a stress reliever, is simple to achieve.

As a leader, breathing techniques are something I use (and teach others to use) on a regular basis because they don’t just relieve anxiety, they also improve thinking and decision-making.

Why is breathing so effective at reducing stress and anxiety?

So why is breathing so good at reducing anxiety? Well, neuroscience research demonstrates that slow breathing techniques have positive effects on our central nervous system and psychological state. Using effective breathing techniques to slow respiration increases positives such as comfort, relaxation, vigour, and alertness. It does this while reducing negatives such as anxiety, stress, depression, anger, or confusion.

How does this happen? Physiologically, slowing breathing promotes autonomic (involuntary) responses in our nervous system. For example, changing the rate of your breathing changes your heart rate. This is due to respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Put simply, if you increase your breaths, your heart rate increases; slow your breathing and your pulse rate will also go down.

Psychologically, these responses have a positive effect. The changes to the nervous system reverse the mental as well as physical symptoms of stress and anxiety. The exact mechanism for this is still debated but the fact that this happens is no surprise neurologically.

From “fight or flight” to “rest and digest”

Slow breathing is a sign of a parasympathetic (non-stressed) state. The central nervous system identifies slower breathing, through the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the abdomen. The thalamus and limbic systems (the emotional centres) receive the signals. They interpret slow breathing as reflecting a low-threat situation. The subsequent change of activity in the limbic system further reinforces the parasympathetic state and also frees the pre-frontal cortex to be predominant, improving rational, creative and decision-making neurological processes (reversing amygdala hijack).

This process moves the body and mind from the “fight or flight” (sympathetic) mode to the “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) state. As a result, the body moves from hyper-alert to more relaxed.

How did breathing techniques develop?

There is a long history of breathing techniques but the eastern traditions are perhaps the best known. For instance, in yoga, breathing is an essential element. The “prana” (breath or energy) is used to help achieve a meditative state. This is done through “pranayama” (“Yama” meaning control) where breathing is consciously regulated.

In western traditions, breathing techniques are not so closely linked to meditation. Controlled or paced breathing is primarily seen as a therapy for physical ailments (for example, as an aid for asthma sufferers) or for psychological benefits (such as reducing stress and improving well-being). Generally, in the Western tradition, this is removed from any religious or spiritual link. But, whatever the primary purpose of the practice, using a slow breathing technique has the same physiological and psychological benefits.

Why should you practice breathing techniques?

Any simple slowing of your breathing is likely to have a positive effect when you are in a stressed situation. But it is worth knowing some techniques – and practising them – for at least two reasons.

The first is that when you are in a highly stressful situation you cannot properly use your prefrontal cortex to rationally think about what you need to do. Therefore, your body relies on muscle memory and pre-existing neural pathways. If you have trained in a breathing technique before the stressful stimulus, you are more likely to be able to control your breathing while in an anxious state. That is why (if we have not practised) we often need to be told by someone to “count to 10” or “take a breath” as it is hard to think clearly for ourselves in the heat of the moment. The more one rehearses for these situations, the more likely we are to be able to deal with them effectively on our own.

The second reason is that breathing techniques are more effective. Specific regulation methods ensure that our breaths are slowed to the correct rate and for the correct duration. They also help us consciously achieve deeper breaths and override auto-motive systems to hold the breath on inhalation or exhalation.

How frequently should you practice slow breathing?

Even practising breathing for a few minutes per day will help train the body and mind. Even taking 10 slow breaths (around 2 minutes) will be beneficial.  To get the best out of a breathing technique it is most effective to either concentrate on your breathing or work towards a more meditative state, but you can practice while doing something else. Try slow breathing when you are in a queue, reading emails or watching TV. It might help in more ways than one!

How do you regulate your breathing to reduce stress?

The normal respiratory rate for adults is between 12-20 breaths per minute. Hyperventilation, the sort of breathing triggered during high stress, is usually counted as anything over 20 breaths per minute. Slow breathing is considered to be around 4-10 breaths per minute.

Most breathing techniques will allow people to achieve a slow breathing rate of between 4-10 breaths per minute. They do this by applying the principles of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and the fact that when you breathe in your heart rate speeds up, whereas when you exhale your heart rate slows down. Therefore, breathing techniques either look to elongate the exhalation or achieve the same effect by holding the breath between inhaling or expelling air.

Which posture is best for breathing?

Most breathing techniques can be achieved when either standing, sitting, or lying down but sitting or lying down – if the situation allows it – can help with relaxing the body. It is generally good to keep your feet hip-width apart, opening the body into a neutral but relaxed posture. It is also recommended to loosen any restrictive clothing.

Another general tip is to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathing in through your nose introduces a small restriction in the airflow that helps elongate the breath. Some yogic breathing encourages a restriction in the throat on the out-breath to achieve a similar thing.

When taking a breath, it should be deep into the lungs. You should feel the stomach move out, not just your chest, on each breath. Placing a hand on the chest and another on the stomach, to feel the movement, can help ensure that you are breathing in this way.

Which are the best, simple and easy-to-remember breathing techniques?

Here are four simple, proven and effective breathing patterns and techniques that you try:

The 5:5 breathing technique

The 5:5 breathing control technique is simply breathing in for a count of five, then out for a count of five. Keeping the count to about one number a second will mean that one full breath will take about 10 seconds and the breathing rate will be reduced to about 6 breaths per minute.

The 5:5:5:5 breathing technique

Having mastered the 5:5 pattern, the breathing rate can be slowed further by introducing a pause (holding the breath) at the end of the inhalation or exhalation. With this technique, one breathes in for a count of five, then holds the breath for five, then breathes out for a count of five, and again holds for a count of five.

The 4:6 breathing technique

If holding your breath feels a little uncomfortable, then the easy alternative is to lengthen the exhalation process. The 4:6 pattern achieves this with an inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of six. With practice, the exhale can be extended further (up to about ten) but initially, a count of six is recommended. As with 5:5 breathing, aim for the count to be around one per second so the breathing rate is slowed to about six breaths a minute.

5-finger breathing technique

Another great thing to add to breathing patterns is tracing the fingers on your hand. This is often referred to as the 5-finger breathing technique and I have seen it used by school children and special forces soldiers alike, so it is definitely both easy and effective! All you do is use the finger of one hand (usually the forefinger) to trace up and down the fingers on the other hand. Move up to the tip of the finger while breathing in, then down the other side on the out-breath.

Tracing your fingers has several key benefits. Firstly, using your hand removes the need to count your overall breaths. You know, by tracing your fingers one way you will get five breaths and another five if you work your way back. If I am feeling stressed, I usually aim for at least one complete cycle of ten breaths; from the little finger to the thumb and back. If I don’t feel relaxed enough, I simply trace my hand there and back again.

The second benefit is if you place your hand on your diaphragm you can ensure that you are taking breaths deep into your lungs. The third benefit is that you get a self-soothing effect from the touch. Physical touch increases dopamine and serotonin levels, enhancing the parasympathetic state and reducing cortisol responses to stress.

Do yourself a favour: take a deep breath (and then another)!

So, if you want to reduce stress or anxiety, start by controlling your breath and reducing your overall breathing rate. Use one of the simple techniques listed above to take your breathing to below 10 breaths per minute. Then introduce the 5-finger technique to further enhance the benefits.

But even before you feel stressed, take some time, and take a breath. Take five or ten slow breaths now. I promise you will feel better for doing it and you will be better prepared for your next stressful situation.

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

Why is prioritising the key to good decision making?

We have already seen that values are at our centre and act as a compass to help guide us.  This guidance becomes very practical in decision making as our values help us prioritise.

Living in an age of choice

Being able to prioritise well, and therefore able to make effective decisions, is of ever-increasing importance today.  Never before has there been so much information or so many choices for us to wade through on a daily basis.

In former times, people (especially academics) were valued for what they knew; the experts in their field were the gatekeepers to knowledge on any given subject area.  But that power base has been somewhat eroded in recent years and the value of being a person who just ‘knows things’ has been diminished.  What is the main reason for that?  In short: the Internet.  In the age of the Internet, we have more information at our fingertips than ever before in the history of mankind.

Internet by Birgerking via Flickr

We also have more choice than ever before.  A supermarket is a dangerous place to go without a plan.  Even with two simple staples, rice and sugar, you could fill a whole trolley with the various alternatives on offer in the aisles.  When you go into a coffee shop you can no longer simply ask for a coffee; such a statement would bring consternation for the barista, impatience for other customers and shame for you!  We all know that we need to practise our order while in the queue. We need to say “extra-large-double-shot-skinny-soya-latte to go” with confidence!

Analysis paralysis

But all this choice and information presents a new challenge; people are overloaded with information and paralysed by the number of choices available.  The challenge today is not about knowing things so much as knowing how to sift, analyse and usefully apply the tornado of data that sweeps around us.  Want a lesson in irony?  Type ‘information overload’ into a search engine and see how many results it churns out in a fraction of a second!

“Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.”  Mitch Kapor

Our values aid us in the battle against information overload and potential analysis paralysis.  This is important as time is spent over decisions and there is an opportunity cost even just in deciding to spend time deliberating an option.  Many people today will spend hours pouring over the next gadget to buy and yet fail to give time to decisions that really matter.

Information overload by SparkCBC

Making good decisions

Making a decision also relieves stress.  The number of decisions we need to make, coupled with the importance of many of these decisions, can put us under real pressure.  By reducing the number of decisions we have to make and actually committing, we can release pressure and reduce our stress levels. Introducing pre-planned systems, processes and delegation can also help.

“Good is the enemy of Great” Jim Collins

One of the challenges that make decisions hard is that we are generally choosing between several good things. It is not just a choice between one good and one bad thing.  This brings in a new challenge. As Jim Collins points out, the ‘good can be the enemy of the great’. Our limited time and resources can be used up on lots of good things but we could still end up missing the best thing.

Therefore prioritising is of critical importance. If we are going to achieve our best then we are going to have to make the right decisions. Our values will help to guide us and if you want help working out your values read:

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!

An Easy Daily Hack to Regain Calm, Creativity and Clarity

Whenever I feel I am losing my calm, hitting a mental block in creativity or needing some clarity of thought I go for a quick walk. I love long walks but sometimes just stepping away from the desk and outside for 5-10 minutes is all that is needed.

Calm

As walking is a gentle exercise it gives us the chance to release pent up mental stress without over-stressing the body in doing so. Walking beyond the confines of our workspace also changes our environment and therefore also our perspective. The act of walking helps to regulate our breathing and physiological state and that, in turn, improves our psychological state.

Creativity

The change of environment also produces new stimuli that promote creativity. As we allow our minds to wander our subconscious can get to work on whatever problem we are facing. This allows for the ‘eureka’ moments that come when we are in a more relaxed and mentally passive state.

Clarity

As Sasha Doyle pointed out, the question that we all need to focus on is ‘What’s the most important thing I need to do today?” The challenge is, when we are drowning under a deluge of competing demands, it is hard to gain the clarity needed to properly answer that question.

Just a short walk can create some distance from the demands to allow clarity of thought. With this cognitive as well as physical distancing one can properly assess priorities and make sure the most important thing is truly the most important (not just someone else’s most important thing).

So, no matter where you are. At home or the office, the city or in the country, go for a short walk to re-set, re-energise and re-ignite.

If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions

About The Right Questions

The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.

Need help navigating your journey to success?

I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!