What Stress-Reduction Techniques Do You Recommend to Your Clients?
Psychologist Brief
What Stress-Reduction Techniques Do You Recommend to Your Clients?
In search of tranquility, we've gathered the wisdom of ten mental health experts, including Medical Directors and Therapists, who share their go-to stress-reduction strategies. From the calming practice of Mindfulness Meditation to the rhythmic balance of the 4-7-8 Breathing Method, these simple yet effective techniques are designed to help clients navigate the pressures of life.
- Practice Mindfulness Meditation
- Acknowledge and Welcome Emotions
- Engage Your Senses
- Try Box Breathing
- Use Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Connect Through Deep Breathing
- Leverage Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Perform Self-Havening Techniques
- Implement the Four Elements Exercise
- Adopt the 4-7-8 Breathing Method
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Taking care of my own mental health is crucial, especially when I'm helping others manage theirs. To prevent burnout, I make it a point to set boundaries between work and personal life. It's easy to get caught up in the demands of the job, but I've learned that taking time for myself is essential. One thing that really helps me is daily mindfulness meditation. Just 10-15 minutes of meditation each day helps me stay grounded and manage stress. When things start to feel overwhelming, I also take short walks to clear my mind. These simple practices keep me balanced and ensure I can give my best to my patients.
Acknowledge and Welcome Emotions
I often encourage my clients to 'lean into' their difficult emotions rather than resist them. When we try to avoid or suppress stress, it often intensifies because we are actively engaging in a struggle with it. Instead, by welcoming these emotions and acknowledging their presence—almost as if we’re greeting them—we create a space where the tension can soften. It's like saying, 'I see you, and it's okay that you're here.' This act of recognition allows the mind to stop fighting, which reduces the mental resistance that often fuels stress. Once this resistance is lowered, the emotional intensity can begin to dissolve. This approach helps clients gain clarity and peace, as they no longer feel overwhelmed by trying to push the stress away.
Engage Your Senses
Stress is funny—it's almost always about something that isn't happening right now. So, the best way to chill out? Bring yourself back to the present moment. And here's the cool thing: your senses only work in the here and now.
When I'm working with clients, I like to get them tuned into their senses, especially touch, sight, and hearing. It's simple stuff, but it works wonders. I might say something like, "Hey, take a second to notice how your clothes feel on your skin. Feel that breath coming in and out of your nose. Notice how the chair is supporting you right now."
For the visual folks, I'll have them look around the room and find something that catches their eye in a good way. Or we'll play a little game—"Can you spot five things that are orange? Or round? Or shiny?" It's amazing how quickly that can shift your focus.
And don't forget about sound. I'll often ask clients to listen for the closest sound they can hear, and then the farthest. It's like a little audio treasure hunt.
All of these little exercises? They snap you right back into the present moment. And just like that, you're grounded. It's like magic for stress relief, honestly. When you're fully in the now, that anxious chatter in your head tends to quiet down.
Try Box Breathing
Controlling your breathing is one of the best ways to relax when you feel overwhelmed or your body is stressed, which is often referred to as the fight-or-flight-or-freeze response. By focusing on your breathing, you can trick your nervous system into thinking that whatever seems like a threat (like a wild animal, a difficult boss, or heavy traffic) isn’t a problem anymore. Normally, our breathing is controlled automatically by our nervous system, but when we take control and slow down our breathing, it signals to our body that the threat is gone. This stops the flow of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
One simple technique to try is called box breathing. To do this, breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, and then wait four seconds before breathing in again. You can repeat this three to five times or until you start to feel calmer. The great thing about this technique is that you can do it anywhere and anytime.
Remember, when you get really stressed, it can take your body 20 to 30 minutes to clear out those stress hormones. So, if you find yourself in a heated argument or a stressful situation, it’s okay to take a break. You can scroll through social media or watch a show for a little while. This will help you calm down and come back to the situation more calmly and reasonably.
Use Progressive Muscle Relaxation
One simple but effective stress-reduction technique I recommend to my clients is progressive muscle relaxation. This method involves intentionally tensing specific muscle groups and then slowly releasing the tension, which helps create a heightened awareness of physical stress and the importance of letting it go. By focusing on the sensations of both tension and relaxation, clients can better understand how stress manifests in their bodies and learn to release it more effectively. Progressive muscle relaxation not only reduces physical tension but also promotes mental calmness, making it a powerful tool for managing stress. Regular practice can lead to improved stress management and overall well-being.
Connect Through Deep Breathing
Using a holistic approach of slow, deep breathing connects both the brain and heart, sending a message to slow down and acclimate with the breath, thereby calming both the body and mind. Focusing on the breath is also a practice of mindfulness, which doesn't only reduce stress and anxiety but can enhance your overall well-being.
Leverage Diaphragmatic Breathing
One highly effective, evidence-based stress-reduction technique I frequently recommend is diaphragmatic breathing, also known as deep abdominal breathing. This practice leverages the parasympathetic nervous system to counteract the body's stress response, specifically the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. By focusing on slow, controlled breaths that originate from the diaphragm, clients can activate the vagus nerve, inducing a state of physiological calm that reduces cortisol levels and improves emotional regulation.
Clinical studies, such as the one conducted by Ma et al. (2017) in 'Frontiers in Psychology,' have demonstrated that diaphragmatic breathing not only reduces acute stress but also enhances cognitive function, including attention and memory, by lowering the body's physiological arousal. This simple practice can be easily integrated into daily routines and serves as a foundational strategy for managing both situational and chronic stressors.
Perform Self-Havening Techniques
When I want to help my clients shift their nervous system out of a "fight or flight" state to a "rest and digest" state, I suggest something called "self-havening." Self-havening is a self-soothing exercise that can be practiced anywhere and anytime, and signals to the nervous system that it's safe to calm down.
To practice self-havening, simply cross your arms over your chest and, starting at the top of your shoulders, run your hands slowly and gently but noticeably down your arms to your elbows. Do this at least 8-10 times. You may wish to try the same action along your face from the top of the head to the jaw as well. You may continue this practice until you notice the stress level in your body and mind begin to shift.
Implement the Four Elements Exercise
As a mental health professional, one effective and simple stress-reduction technique I recommend is the "Four Elements Exercise for Stress Management" (Shapiro and Laub, 2012). This technique can be done anywhere and helps manage stress by addressing both external and internal triggers throughout the day. It focuses on staying within your "window of tolerance" (Ogden & Minton, 2000).
The Four Elements Exercise consists of four brief self-calming activities, each representing an element: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. The sequence begins with checking your level of stress on a scale of 0-10. Then begin to focus on:
Earth: Take a minute or two to land. Place both feet on the ground, feel the chair supporting you. Look around and notice three new things. What do you see? What do you hear?
Air: Breathe in through your nose as you count to four seconds, then hold for two, and then breathe out for four seconds. Take about a dozen deeper, slower breaths.
Water: Do you have saliva in your mouth? Make more saliva. When you are anxious or stressed, your mouth often dries because part of the stress emergency response is to shut off the digestive system. So when you start making saliva, you switch on the digestive system and the relaxation response.
Fire: Bring up an image of a calm or happy place. What do you feel, and where do you feel it in your body? Stay here as long as you like.
By frequently checking your stress level and performing the Four Elements Exercise throughout the day, you can prevent stress from accumulating and increase your ability to stay within your window of tolerance.
Adopt the 4-7-8 Breathing Method
One simple but incredibly effective stress-reduction technique I recommend to my clients is the 4-7-8 breath. This breathing exercise is not only easy to do but also has a profound impact on calming the nervous system, making it a go-to tool for reducing stress. Here's how it works:
Inhale quietly through your nose for a count of 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for a count of 7 seconds, allowing your body to fully oxygenate.
Exhale slowly through your mouth with a whooshing sound for a count of 8 seconds.
This technique engages your parasympathetic nervous system, helping to shift your body out of 'fight or flight' mode and into a state of calm. I encourage parents to practice this with their kids as a co-regulation strategy, as it's something you can do together in just a few minutes to reduce stress. The 4-7-8 breath not only calms the mind but also helps to improve focus and sleep—making it a powerful tool for families navigating daily stress.
