As reported by Lifehacker, blocking your air passage with your thumb then exhaling activates your vagus nerve, which is spread throughout your body. Research shows that stimulating your vagus nerve can decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, making you feel more relaxed.
By blowing on your thumb with your mouth closed you stimulate the vagus nerve enough for it to send a message to your brain to cool your jets. It'll make your heart rate slower and your breathing more even, which are both cues that tell your brain that you're 'calm'.
With your index finger and thumb, apply firm pressure to the webbing between the thumb and index finger of your other hand. Massage the pressure point for four to five seconds, taking slow, deep breaths.
Pressure Point Extra-1 (Yin Tang) Pressure point Extra-1 is also called Yin Tang. It is at the midpoint (the center) between your eyebrows (see Figure 1). Doing acupressure on this point can help with stress and anxiety.
A big event or a buildup of smaller stressful life situations may trigger excessive anxiety — for example, a death in the family, work stress or ongoing worry about finances. Personality. People with certain personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders than others are.
Follow the 3-3-3 rule.
Look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm.
A sudden onset of anxiety can be triggered by a plethora of things—from a major event, like a death in the family, to everyday stressors, such as work or budget worries—but sometimes it can be caused by seemingly nothing at all—or even issues you're not consciously aware of.
Also known as the “fainting game”, among other names, thumb-blowing involves intentionally depriving the brain of oxygen.
According to Chakra or Energy Healing, the thumb is associated with the lung meridian and the fire element. This fire energy in the thumb can be used to absorb and transform excess energy from the other fingers, whilst providing nourishment for the other elements in the body.
The craze sees kids put their thumbs in their mouth, squeeze their chests and repeatedly blow through their fingers until they hyperventilate.
As an aid to control seizures, VNS is thought to: Improve blood flow to critical areas of your brain. Alter the chaotic electrical pattern that happens during a seizure. Increase the level of neurotransmitters (specifically norepinephrine and serotonin) in your brain that may control seizure development.
The vagus nerve carries an extensive range of signals from digestive system and organs to the brain and vice versa. It is the tenth cranial nerve, extending from its origin in the brainstem through the neck and the thorax down to the abdomen.
Repetitive movements of the thumb and wrist, or a direct blow to the area, may irritate these tendons and cause them to swell, hindering their movement through the sheath and causing you pain.
The four levels of anxiety are mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, severe anxiety, and panic level anxiety, each of which is classified by the level of distress and impairment they cause.
First, you may want to start with a simple deep breathing exercise called the 5-5-5 method. To do this, you breathe in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, and then breathe out for 5 seconds. You can continue this process until your thoughts slow down or you notice some relief.
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
Wind pool
The wind pool pressure point is actually two pressure points on symmetrical sides of the neck. These points are typically where your hairline ends, just below where your neck meets the curve of your skull. To help inspire sleep, apply pressure to these points simultaneously, using both hands.
This is often called the fight or flight response. The pressure of weighted blankets puts your autonomic nervous system into “rest” mode, reducing some of the symptoms of anxiety, such as a quickened heart rate or breathing. This can provide an overall sense of calm.
Tapping has been clinically proven to manage stress, reduce cortisol levels, improve anxiety and even treat PTSD in veterans. “Because tapping is a gentle and easy-to-follow technique, anyone struggling with stress, anxiety or pain can benefit from it,” says Ortner.