Mini Brain Breaks to Quickly Calm Stress When You’re at Your Breaking Point

If you’re human, you’ve probably reached your breaking point more than once throughout your life. 

Too much stress can leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious and ready to throw in the towel at any given moment.

The bad things is, stress often sneaks up on us, so we don’t necessarily realize we’ve reached our breaking point until we’re literally almost over the edge.

When this happens, it’s important to know the steps to take to quickly calm yourself down and regain a sense of control so that you can think more clearly.

Here are 4 techniques you can try next time stress has you teetering on the edge.
 
Breathe.

This is pretty obvious, and it may be the easiest step to take since it’s such a natural thing to do.

You can immediately begin to feel better by practicing a few simple breathing exercises. The more oxygen you get into your body, the calmer you begin to feel.

You know the old saying, “Count to 10 when you’re angry?” There is some merit in that.

As you continue to focus on your breathing, the tension starts to leave your body and it helps pull you back from the edge.

Try this even when you’re not stressed to the max to help clear your mind and be more present in the here and now.
 
Have a good cry. 

There is something to be said about crying it out and letting yourself feel the emotions you’re going through.

Holding back the tears and trying to be strong, is only going to prolong your stress and hurt.
You may be surprised at how much better you feel once you let it all out.

Crying is a self-soothing way that you can relieve pain, enhance your mood and reduce your stress levels quickly. Allowing yourself that time to ugly cry can shift your thinking and make your situation not seem so bad after all.
 
Talk it out. 

One of the best ways to pull yourself back from the edge of a breaking point is to talk about how you’re feeling. Grab someone you trust – a close friend or family member and spill your guts.

Sometimes it can make you feel 100% better simply by letting someone else in on what you’re going through.

Plus, most of the time they will have a different perspective or at least some good advice on how to work through your situation. Either way you leave the conversation with more clarity and less stress.
 
Briefly Check Out. 

When you’re stressed to the max, you need to give yourself time to zone out and focus on something other than the situation at hand.

Try listening to a guided meditation, calming music or even nature sounds. 

Close your eyes and let yourself be distracted momentarily. Listening to the soothing sounds of music or someone else’s voice can help you relax and destress from the moment.

You’ll find that once you come back up for air, the stress and tension isn’t nearly as bad.

Or even better, go outside and sit in the sun for 10 minutes each day.
 
You don’t have to allow stress to rule your life.

If you feel like you’re at the breaking point, try a few of these simple tips to help you calm down quickly and pull yourself back from the edge.

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Action Step: Stop what you're doing right now, set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and take a mini breathing break! 

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