SMILING
According to a study published in the journal Experimental Psychology, researchers found that smiling – even a fake smile – tricks your brain into thinking you’re happy.
SINGING
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body and connects your brain to major organs including the gut, heart and lungs. The higher your vagal tone, the better your ability to relax. Singing builds vagal tone which will, in turn, boost your relaxation powers.
MASSAGE
It breaks the cycle of emotion associated with anxiety and depression – if only for the duration of the massage – and releases physiological tension.
MAGNESIUM BATHS AND SUPPLEMENTS
There’s a stack of research on this but the short version is that magnesium can help soothe anxiety by binding to and stimulating GABA receptors in the brain. When GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is low, your brain gets stuck in the ‘on’ position and you may find it very hard to relax.
DEEP BREATHING
Deep breathing switches on the parasympathetic nervous system and switches off the ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ response that causes anxiety.
