From the author: Ways to quickly get your nerves in order are good when they are simple. Only such a piggy bank of your anti-stress techniques will be a lifesaver for all occasions. The fastest way to regulate your psycho-emotional state is to use breathing techniques. The most effective ones are given in the last part of the article, and in order for them to bring maximum benefit, let’s remember just a little theory. (If you can’t bear how excited you are, go straight to the practice outlined in paragraph 3). Breathing is regulated by the nervous system and, with a certain “pattern” of inhalations and exhalations, can control it itself. According to physiologists, inhalation is associated with excitation of the nervous system, exhalation with its inhibition. This means that you can achieve a calming effect if you lengthen the exhalation and make the inhalation shorter. (And vice versa, if you lengthen the inhalation and shorten the exhalation or even make it sharp, mobilization will occur functions of the nervous system.) So the first rule of calm is a long and calm exhalation. And what is the second? Use diaphragm (abdominal) breathing - it is more economical and physiological. (Excited people “breathe with their ribs” or even the upper part of their chest, which in itself “turns on” excitement). Now let’s move on to our trouble-free practices, which are best done while sitting or lying down, in a comfortable position. We turn on diaphragmatic breathing - ensured by movement diaphragm. When you inhale, it goes down, while the stomach protrudes slightly forward. Place your right hand on your stomach and your left hand on your ribs. When inhaling through the diaphragm, your right hand moves forward with your stomach. If the left hand on the ribs remains in place, then you have managed to “cancel” chest breathing and have mastered diaphragmatic breathing - congratulations) Let’s exhale longer. Take a relatively short, deep breath, then a short pause and exhale freely and smoothly. The exhalation should be at least 2 times longer than the inhalation. The longer the exhalation, the greater the state of relaxation you can achieve. Observe the accompanying sensations of relaxation in your body. You may feel a feeling of warmth and heaviness in your arms and legs. 3. The simplest anti-stress practice is “stepped exhalation.” Take a calm, deep breath and hold the air for a pause of 2-3 seconds. - just block the exhalation of air in the middle of the chest - all of us know how to do this. Then begin the “stepped exhalation” itself - “open the exhalation valve”, simply releasing the air in portions of 3, or better yet, 5 times. At the last stage of “release-exhalation”, the air flow simply flows out of you by inertia, getting weaker and weaker, and then your breathing surprisingly calmly freezes for 1-3 seconds, giving you a long-awaited feeling of calm, which will deepen and grow with each subsequent cycle. It is better if you do not rush with the next breath, but wait until the body “misses the air” and it itself wants to inhale. (The duration of the “release stage” of air is short, a fraction of a second. In this case, there is no effort, you simply “open the valve” in your chest. The “release pattern” of air is better like this: “release-pause 1-2s, release-pause...) Do this cycle 10-12 or more times. If you are unable to use the “chest valve”, regulate the exhalation with pursed lips. This is also a good way, especially if after the “last step of exhalation” you can relax and release your lips and allow relaxation to spread across your face. 4. Anti-stress practice “double inhalations and exhalations” The essence: you need to pause in the middle of the inhalation and in the middle of the exhalation. How to do: -- Inhale part of the air from a full inhalation in one second (count "ONCE") -- Stop inhaling, pause 2sec. (count TWO, THREE) --Inhale air until you inhale completely in 3 seconds. (score 4-5-6) -- Pause 2 seconds. (count 7-8) -- Exhale part of the air, for 1 second. (count 9) - Pause 2 seconds (count 10, 11) - until EXHALE for 3 seconds (count 12, 13, 14) - Pause 2 seconds (count 15, 16) Do the cycle 10-12 or more times. Pauses between breaths.