It’s finally the end of the day, but there’s no question of relaxing and switching off? We have tips and exercises that will help – and are very easy to do.
Thoughts are circling, muscles are tense and somehow you just can’t relax. From journaling to special breathing, there are a few strategies to counteract the constant stress. Neuro-centric training can also help. Special exercises relax you and help you switch off.
Why is it so difficult for so many people to switch off?
Our everyday life is shaped by an infinite number of influences. Many feel like they are electrified all day. At work, switching between meetings and projects is the order of the day. We spend more and more hours sitting in front of the PC. Many people find it difficult to really switch off after work and to get involved in the end of the day. This can permanently lead to increased stress. Therefore, establishing an evening routine can be helpful. Completely customized to your own needs.
What does stress mean for the body?
Stress is understood to be the increased physical and mental tension that can lead to damage to health. This happens when external stimuli build up mental and physical tension. If this condition persists, it has long-term and often fatal effects on our body. It is therefore important to create awareness and develop a feeling for how stress can be reduced.
How is stress expressed?
Stress can manifest itself through the following factors:
- difficulty concentrating
- headache
- tension
- insomnia
- digestive problems
For example, fear, helplessness, anger or aggression can be triggered. Cognitively, stress can also lead to increased prejudice, disbelief and difficulty concentrating. This can translate into changes in behavior, resulting in problems sleeping or reduced appetite.
Also interesting: The influence of permanent stress on the immune system
Task and function of the nervous system
The human body has two areas of the autonomic or involuntary nervous system that regulate these physiological body processes and thus contribute to our well-being: the sympathetic (“stress mode”) and the parasympathetic (“regenerative mode”). The sympathetic nervous system is activated when threatening stressors force our body to be alert and alert. The consequences are an increase in heart rate and respiratory rate, better blood flow to the skeletal muscles, dilation of the pupils and reduced digestion.
These are all necessary adjustments to be able to react quickly in a threatening situation. This is conditionally evolutionary – in the past, people had to flee from predators in stressful situations, which is why a quick adaptation of the body to this exceptional situation was essential for survival. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is responsible for recovery and regeneration as well as digestion. It regulates degradation/remodeling and regeneration processes.
These two areas work together synergistically and should be balanced throughout the day. Physical performance can only be accessed and physical well-being can only exist if these two areas are in balance. If the body is constantly under stress due to insecurities, financial hardship or family stress, the regeneration mode cannot counteract sufficiently.
It is therefore necessary to strengthen the regeneration mode (parasympathetic) while minimizing the stress mode (sympathetic). This is the only way you will be able to process all the experiences of the day in the evening and regenerate at night.
Also interesting: Crazy TikTok trick with an ice pack is supposed to ensure better sleep
What role does the vagus nerve play?
The vagus nerve, which is responsible for the transmission of information and regulation of almost all upper abdominal organs up to the middle colon, plays a decisive role in the reduction of stressors and regeneration. The vagus nerve is one of the cranial nerves that arise directly from the cranial nerve nuclei and not from the spinal cord. Put simply, it can be said that the information with the highest priority is passed directly to the brain.
The vagus nerve controls functions such as breathing and heart rate as well as gastrointestinal activity. When the vagus nerve is stimulated, i.e. activated, breathing and heart rates slow down and digestion is stimulated. This leads to positive effects on the regeneration mode and improves sleep and the body’s recovery capacity. This leads to an increase in well-being, ensures a balanced mood and even has an influence on positive blood sugar regulation and improved digestion.
Like all areas of the brain, this one can also be specifically activated through exercises. The processing of the information is thereby more precise and consequently improved. This in turn leads to physical, mental and emotional health and balance.
The well-known and basic measures that are already known to reduce stress are healthy eating and adequate sleep. Additional regenerative measures help to support the body in the necessary regeneration and to restore balance.
Also interesting: Tense neck – 5 effective exercises
How does neurocentric training work?
The human body is not only highly specialized, but also extremely intelligent. Trillions of different cells work in concert to keep us alive and enable us to perform.
Neuro-centred training is always about consciously and purposefully perceiving your own bodily processes. It is specifically about the dynamic balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.
How can you reduce the stress level and switch off better?
There are a number of exercises that relax by activating both the vagus nerve and the insular cortex. You can easily try them at home
For example, the connection between breathing and heart rate can be specifically trained via the body’s own systems. Conscious and deep breathing through the nose directly calms the heartbeat and thus reduces the stress reaction.
Another tip: the brain loves routines that reduce complexity and create security. That’s why a calming routine with special exercises can help to relax: from an evening walk to diary entries to meditation or reflection with loved ones, you can design them individually. Below are a few examples to try.
stroll
To get at least some exercise into everyday life, an evening walk is recommended. Ten minutes is enough to continuously incorporate more movement. Walking evenly relaxes the mind. The view into the distance, ideally into nature, relaxes the eyes and the shoulder and neck area.
In order not to think about the to-dos of the day or week during the evening walk, you should focus on your breathing. Just walk a few steps in the fresh air at a comfortable pace and pay attention to your breathing. Then transition into the following breathing:
- 2 steps inhalation
- 2 steps breath hold
- 4 steps exhalation
- 2 steps breath hold
Try to keep breathing for as long as possible. Tip: If necessary, increase the breath hold by 1-2 seconds or steps or walk more slowly to adjust the body to the oxygen reduction. Pay attention to your body, how it feels, where there are tensions and where you can consciously relax.
Also interesting: 11 reasons why you should start the day with a walk
diary
Take a few minutes to jot down thoughts and reflect on the day.
- what went well
- What things didn’t go so well?
- What would you like to do differently the next day?
By reflecting on the day, you process what you have experienced. The brain sorts the impressions and experiences of the day, discards the unimportant and saves the important. At the same time you can consciously perceive your own thoughts and emotions. And you already start structuring the next day. This provides more predictability and safety for the nervous system. Because when you go through tomorrow in your head, you unconsciously think about possible challenges.
movement
Find movements that you enjoy. It is deliberately not about sport and performance, but about movement. Feeling and perceiving one’s own body provides the nervous system with information about the state of the body. The better the nervous system knows whether it is being threatened or not, the better it can relax and achieve dynamic balance. You should be able to breathe in and out through your nose in a relaxed manner. It doesn’t matter how you move or what you do. Here some examples:
breathing
During the day and in the evening, make sure you breathe in and out through your nose in a relaxed manner and keep your mouth closed. Waking up in the morning with a dry mouth or tight jaw indicates that you are sleeping with your mouth open and your breathing is not ideal. In this case you can try to tape your mouth shut – with a finger-thick strip of kinesiotape. It is also worth taking tension out of the body and mobilizing the diaphragm. A simple exercise is the diaphragm stretch. It not only improves movement, ventilation of the lungs and oxygenation, but also reduces unnecessary stress cycles and tension throughout the body.
2 recommended exercises for relaxation
diaphragm stretch
Improving breathing can have a positive effect on tension, back pain and digestive problems. It can also optimize sleep.
All of this can be positively influenced by breathing. The following exercise recommendation:
- Pull the pubic bone towards the navel (press the lumbar spine into the pad)
- Breathe in as much as possible through your nose and stretch out your arms parallel to your back
- Open your mouth and throat and breathe out as much as possible (arms stay behind and the spine is stretched out)
- Consciously perceive three repetitions and the subsequent relaxation
Also interesting: massage and breathing techniques that can help with digestive problems
neuro reset
This exercise creates the dynamic balance of contraction and relaxation. The sensory stimulation activates internal body awareness and gives the nervous system a lot of information about where tension is present.
- Breathe in and out evenly through your nose. Do the exercise as intensely as is comfortable.
- One after the other for ten seconds each…