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Posted August 21, 2016 in Debra’s Wellness Tips

A Chilling Way to Calm Down

By Debra Basham

Debra’s Wellness Tips

Emotions have a very significant role in our health and well-being. When strong emotions are triggered, difficulty in thinking occurs. We navigate best with a cool head. Literally….

According to Dr. Marsha Linehan, creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a surprisingly simple technique can calm you down immediately. The technique? Submerging your face in extremely cold water, particularly the parts of the face just below the eyes and above the cheekbones. This resets your nervous system, forcing the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to kick in.

• Fill a bowl with icy cold water
• Bend/lean over
• Hold your breath
• Put face in icy cold water for 30 seconds
• Make sure that area underneath eyes/above cheekbones (most sensitive part of the face) feels the icy water

Dr. Linehan reports that this surprisingly simple technique will “calm you down immediately” and is “incredibly effective.” Other ways to activate the diving reflex and get the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and calm you down include an icy cold gel mask over/around the eye area. It is worth noting that this technique also works best (to activate the dive reflex) if you hold your breath and bend over for 30 seconds.

The calming effect of putting your face in icy water is a result of the mammalian diving reflex.

Some cautions do exist, so be sure to read the entire article before giving it a try.

Next week’s tip will offer some ways you can enjoy the health benefits of highly positive states, but this week find some ways to cool down those hot emotions.

Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips

August 21st, 2016 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Category: Debra’s Wellness Tips

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