In various recent studies, researchers examined the efficacy of different techniques to combat workplace anxiety, which is a significant issue. So, what measures can you take to remain composed, logical, and efficient when confronted with a stressful scenario?
There was an article I read once by Emma Seppälä,Christina Bradley, and Michael R. Goldstein. It was about a guy called U.S. Marine Corp officer Jake.
US Marine Corp Officer Jake D. was able to remain calm and save his life in a critical situation in Afghanistan by recalling a breathing exercise he had learned from a book for young officers. This experience illustrates the potential of breathing exercises to manage stress and negative emotions in the workplace. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing social justice struggles have exacerbated anxiety levels among workers, affecting their productivity. Two recently published studies demonstrate the effectiveness of breathing exercises in reducing stress levels both immediately and in the long term. The first study, conducted at Yale, evaluated the impact of three wellbeing interventions, including SKY Breath Meditation, a comprehensive series of breathing and meditation exercises designed to induce calm and resilience. The results showed that participants who practiced SKY Breath Meditation experienced the most benefits in terms of mental health, social connectedness, positive emotions, stress levels, depression, and mindfulness. In the second study, conducted at the University of Arizona, SKY Breath Meditation was compared to a workshop that taught conventional cognitive strategies for stress-management. The results showed that while both workshops produced significant increases in social connectedness, SKY Breathing was more beneficial in terms of immediate impact on stress, mood, and conscientiousness, and these effects were even stronger three months later. In addition, SKY Breathing instilled a buffer against the anxiety typically associated with anticipating a stressful situation. Breathing exercises are effective because different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing, and changing how we breathe can change how we feel. For example, when we feel anxious or angry, our breathing will be irregular, short, fast, and shallow. By changing the rhythm of our breath, we can signal relaxation, slow our heart rate, and stimulate the vagus nerve, which is responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” activities. Triggering the parasympathetic nervous system helps us start to calm down, feel better, and think more rationally. While a short breathing exercise can be effective in the moment, a daily breathing protocol such as the SKY Breath Meditation technique can train our nervous system for resilience in the long run, leading to sustained greater wellbeing and lower stress levels both at work and beyond.
