46- Mind Over Matter: Techniques to Master Stress and Emotion
During the CREW Network Leadership Summit 2024 spring session Dr. Seppälä discussed the science of brain activity during high-stress situations. Specifically, she shared that during high-stress situations, individuals can lose regulation of their prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain that regulates emotions. She continued to explain that people’s breathing patterns are different based on the emotions they experience.
Research shows that when a person is sad, they breathe more deeply and slowly. A sigh, for example, is a long deep breathing action that can be self-soothing. A sigh can help trigger a relaxation repose that may provide a sense of relief from sadness. In contrast, when people are happy, they breathe in regular relaxed breathing patterns.
When people are fearful or anxious their “fight or flight” response engages and their breathing is shallower and faster. From an evolutionary perspective, this is believed to be beneficial as shallow breaths allow more oxygen into your lungs which can be useful running from a predator.
There is a relationship between the amygdala and a person’s respiratory control center. This means that our emotions are directly tied to our breathing patterns, and vice versa.
For example, when you are stressed, you tend to breath more shallowly and faster from the chest which is a result of the fight or flight response. Therefore, if we can control our breathing, we can regain control during a stressful situation. As a leader, I often find myself in unexpectedly stressful situations. Some of the tools I learned in this workshop include conditioning my nervous system to withstand more stress by practicing breathing exercises. A tool that she shared was to do daily meditation exercises starting with something as simple as humming for 5 minutes, or a daily meditation. As Dr. Seppälä said, “Everything you do daily conditions you for something.” Once these breathing exercises are more reflexive, your body is better conditioned to react positively to stressors. She suggests doing breathing exercises regularly, and at the start of a situation you predict will be stressful. If you get caught unaware in a stressful situation you did not predict, you can use these pre-trained patterns to quickly calm yourself. When you practice breathing patterns that correlate to a calm emotional state, you will be more able to call on them during times of stress.
After listening to Dr. Seppälä‘s talk I started researching additional links between the emotional behavior center of our brain, the amygdala, and the five human senses. In addition to changes in stress levels related to breathing patterns, research shows that olfactory stimulation can trigger emotional response. The “Proust phenomenon,” states that memories evoked by smell are more impactful to our emotional system than memories evoked by any of our other senses.
In one study by Herz, Eliassen, Beland, and Souza conducted on a limited number of women, odor-evoked memories were shown to activate the amygdala and hippocampal parts of the brain. These two regions of our brains process memory and emotion. For example, one woman in the study responded to the scent of “Opium” perfume and remembered a trip to Paris when she was four years old and watching her mother getting ready for an evening out. Presuming this memory is a positive one, a link can be made between the scent and positive emotions. For me, my favorite scent is Lilac which is a very fragrant bush and my grandmother had one in her back yard where I spent many summers. Although no one has performed a FMRI on me while smelling this scent, undoubtedly the results would show an emotional calming response. While it isn’t feasible to have a lilac bush in my office, I can have lilac scented hand lotion and lilac tea on hand to use when I am in a stressful situation. You too, can use this tip to destress yourself in various scenarios. Think about what scents have strong positive memories for you. Perhaps it is vanilla which reminds you of baking Christmas cookies with a sibling, or cinnamon which reminds you of a ritual from your wedding. Whatever scent you find calming, try to find a way to include it in your workspace so that you can use it when you need a quick way to de-stress.
Why should you strive for calmness? The benefits of being calm include: you being more present in the moment which leads to better decision making , you actively listening to others which leads to better communication, you having less stress which is healthier for your mental and physical well-being, and you generally being more thoughtful during interactions with others which reduces conflict. Lastly, people respond better to leaders who are calm under pressure and do not appear frazzled so managing your stress level ultimately up’s your leadership game.
In closing, I encourage you to practice a breathing pattern associated with happiness (deep slow breaths) and have something nearby with a scent that reminds you of a positive memory to assist you with staying calm you during a stressful time. These are just a few tips that I learned after attending the first session of the CREW Network Leadership Certificate program led by Dr. Seppälä. Look for my next blog focused on how listening to other’s life stories can make you a better leader.
What are your favorite calming scents?
©shanacarroll
