Ask Roger: What is the Stress Reduction Response?

Stress Reduction Response

The Stress Reduction Response is one of the very simple and very basic mindfulness stress reduction techniques that I teach to most of my clients. It’s quick, easy and powerfully effective.

This powerful mindfulness technique allows you to get out of the chaos that’s going on and back into your body: aware of your feet on the floor, your butt in the chair and aware of your breath. It’s a way that you can ground yourself back into the moment.

You can learn to do it so subtly that you can be in the midst of a conversation and no one will notice.

Stress Reduction Response technique

Here is what you do: Close your eyelids as you squeeze your thumb and forefinger together and take a deep breath in through your nose. Then, slowly exhale through your mouth while releasing your thumb and forefinger and open your eyelids.

It’s that simple.

You can also do it driving down the road, just keep your eyelids open.

And ladies, you don’t need to do this in your husbands face when you find his dirty socks in the middle of the living room floor. You can have your hand at your side as you use this and then decide if it’s really worth another conversation. Or, should you just pick them up for him or leave them there to see how many months before he picks them up. The point is that it allows you to stay out of the crazy making arguments and focus on solution.

The Stress Reduction Response is one of the powerful, quick and effective mindfulness techniques that I teach to all clients.