De-stress your life with this simple 'PLAN' and calming breathing technique

Our lives are more stressful than ever. Here are some ways to give yourself a mental reset.

Monday, September 21, 2020
Expert tips for giving yourself a mental reset
A 4-step plan for decreasing stress and breathing techniques to help your mental health.

Almost everyone is feeling a little extra stress and anxiety during this time.

Dr. Stuart Lustig, a national medical executive for Behavioral Health at Cigna, developed a four-step plan that can help you manage stress better.

That PLAN includes:

  • a Period of time to unwind
  • a Location to de-stress
  • an Activity to enjoy
  • the Name of someone to talk to.

Another way to help calm your nerves is called square breathing.

Here is how it works:

Breathe in through your nose slowly for a count of 4, hold your breath 4 counts, then slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4, pause for another count of 4.

The beauty of this exercise is it can be done anywhere and works almost immediately to lower stress and help you re-set.