How to Stay Calm Under Pressure: 3 Natural Remedies for Stress for Highly Sensitive People

When I’m tense, call me musical Marya. I’ve got no instrument but I’m still hitting the high notes thanks to my gastrointestinal system. 

It’s the night before my 6 month follow-up for a breast ultrasound. The doctor is looking to see if a complex cyst has changed and I’m on pins and needles.

I’m a mass of loose stools, sweaty armpits, and yawning. I’ve been tossing and turning since before sunrise. 

Do you know this feeling? 

It happens before I give a public speech or go on a job interview. And imagine me on my wedding day. I’m in my dress, fastening my earrings and tooting nonstop with tissues shoved under my armpits to quell the sweat rings. 

My nervous system goes into overdrive easily as an Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and there’s a good scientific reason for it. 

Let’s look at why this happens.

Your nervous system on the loose - Driving a car with no brakes

Imagine strapping on your seat belt, turning the key in the ignition and hitting the gas. You come to a traffic stop, pump the brakes and nothing happens. Your car will not slow down. Your brakes are shot. 

This is stress. 

Just like a car has a gas pedal to GO and a brake to STOP, your nervous system has two opposing functions that work together to keep a balance in your body. 

The sympathetic nervous system is the gas pedal. It revs you up and gives you get-up-and-go so you can make a quick getaway.

The parasympathetic side is your braking system. It calms you down and helps you rest, relax and come to a complete stop.

As an HSP, my stressed sympathetic nervous system is running full steam ahead. My breathing and heart rate are raring to go. But my calming parasympathetic system is on the fritz. 

It’s as if my parasympathetic nervous system and its worker bee, the vagus nerve, have abandoned me in my time of need.

What’s the role of the vagus nerve, you ask?  Let me tell you. 

The vagus nerve and the mind-body connection

Remember how I looked before my breast ultrasound? Yawning with half moons of sweat under my arms, and making fast-tracks to the toilet.

The vagus nerve oversees these 3 things: breathing, heart rate and the digestive tract. 

It detects how fast you’re breathing and adjusts your heart rate accordingly to make sure there’s enough oxygen supply in the blood. 

Let’s zoom in on this a bit more.

Just like the gas and brake go together, so do the in-breath and out-breath, acting as a counterbalance for each other. 

On the inhale, the sympathetic nervous system speeds up the beating of your heart. We need to keep the heart beating to stay alive. But not too much or too fast. Which is why on the exhale, the parasympathetic side, through the vagus nerve, squirts the neurotransmitter acetylcholine onto the heart to slow the heart rate down. With this symbiotic relationship, the heart beats just right.

So imagine what happens if you hold your breath like I do. There’s no relaxing exhale to slow the beating of the heart. 

When your heart pounds, your sweat glands get triggered, which is why my underarms are soggy. 

And with body temperature rising, yawns are an attempt to cool your brain. 

If you were to look at a printout of a heart rate from an electrocardiogram, it looks different depending on how fast you’re breathing and what you’re feeling. 

Heart rate shows how well the vagus nerve is doing its job by gauging the variability between the inhale and exhale.

If you’re frustrated or anxious, the slopes look like jagged fangs. If you’re calm and grateful, you see peaceful smooth slopes like a symmetrical series of mountain ranges. 

But breathing and heart rate are only part of the stress story. With the flood of stress hormones also comes a rush of serotonin in the gut. And guess what, too much of this neurotransmitter leads to bowel spasms. That’s the reason for my frequent runs (pun intended) to the bathroom.

You can see that the vagus nerve is central to finding inner calm.

Let’s talk about 3 science-backed strategies for resting easy.

Remedy #1 - Deep breathing

Now that we know that breathing rate determines heart rate, it’s an easy decision. Breathing is the first line of defense when you’re stressed.

At the first sign of butterflies in your stomach, tune in to see if you’re taking complete breaths. 

A study of heart rate and breathing showed that 4 to 6 breaths per minute had a significant calming effect. That’s 10 to 15 seconds per breath. Do it for a few minutes paying special attention to lengthening the exhale. The exhale is the most important part. Don’t force a deep inhale since that can trigger hyperventilation. Instead deepen the exhale.

Rest your hand on your lower belly to feel the rise and fall and make sure you’re breathing from your diaphragm. Ever seen a puppy sleeping? Watch as their belly rises and falls as they breathe. 

I also tune into the feeling and sound of the rush of air coming in and out of my nose. 

When you’re focused on counting, your mind releases troubled thoughts, which is a good thing, too.

For some people, focusing on your breath can increase stress. Try grounding instead. Focus on engaging your senses. Listen to a favorite song or the chirping of the birds. Feel the hardness of the ground or chair beneath you. Inhale the smell of a favorite scent. Savor a favorite food or drink. Take a walk.

Remedy #2 - Humming, singing, and OMing

When you’re stressed is a good time to sing along to the radio or hum a calming tune. 

Don’t believe me? 

The vagus nerve connects to your voice box. By creating a vibration through chanting or singing, you activate your calming response. 

Not to mention, holding a note acts the same as exhaling by pushing air deep into your diaphragm. 

Remedy #3 - A cold shower

Stay with me on this one. It sounds counterintuitive, right? 

But studies show that cold water immersion calms your racing heart and vagus nerve response in as little as 5 minutes of exposure. You don’t need to go out and join your local polar bear club, your shower can do the trick.

If you’re not ready for a cold shower, dunking your face in cold water works, too.

As your body copes with the startle from the cold, you parasympathetic nervous system gets a jump start.

I start with a warm shower and then add cold in at the end, working to extend my period of cold for longer and longer. 

The truth about stress and HSPs

Life requires we step into the unknown. 

Whether it’s for a medical test (BTW, I got an all clear on my ultrasound. Yay!).

Or to embrace the bigger life by ending a bad relationship. Performing your favorite song for a crowd. Being the expert on the stage. Or facing your fear of flying to take your dream trip. 

Arm yourself with these strategies now. 

Life is too short to sit on the sidelines and watch. The world needs your unique imprint. 

Now is the time to exhale and Sha-Na-Na OM your way forward.  

YOUR TURN- Leave a comment

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