Transform Your Stress by Shifting Your Focus

Here is another quick stress relieving tip I learned from Stanford neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Huberman.

Our eyes not only allow us to see, but they also signal the rest of the brain (yes, eyes are brain tissue) to be more relaxed or more alert. When we are stressed our pupils dilate and our visual field narrows down (tunnel vision) to focus on the most important detail. Like this:

Conversely, when we are relaxed our pupils constrict and our visual field broadens and looks more like this:

If we spend a significant amount of time looking at our phone (narrow visual field focusing on small device), it sends a message to our brain that we are in alert or stress mode. We can easily shift back to relaxed mode just by expanding our visual field to a more panoramic view.

Next time you notice increased stress or anxiety, try expanding your visual field to a panoramic view. Here’s how: look straight ahead, relax your vision, and see your body and the room around you while simultaneously taking in your peripheral vision (floor to ceiling and side to side). While you are at it, take a few gentle deep breaths for even more relaxation. After a few minutes, you will notice a shift in your physiology and start to feel calmer and more relaxed. You can also go outside and view the horizon or a vista, which naturally create a shift into panoramic vision.

Vision along with breathing (see previous post on breathing) are 2 of the strongest ways to shift our brain and body to a more calm state.

If you would like to explore further, here is a video of Dr. Huberman explaining the physiology and technique in more detail:

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