ICYMI 👉
Your Holiday Survival Guide, Part 1: Protecting Your Physical Health
Your Holiday Survival Guide, Part 2: Protecting Your Mental Health
To me, the best part of Christmas Day is the nap—the near-catatonic state that follows a frenzied morning of gifts and new gizmos. I learned how to “power nap” during my residency training. Even a brief moment of being horizontal was a lifesaver. If I slept, even better.
The concept is simple: power-down and reboot. However, the execution of rest can be exceedingly difficult.
My advice? Skip the Ambien, Xanax or Clonazepam—and instead try the 4-7-8 breathing technique.
Here’s how to do 4-7-8 breathing:
Breathe in through your nose, filling your entire chest, for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
Exhale through your mouth, pressing air audibly through pursed lips, for 8 seconds.
Practice this regularly, especially at bedtime. I dare you not to feel more relaxed!
This simple trick is based on the yoga practice of pranayama and was discovered by Dr. Andrew Weil who describes the 4-7-8 method as "a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system."
How so? It disarms the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” axis) and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the calm apparatus).
Today I plan to breathe and rest. I hope you’re able to, too.
Merry Christmas to all. 🎄❤️
Xo, Lucy
Great article, Dr. McBride. I was first introduced to 4-7-8 breathing by my therapist over 10 years ago and I integrated it into my daily life. It is one of my top tools for re-setting myself during the week. Now, as a psychologist-in-training, it's really neat to see how mindfulness and breathwork has mainstreamed in many CBT techniques, including CF-ACT (compassion focused acceptance and commitment therapy).
Thank you for the reminder. I'm a big fan of Dr. Weil too.