Adjust: The Conversation
"Stress Isn't the Villain — Here's How to Shut It Off (Part 2)."
Last episode, we learned stress isn't the villain. It's your body's alarm system, doing exactly what it was built to do. So in Part 2, we get into the actual tools to shut that alarm off. Because here's the catch: your nervous system is still running ancient software, waiting for an "all-clear" signal that modern life never quite sends. The stress just… stays. We walk through the surprisingly simple, occasionally ridiculous ways to send that signal yourself: cold water and the diving reflex, breathwork, the vagus nerve, your window of tolerance, and using your values as home base. Some of it sounds strange. All of it could work. Why your body never gets the "all-clear" — the stress that outlasts the stressor Completing the stress cycle through movement, not just problem-solving Cold water & the diving reflex (a DBT "TIPP" skill) Breathwork, including Wim Hof–style breathing The vagus nerve & the tongue-out trick Yin yoga for down-regulating Your "window of tolerance" and why it shifts day to day Using your values as home base when stress knocks you off center RESOURCES & REFERENCES Books Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle — Emily Nagoski, PhD & Amelia Nagoski, DMA. The source for the stressor-vs-stress-response distinction and "completing the stress cycle." — https://www.burnoutbook.net/ Assessments Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory (Social Readjustment Rating Scale): classic "stressful life events" self-assessment, hosted by the American Institute of Stress. — https://www.stress.org/self-assessments/holmes-rahe-life-stress-inventory/ (Note: it's a well-known tool but a dated one. Some items are decades old and the exact rankings are debated. Use it as a rough check, not official. This is the STRESS scale ). Techniques mentioned TIPP skills (DBT) Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation. The "cold water on the face" trick works via the diving reflex. Wim Hof Method The breathing technique referenced. Vagus nerve / tongue-out trick : Stick out the tongue and sigh like a lion. Window of tolerance The zone where you can handle stress and stay regulated (Dr. Dan Siegel). Too low, shut down. Too high, overwhelmed. Values as "home base" Anchoring to your values when stress pulls you off center. Hosted by Ashley Gallaway, LMHC & Marcella McAree, LMHCA. Produced by Ashley Gallaway. From our brains to yours — this is Adjust the Conversation.
