Taming Your Heart to End Chronic Anxiety

It would be the heart's fault. It didn't stop beating, but it would be primarily responsible for triggering anxiety.

“Faced with a deluge of bad news and constant information overload, anxiety is just a click away,” laments science journalist Caroline Williams in the columns of the British weekly The Observer .

The solution? According to her, “better understanding interoception, this sixth sense that interprets the signals sent by our body, could help us stay calm.”

“Research shows that even tiny changes in our heartbeat and breathing can affect how we think and feel,” notes The Observer .

The problem? Our nervous system doesn't differentiate between a real threat and "scary headlines," says Sahib Khalsa, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in interoception at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Our body reacts as if danger is imminent, and we remain stuck in a chronic state of diffuse anxiety,” he continues.

“When we perceive a threat (even without being fully aware of it), our body automatically reacts by going on alert, which creates a feeling of discomfort

or anxiety.”

Hugo Critchley, who studies interception and mental health at the University of Sussex, in “The Observer”

“This widespread anxiety is not only exhausting,” warns Caroline Williams in The Observer, “but it can have serious health consequences, increasing the risk of heart problems, anxiety, and depression.”

“Whether they send us strong or more subtle signals, these sensations shape our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Being attentive to these sensations, and being able to interpret them, has a huge impact on our well-being.

mental and physical.”

The British weekly newspaper “The Observer”

The solution? Understanding and taming interoceptive sense, “this sixth sense whose existence we were unaware of,” suggests Caroline Williams, who has just dedicated a book to the issue.

This is “the process by which the brain senses and interprets the signals our body sends it,” summarizes The Observer. “These so-called 'interoceptive' messages from our bodies inform us about how we are dealing with our immediate environment and how best to adapt to it to increase our chances of survival.”

How to do it? Besides yoga, meditation, and mindfulness techniques more broadly, two of the most effective ways to train your interoceptive senses involve the heart and breathing.

“The easiest way to do this is to take the time to slow down your breathing to six breaths per minute (inhale for five seconds and exhale for five seconds),” continues Caroline Williams.

“It's called 'cardiac coherence,' based on the work of Evgeny Vaschillo, a Russian doctor who discovered that slow breathing acts as a stress 'off switch.'

“Slow breathing stimulates sensors located in the chest – which sense what is happening inside the body (called 'interoceptive sensors'). These sensors then send a message to the brain to tell it that everything is fine, that there is no danger,

and he can relax.”

The British weekly newspaper “The Observer”

And then there's the heart. "The more aware we are of our own heart rate, the easier it is to manage stressful situations," the science journalist summarizes.

“Start by sitting quietly and focusing on your heartbeat. Don't panic, some people can do it, others can't. Then, do a short physical exercise until you feel your heart rate increase. Then stop and try to stay aware of your heartbeat as it gradually slows down.”

And already, it should be a little better.—