Disclaimer: The content provided on this website is provided solely for informational purposes.The information below should not be used as an alternative to obtaining individual professional advice. Always consult registered healthcare providers when beginning any new treatment. All content, ideas, psychological insight and bad jokes is the original work of Penelope Lovegrove, Clinical Psychologist. More recently AI has provided light editorial support, helping wrangle the commas, tidy some sentences, and gently suggest that maybe not every thought needs three dashes and pulls the reigns on her fast-paced neurodiverse brain. Even psychologists appreciate a second set of (digital) eyes.
Breathing Techniques
Since breathing is something we can control and regulate, it is a useful tool for achieving a relaxed and clear state of mind. I recommend breathing exercises to help relax and reduce stress: The 4-7- 8 Breathing Exercise (also called the Relaxing Breath), and Breath Counting. Try each and see how they affect your stress and anxiety levels.
Safety First: It’s your (neuro)biological requirement!
Feeling safe is not a luxury—it’s a biological necessity. Long before we developed language, logic, or even conscious thought, our nervous systems evolved to do one very important job: keep us alive. Safety, therefore, is not just a pleasant state of being—it’s the foundational platform that allows everything else in our human experience to unfold. Without it, the parts of our brain responsible for reasoning, empathy, creativity, connection, and growth simply can’t do their jobs.