Embrace Micro-Moments: Simple Strategies to Reduce Daily Stress and Enhance Calm
- Laura Knight Dip.Couns
- Aug 7
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 20
WHAT ARE MICRO MOMENTS
Too much stress in your life can build and lead to constant feelings of anxiety or what might be called ‘burn out’ or a 'nervous breakdown’.
When we experience stress and anxiety the body activates the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the "fight or flight" response. This triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that can disrupt focus, impair memory, and increase anxiety when elevated over time.
Micro-moments work by activating the body's parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers cortisol levels and promotes a state of calm and relaxation
If you have been experiencing stress or anxiety for a long time it can seem almost impossible to stop the barrage of thoughts that run through your head constantly, or calm your body, that seems to be consistently making you feel tense, uncomfortable, in pain or exhausted.
Most of the time you become so used to this being your ‘normal’ state that you don’t even realise how damaging these effects are on you, ignoring the signs as you experience another headache, tiredness, mood swings, and trouble sleeping.
You believe the overthinking just has to be, that is how things are, and there is nothing you can do about it and you will just have to live with it.
None of this is true; you do not have to live like this, and micro-moments can be a way of leading you away from this way of being.
Micro-moments can fit seamlessly into your daily routine, they take just seconds or minutes, but these brief periods of relaxation or calm, help to reduce your stress levels throughout the day, thus preventing the build up of the tension, stress and anxiety that can lead to ‘burn out’
Recent Research has revealed how these brief moments affect our brain and body:-
Research published in frontiers in psychology (2022) showed that micro-breaks can reduce stress biomarkers by up to 25% within five minutes.
A 2023 study in the Journal of occupational health found that regular micro-moments throughout the day improved cognitive performance and reduced burnout symptoms.
WHY REGULAR MICRO-MOMENTS MATTER
Micro-moments offer immediate stress relief, allowing you to press the reset button. They provide a small moment of immediate relief, but their cumulative impact is even more profound, leading to long-term improvements in your overall health.
A groundbreaking 2023 study in Neuroscience Letters demonstrated that consistent micro-moments can reshape neural pathways, within weeks, making stress resilience a default state.
The power of micro-moments is their simplicity and accessibility; they may be small moments, but they have a ripple effect and over time reduce your overall stress, anxiety and improve mental health.
Even just a few micro-moments a day can
✅ lower your stress response
✅ reset your nervous system
✅ reduce muscle tension
✅ improve focus and patience
✅ support emotional stability
INTERGARTING MICRO-MOMENTS INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE
So how do you go about introducing micro-moments into your daily life?
Here are some practical ways to incorporate these moments in your day-to-day routine
When you wake up
Start your day with some deep breaths and think positively about the day ahead
Coffee breaks and/or Lunch breaks
Do some simple grounding, such as feeling your feet on the ground, observing your surroundings. Going outside for some fresh air and connecting with nature. Taking a quiet moment for yourself
After Dinner
Start to wind down. Do some light stretching, relaxing the body ready for bed. Have a hug with a loved one or a pet. Have a warm drink and take the time to appreciate how it relaxes you.
Here are a few more micro-moments you can incorporate into your day
1. Box breathing
inhale for 4 seconds
hold for 4 seconds
exhale for 4 seconds
hold for 4 seconds
repeat 3–4 cycles
why slows heart rate and calms the nervous system fast.
2. Shoulder & neck roll
roll your shoulders up, back, and down
gently drop your head to one side, then the other
breathe deeply as you stretch
why eases tension and stress and leads to posture change
3. A mindful pause
stop what you’re doing
focus on one thing around you (sight, sound, or feel)
breathe slowly and deeply
let your thoughts slow down
why trains your brain to return to calm—even in chaos.
4. Hydration check-in
pause for a drink of water
take 3 slow breaths
give yourself a moment
why rehydrating improves focus and energy in seconds.
5. Listen to some relaxing music
put on a favourite tune
feel the beat of the music
focus on the words and the rhythm
why music can bring good memories, relaxes you and brings down heartrate
6. Grounding-feel your feet on the ground
stand still and feel your feet on the ground
notice the weight shift from heel to toe
breathe slowly and feel yourself steady
why grounding brings you back to the present and out of fight-or-flight mode.
START RIGHT NOW
You don’t need to wait to start taking micro-moments, go ahead and take one right now.
Start a routine of introducing micro-moments into your day.
Once you start it’s easy to continue, you can do them anytime, anywhere, any way that suits you.
If you start today and consistently and intentionally continue with this practice, over time you will notice a difference in how you feel, reducing the tension, stress and anxiety you are currently experiencing.
If you would like to learn more about micro momemts why not join me on my Mindfulness Course
In 10 weeks we learn how to embrace mindfulness and introduce it into your day to day life, reducing anxiety and bringing calmness into your life.
Sign up below
Laura Knight is a qualified and experienced Counsellor and Counselling Supervisor and a registered member of BACP (The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
She is an approved Anxiety UK Therapist and has her own private practice SeeClear Counselling, in Poole Dorset.
She can offer face to face, telephone and video counselling sessions and supervision sessions.
Laura found that many of her clients would present with Anxiety and because of this enhanced her training to include CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) as there is evidence to suggest that CBT is effective in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
Laura now focuses on working with adults who struggle with Anxiety within her private practice, working with them to reduce the scary physical and emotional symptoms they experience and help them change their negative thinking patterns so they can lead a calmer life.
For more information about Laura please visit her website https://www.seeclearcounselling.co.uk
Or visit her Facebook page https://facebook.com/seeclearcounselling
e-mail laura@seeclearcounselling.co.uk Tel 07975733029
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