⏱ 5 minutes to read • June 23, 2026
Does life feel too strong? Learn The art of walking on your own.… Here’s how to relieve yourself of stress.
Practicing a quick “jump” conscience can help you navigate a difficult day.
Highlights
- To motivate yourself throughout the day, try a practice of agile thinking called Modulation.
- Studies show that modulus, a form of rapid breathing, relaxes your central nervous system.
- The module can give you clearer control over your anxiety levels than with sedatives.
How to do it yourself
To the extent that our culture considers speed, it is often framed as an all-or-nothing search. At school, at work, and online, we are confronted with “110% give” messages that promote urgency, and if we refuse or want to call back, we will give equally strong advice to “stop” or take an expensive yoga break.
However, either a rush or a sustainable withdrawal can all work or be achieved in the long run. That is why while writing my book The Art of WalkingI have been thinking a lot about how to navigate the middle of the speed spectrum, which is the area under the post that is more conducive to progress than the end zone.
A reliable way to get into the area is thoughtful, but not necessarily an expensive weekend getaway. Sometimes dexterous speed requires greater concentration, like a bird flying for a moment before flying to the next place.
If you can swing them, a long retreat is a great way to boost yourself. But day by day, the architecture of my life does not always correspond to absolute or prolonged withdrawal. I work with a client who has a balance of rotation and has two school-age children. I live what the Hindus call “the life of a landlord” with all the chaos, exhaustion, and distraction that implies.
All of this means that I would like to meet with psychiatrist and researcher Joseph Arpaia. Arpaia has been practicing Buddhist meditation for decades, but he is also a skilled practitioner of the Hummingbird type of conscience. And even though he has meditation skills, he helped me not to feel bad about being a rare meditator.
Read more here: This self-care trend really works! 7 Benefits of Adult Painting
When Arpaia realized I was looking for a concentrated version of ice, he taught me how to make the most of the time hanging – my own hummingbird. He demonstrated a practice that I call modulus involving breathing at an individual pace, which research has shown to calm your central nervous system. (Most people’s “voice breathing” is between 4 and 6 breaths per minute. You can find your ideal speed by experimenting with speed breathing videos in that range to see which speed feels most comfortable).
Numerous studies confirm the quiet power of modules. In a 2025 study on people with AnxietyThose who practiced rhythmic breathing had higher heart rate variability than members of the control group, indicating that their nervous system was relaxed. Other research points to the biology behind these effects. People who modulate in the Rutgers 2026 brain study have a greater correlation between brain areas that control nervous system control and emotional control, suggesting that they are reducing their levels of arousal.
Continuing Articles After Advertising
When I was at the Arpaia office, he let me breathe at my ideal modular speed for about 5 minutes while I was wearing my heart rate monitor. He later studied my heart rate monitor on his display screen – and pointed out that my short module stint changed my heart rate more strongly than IV tranquilizer!
It felt like a breakthrough. As a naturally injured person, I tried to share anxiety medications that made me so irritated I could not work. With the module, I have more direct control: I can rotate my nervous system to the level I want based on how many minutes I continue to breathe.
Although I now practice the module almost daily, I can not say that I have mastered it completely. Where I find the problem is that I find the hardest practice to get started when I need it most. When I have a particular feeling about rejecting a personal drama or a devastating world event, it’s even harder to believe that something as simple as a modification would make a difference.
Read more here: Combat or flight response test: How does your body react under pressure?
But as I struggled to make the leap of faith, the excitement began to subside within minutes. And when that happens, I’m more able to make big decisions, which helps me maintain a steady pace in the long run.
Copyright Elizabeth Svoboda. A version of this article also appeared in my newsletter. The Art of Walking.
To find out more about how to motivate yourself sustainably, check out my new book The Art of Walking! ”
Written by Elizabeth Svoboda
Originally appeared on Psychology Today
