"Your eyes say a lot about your emotions and mood: When you feel happy and excited, your eyes light up; when you’re tired, your eyelids grow heavy and dark under-eye circles form; when you think something is ridiculous or unbelievable, you roll your eyes. But your eyes are more than just the windows to your soul—their movements are closely linked to your autonomic nervous system, which includes the systems responsible for your body’s “fight-or-flight” and “rest-and-digest” processes. According to Scientific American, eyes are actually considered part of the brain, and how you move your eyes can influence how you think, move, and feel. We’re told to take deep breaths in stressful situations, but considering your eye gaze can be just as powerful of a technique to help you chill out.
Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University who studies the visual system, says that stress is not just something we experience but also how our eyes change in response to our experiences. In other words, how you move your eyes and how you view the world dictates how you create perspective in terms of states of mind. And you only need 30 seconds of certain eye movements to signal to your brain that you’re OK and relieve stress. Keep reading for an eye-opening how-to on using eye movement to cope with stress and anxiety.
How It Works
According to Dr. Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, a psychologist and Hope for Depression Research Foundation Media Advisor, when you’re under stress (AKA in “flight-or-fight” mode), your pupils dilate so that you can see any threats more clearly, which sets your depth of field and focus on a single location (hi, tunnel vision). It’s as if your vision is set to portrait mode on your iPhone; you see one thing in focus, and your peripheral vision becomes blurry. “When we’re experiencing the world, our eyes are our most dominant sense,” Dr. Danica Harris, a somatic therapist, told HuffPost. “So, if there’s been trauma or stress, the eyes become very fixed and narrow in focus because, essentially, what’s happening is you start looking at the environment in a way of like, where’s the next stressor?”
You can tell yourself “I’m safe” or “I’m well,” and even if your mind goes along with it, it may take more convincing for your body. When your mind says you’re in danger and sets off the “fight-or-flight” response, your body tenses up to prepare you for the perceived threat. But just like the mind can affect the body, the body can have the opposite effect. That’s where your sight comes in. Certain eye movements can stimulate the vagus nerve (the main nerves of your parasympathetic nervous system (AKA “rest and digest”) that carry information between the brain and the internal organs), helping reduce anxiety by shifting the focal point of the eyes from closed in to far off in the distance. “Softening our gaze when we are feeling emotionally activated can help somatically send the message to our body that we are safe and can relax,” said Jenny Flora Wells, MSW, LSW, ACSW, a holistic therapist.
30-Second Hacks to Instantly Reduce Stress Levels
Utilize panoramic vision
If you’ve ever gazed at a horizon or vista, chances are you felt relaxed in the moment. That’s because you naturally go into panoramic vision. On the other hand, when you’re stressed, your pupils dilate, and you get a “soda straw” (or contracted) view of the world. “Our eyes are responsible for detecting shapes and colors, etc., but also for telling the rest of the brain whether or not to be more alert or more relaxed,” Huberman said on The Tim Ferriss Show. Huberman explained that by looking in the distance and using your peripheral vision to see what’s to your right and left (rather than having tunnel vision), you’re turning off the stress mechanisms that drive your internal state toward stress. Therefore, you can actually switch off the stress response by changing the way that you view your environment, regardless of what’s in that environment.
So whether you’re indoors or outdoors, widen your view of your environment, not by looking around or moving your head or eyes, but by seeing it through the lens of panorama mode on your smartphone. “Just by doing that, you’re reversing the sympathetic response and activating the parasympathetic that counters stress and helps you feel calm,” said Dr. Kiran Dintyala (AKA Dr. Calm), an internal medicine physician and CEO and president at Stress-Free Revolution. “Of course, if you are stuck in a room with no way to look into the sky, you could still do it. Instead of converging your eyes to focus on something, just look into the distance, widening your gaze.”
Practice eye yoga
Yes, yoga, but specifically for your eyes rather than your body; eye yoga consists of exercises to strengthen and condition the muscles in your eye structure, such as nose-tip gazing (focusing on the tip of your nose), blinking rapidly 10 times in a row, or eye-rolling (rolling both eyes in one direction and then back again). According to Wells, practicing eye yoga tells the body that you’re safe, which then lowers the stress response. Another common eye yoga exercise includes drishti, or focusing your gaze at a single point in your environment. “Slowly softening your gaze while gently keeping your eyes in one place helps to calm the nervous system and find presence in the moment,” Wells said.
Incorporate visual cues
Using visual cues to instill calmness can be as simple as looking at something that evokes feelings of joy or awe, like a picture from your Italian vacation, the ocean, or a sunrise or sunset. A study found that looking at greenery, including green walls and potted plants, can reduce stress. That means you don’t have to step foot outside to reap the benefits. If you’re inside, you can orient to whatever’s around you in the room. You can look close, far, or through a window, just be sure to move your eyes/head slowly. The point is to really see that you’re safe and that there are no imminent threats.
A common grounding exercise that is used to help ease anxiety is known as the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, which starts with mentally naming five images you see because using your sight can serve as a self-soothing mechanism in challenging situations or overwhelming environments by providing a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Experts Consulted
Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning.
Dr. Lira de la Rosa specializes in treating depression and anxiety disorders, adult and childhood sexual trauma, substance use, PTSD, and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). He is committed to working with members of the LGBTQ community, queer People of Color, and individuals with diverse racial and ethnic identities. He draws from various evidence-based approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, and many other approaches and interventions.
Dr. Danica Harris was trained as a therapist and currently operates as a coach and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. She’s the empathic voice behind the popular Instagram account @theempoweredtherapist and the co-owner of Empowered Healing Dallas, a social justice-informed therapy practice in Dallas, Texas, focused on providing mental health services for those from oppressed communities.
Jenny specializes in premium holistic therapy services that surpass conventional standards. The therapy modalities she offers include EMDR, Vocal Transformation, IFS, Somatic Therapy, Meditation, Therapeutic Yoga, and Nervous System Regulation. And her areas of expertise include trauma, the entertainment industry, artists, musicians, actors, and adoptees.
Dr. Kiran Dintyala (AKA Dr. Calm) is an expert on stress. Dr. Calm is a board-certified internal medicine physician who holds a master’s degree in public health and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine. He is an author and keynote speaker and conducts corporate stress reduction programs.