Method

Scan the body and release tension (break the stress loop)

When you feel stressed, actively find the most tense muscle (jaw, shoulders, neck, belly) and consciously 'let it go'. Relaxing the body starves the feedback loop and stress drops — without fighting your thoughts.

This page isn't typically flagged for the selected profile — shown because you opened it directly.

Stress runs on a feedback loop: emotional strain clenches your muscles, and the brain reads the tense body as further evidence of threat, ramping the stress up. You can cut this loop from the body side — often faster than trying to ‘control’ the thoughts.

In the stressed moment, do a quick scan: where are you holding tension? Usually the jaw, shoulders, neck, belly, hands. Find the most tense muscle and consciously ‘let it go’ — release it like dropping something from your hand. Move through the spots one by one. You don’t need to tense first — active letting-go is enough.

As the body comes off tension, the signal feeding the loop disappears and the stress level drops. It’s a variant of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) used in the moment, mid-stress, rather than as a separate evening exercise — you can do it in 30 seconds, unnoticed, even at your desk.

Helps with

Resources & links

No links yet — coming soon.

What the research says

Scientific grade verified against the literature. No entries = no direct studies (graded from mechanism/experience).

What the grade means

A A — strongest evidence: meta-analyses or RCTs directly confirm it works (or, for diagnostic tools, strong validation of accuracy).

B B — good evidence: a single RCT, or a strong mechanism with supporting studies.

C C — weak / preliminary: a plausible mechanism, but few direct, controlled tests.

D D — no evidence: theory or isolated anecdotes, no studies.

Applies to: ADHD Autism AuDHD