Hosts demo vagus-nerve eye exercise and box breathing for quick stress relief

Charlotte Stillwell described a step-by-step eye movement exercise she uses to stimulate the vagus nerve and calm stress responses: close your eyes, look upward, hold, bring the gaze center, move to each side and make slow circular movements with the eyeballs while attending to steady breathing. "It brings your stress level down," she said, adding she sometimes repeats the cycle three or four times to fall asleep.

Later in the segment Michelle Matheny outlined box breathing as an accessible, structured breathing pattern: inhale four counts, hold four counts, exhale four counts, and pause four counts before repeating. She recommended using that pattern to slow heart rate and to help children regulate big emotions.

Hosts emphasized that these techniques are immediate, low-effort tools that can be used in many daily contexts—before entering the house, at a red light, or between meetings—and that they complement longer mindfulness practices rather than replace clinical interventions when these are needed.