Podcast: ‘The Wedge’ – A tool for Managing Stress

person sat with eyes closed outside an office The Wedge

This episode is inspired by a concept from Scott Carney’s book, The Wedge – a practical tool for managing situations that can cause stress, fear or anxiety in everyday life.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

‘The Wedge’ is the idea of putting something in between a stimulus, event or feeling, and your reaction to it.

For example, if something happens that could trigger a stress response in you, stopping to pause and buy some time before responding, can help you deal with it better.

Key Takeaways:

Putting a ‘wedge’ between you and the event creates some space and distance, enabling you to hold off some of the negative physiological responses that could follow.

This space can help lower your heart rate and the amount of cortisol in the blood in those crucial moments, allowing you to manage the situation better.

Using The Wedge does take a bit of practice, particularly when it comes to fear or anxiety.

Action Steps:

Understand what The Wedge is and what it’s used for.

Think about what The Wedge is for you – decide which practical technique you are going to use.

Practice using it in everyday situations.

Leanne said:

“I found it to be very effective personally. And with people I’ve worked with and the science really shows as well that if you can actively manage that response with some version of The Wedge, it will stand you in really really good stead.

The trick with this is to practice your version of The Wedge, and put it into action when something comes up.

The main way in which I use The Wedge, is breathwork. If you want to have a robust stress response, you do need to practice it. “

If you’re interested in reading Scott Carney’s book The Wedge, you can buy it on Amazon.

You might also want to check out our other Bodyshot content around breathwork here.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

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