MENU
SEARCHYour body doesn't necessarily tell the difference between a promotion and a deadline. In her first wellness blog for SALON TODAY, Wellify Co-Founder Laura Fuqua explains why even good stress has an impact.
Your breath is one of the few aspects of your stress response you can intentionally control. In her first blog for SALON TODAY, Wellify's Laura Fuqua shares a simple breathing technique to slow down your heart rate and resetting your body and mind.
DI Wang for Pixabay
Stress is your body's natural reaction to challenges, demands, or changes in your environment, thoughts, or circumstances. (Roberts & Karatsoreos, 2021)
Your body responds to the intensity and duration of the stressor, not whether it's coming from good or bad. This is why even happy events, like a promotion or a wedding, can leave you feeling wired and worn out.
Not all stress is the same. Eustress is short-term and within your coping ability. It's the feeling of excitement, boosting your motivation and focus. Think of the feeling before a first date, or leading up to a big game.
Chronic stress is negative, the stressor is too intense and long-lasting, overwhelming your ability to cope. Your stress response is triggered, activating your fight or flight response. Your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure rise, sending extra energy to your muscles and releasing hormones. (Scott, 2026)
This stress response was crucial for our ancestors' physical survival but harmful if triggered too often today. Chronic stress can have serious effects on the body, impacting your respiratory, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, musculoskeletal, respiratory and reproductive systems. (American Psychological Association, 2024)
To recover, your rest and digest response needs to kick in, to slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, and promote relaxation. Your breath is actually one of the few parts of this system you can intentionally control.
Here's why: When you exhale your heart rate naturally slows a little. The longer the exhale, the more you lean on that effect of slowing your heart rate, helping your body back towards rest and digest mode. (Zaccaro et al., 2018)
Balancing these two systems is key.
One studied breathing technique you can use is built around exhaling for twice as long as you inhale. (Balban et al., 2023)
The 4-7-8 technique is popular, here's how to practice:
Active stress management, like breathing techniques, consistent exercise, quality sleep, and even fun hobbies can help you keep these two key systems in balance.
Laura Fu
Wellify
About the Author: After spending more than two decades as a senior executive leading large teams, Fuqua experienced burnout herself, and witnessed the toll it takes on employees and leaders. She decided to go back to school to become a nationally board certified Health and Wellness Coach. Two years ago, she teamed up with Technology Entrepreneur Jon Decker to launch Wellify, a free wellness and health tracking app designed to help users monitor vitals, manager stress, and build healthier everyday routines.
References
American Psychological Association. (2024). Stress effects on the body. Created Nov 1, 2018, last reviewed Oct 21, 2024.
Balban, M. Y, Neri, E., Kogon, M., et al. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Science Direct. Vol 4, Issue 1.
Roberts, B. L., & Karatsoreos, I. N. (2021). Brain-body responses to chronic stress: a brief review. Faculty reviews, IO, 83.
Scott, E. (2026). The benefits of good stress. Verywellmind.
Zaccaro, A, Piarulli, A, Laurino, M., et al. (2018). How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-physiological Correlates Of Slow Breathing. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 12, 353.
Popping up across the UK, Menopause Cafés are helping women seek professional help with their menopause journeys. What better place to play host to one of these gatherings than a spa?
What actually counts as 'source capture' under nail salon ventilation code, and what doesn't (even if it feels like it should).
Sponsored by Aerovex Systems
New services on the menu can create new opportunities, but they can also expose your business to greater liability. SASSI's Kathy Lopez shares a few services that pose greater risk, discusses some of the mistakes owners make when expanding their menus, and lists simple risk management strategies.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Explore this curated selection of standout brands and essential products shaping today’s growing wellness and spa industry.
Neutralizing the damaging effects of water benefits the hair from texture to shine to color longevity, and it’s the science behind Malibu C products.
Sponsored by Malibu Wellness
From acrylic monomers to airborne bio-dust, the air inside a nail salon carries risks most professionals never see coming. Aerovex Systems reveals the source-capture and room-purification strategies that are setting a new standard for salon safety.
Sponsored by Aerovex Systems
Good hair starts at the scalp. But most salons aren’t offering services or products that address scalp health. Relish, a new product line from the founders of Signature Formulations, has everything salons need to deliver an effective head spa service and offer guests a robust at-home scalp care line.
A new book by Joel Steele shows that the most powerful change people can make is to think differently if they want different results. The author believes in the 'Life Switch' so fervently that he's willing to donate $1 million from book sales when he sells his millionth copy.
In an era where clients demand visible results with minimal recovery time, salons and spas are redefining what professional skincare means.
New global search data from beauty and wellness booking platform Fresha reveals that Botox remains the world’s most in-demand aesthetic treatment in 2025—but regenerative “tweakments” like polynucleotide injections, thread lifts and IV drips are seeing explosive growth across key markets.
As rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use continue to climb across the U.S., conversations around mental health are more urgent than ever—yet one crucial perspective remains missing. In her captivating new book, Aymie Daniels introduces the little-known concept of “Spiritual Emergency” and opens a timely conversation about how America understands (and often mislabels) extreme psychological states.
Author and Lifestyle Coach Mark Reinisch's new book challenges the outdated 'work ethic' model, which values success over health, happiness, and the soul. His antidote: wellness ethic lifestyle design--a bold, practical approach to building a life that works for you, on your terms.
Water is a vital part of almost every process in the human body. Our Wellness Blogger Mary Wilson shows you why staying hydrated is so important and offers helpful guidelines on how to do it.
Located in downtown Denver, Sway Wellness Spa integrates the latest technology into services, offers accessible memberships, and brings a community setting to younger generations who yearn for a wellness experience that is not like their mothers'.
As a spa or salon professional, your clients expect more than just beauty—they expect safety, hygiene, and peace of mind. Fungal infections like Athlete’s Foot and Nail Fungus are more common than you think, especially in environments where tools and footbaths are reused without proper sanitation. This blog covers how to stop these issues before they start, using proven infection prevention strategies for salons and spas.
As the kids head back to school and the seasons shift, it might be time to clear your energy. Our Wellness Blogger Mary Wilson talks about why it's important and illustrates some of the different methods involved.
