Take A Chill Pill

When people say “take a chill pill,” they mean to tell you to calm down. While taking actual supplement pills of magnesium, B vitamins can effectively help you calm down, but many people don’t utilize their body’s full potential to calm down.

The body’s nervous system manufactures chemical signals from the slow, intentional breathing. This breathing activates the vagus nerve, which turns on the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system. As you exhale, your brain releases GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that quiets overactive neurons, lowering heart rate and tension. Even a few rounds of cyclical breathing or simple mindfulness can dose your brain with this natural tranquilizer.

Another reliable “chill pill” is movement. When you walk, stretch, or dance, your body releases hormones called endorphins and endocannabinoids, which reduce cortisol (suppresses stress response) and boost mood. This is why even ten minutes of light exercise can feel like a reset as it chemically shifts your mood.

Similarly, listening to rhythmic music helps synchronize your heartbeat and brainwaves, a process called neural entrainment, which naturally stabilizes emotion. Your brain hums itself to the beat and gets back on balance.

Finally, one of the simplest but most powerful ways to calm down is labeling what you feel. Labeling your emotions like “I'm angry” or “I'm sad” allows the prefrontal cortex to re-engage the amygdala’s alarm signals. By pairing words with feelings, your brain is able to take greater control over your reactions.

In essence, “taking a chill pill” isn’t about numbing emotion but guiding your body to let it calm down through its own chemistry by breath, movement, and awareness.

References

Alderman, L. (2025). The power of labeling feelings. Midtown Practice. https://midtownpractice.com/the-power-of-labeling-feelings/

Breatheology. (2025). How breathing can calm your mind and body. https://www.breatheology.com/how-breathing-can-calm-your-mind-and-body/

Wayne State University. (2022, January 3). The “runner’s high” may result from molecules called cannabinoids—the body’s own version of THC and CBD. Wayne Today. https://today.wayne.edu/news/2022/01/03/the-runners-high-may-result-from-molecules-called-cannabinoids-the-bodys-own-version-of-thc-and-cbd-46709

Integrated Listening. (2025, April 10). How rhythms help us regulate: What to know about entrainment. https://integratedlistening.com/blog/how-rhythms-help-us-regulate-what-to-know-about-entrainment/