Perhaps you recognise the bodily sensations you experience when you have to have a difficult conversation, when you're stuck in traffic and need to be at an important meeting or when you hear bad news. When our emotions are triggered, we can feel our nervous systems activated. This fight-flight response is the body’s ancient, intelligent and very normal response to a threat in the environment. It allows us to immediately become vigilant and ready to fight or flee, sending blood away from our non-vital organs to our muscles and increasing our breathing and heart rate. Although we are no longer dealing with threats like being chased by a wild animal, our reptilian brain (the oldest part of our brain) cannot distinguish between real threats and ones that we may make bigger in our minds (being late to a meeting, a looming work deadline, a delayed train on the way to the airport). Animals have a very adaptive response post-chase of shaking to regulate their system and returning quickly to a state of calm which we, as humans, tend not to do. Unfortunately the accumulation of this anxious energy with nowhere to go and without release, can lead to powerful, often-distressing feelings that can affect many systems of the body and can cause racing, worried thoughts.
it is very helpful to know ways to help bring our systems back into a state of regulation so that we can rest, think clearly and get a good night's sleep. Below I offer some of the practices that help me when I am overwhelmed, stressed, nervous or anxious.
I have separated them into two lists: bottom up processes that work mainly from the body, and top-down processes that can utilise and engage the power of the mind.
Bottom-up processes for calm
Exercise
Movement, especially yoga as it works with the breath in the body
Sufficient sleep & rest
A healthy diet
Barefoot walking/ dancing/ movement, especially on grass
Laying down on the grass looking up at the sky or eyes closed
Sound baths
Forest bathing
Kirtan chanting
African drumming/ drum circle
Singing, particularly in a choir (even an online one!)
Warrior posture
Hugging trees (for at least 5 minutes!)
Walks in nature
Stroking a pet
Being around animals
Self hug
Hot/ warm bath
Conscious breathing (e.g. box breath, longer exhales, alternate nostril breathing, breath of fire)
Humming
Orienting to the environment (connecting to the ground, looking around, noticing breath)
Body scanning
Top-down processes for calm
Journaling
Reading books about other people experiencing similar things
Making art (drawing, painting, writing)
Listening to calming music
Reading poetry
Meditation
Talk therapy (counselling/ psychotherapy)
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