I am sure you, like most people, are feeling a lot of stress. Most of this year has been one bad thing after another. Wild fires, hurricanes, pandemic, murder hornets…. So many people have lost loved ones, jobs, and homes. It isn't surprising you feel anxiety and stress. It has become part of our daily lives.
How do we manage this? If you have read the previous posts you probably know about deep breathing, mindfulness, and grounding. But what else can you do?
Let’s talk about the brain. When you are anxious or scared, your lizard brain gets activated and suddenly you are ready to fight, flee, or freeze. Your heart rate increases, your muscles tense, your body responds to danger but it isn't always a tiger trying to eat you-- it could be a phone call, being late to work, not being able to find your phone…. your brain can't tell the difference. So here you are panicking while cortisol and adrenaline are pumped through your body. You can read more about that here.
How do you stop this? Well there is something called the parasympathetic nervous system which is the rest and digest system. You can activate this in a few simple ways: yawning, swallowing, and deep breathing. Sounds silly but it works.
Yawn. I am talking about a big one. Wide open mouth, arms stretched up, yawn as long as you can. And when you finish, drop your shoulders (to help loosen up those tense muscles). Yawn a few times and you are telling your body and brain to relax. It’s time to rest.
Swallowing is part of eating, so it triggers the digest signals. You can do this by drinking something (water, hot tea, etc— just stay away from caffeine right now). You can also try sucking on a piece of candy like a peppermint or chewing some gum.
We have talked about deep breathing before so check out that post of you need a walk through.
Try these simple techniques to help you calm down and relax whenever you notice your stress building.