3 Easy Ways to Calm Down
The current state of our world can feel scary and uncertain to many of us. Uncertainty is a difficult concept to plan around. In the Pre-Covid world I liked to have a plan for the future - even just a plan for the weekend. Currently “planning” means a plan for the moment. In our neck of the woods, as of today we’ve been sheltering in place for 41 days. At first our work, school, meal, and sleep schedules were entirely flexible, occasionally upside down. Today we’ve got a healthier rhythm to each of these things. A Perfectly Imperfect Rhythm, which requires tweaks regularly. The key to tweaks is not to freak out, there is no urgency here, we are all just trying to roll with things as they come our way. I’m trying to approach all change with compassion and kindness and what blooms from there is likely to feel positive and loving for all of us.
I’d like to share some tools that have helped me in the past and are helping me now to maintain emotional balance despite all the uncertainty we are faced with. They’re tried and true.
Breathe
Connect to your breath to calm yourself, it activates your parasympathetic nervous system; your relax response. Here’s what’s happening when you pause to connect to you breath: oxygen consumption decreases, breathing slows, heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, muscle tension decreases, a sense of ease in body and in mind. Doesn’t that sound sublime?
Begin by finding a comfortable place to sit. Place your hands on your lap in a comfortable position. Sit up with a dignified yet easeful posture. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Now, focus your attention to the tip of your nose and breathe in deeply through your nose. When you release your breath, do so slowly and without forcing anything. As you exhale, relax your shoulders and neck. Do this at least two more times, each time releasing tension in a different part of your body as you notice, without judgment your body.
Move your body
Step out into the forest, the beach, the neighborhood if your area isn’t on complete lock down at this time. Bring a mask with you, be flexible with your mindset. Some state parks in our area are closed right now, and some are open but are not allowing people to park in their lots. If you do not have access to a safe outdoor space, clear space inside. Just enough to stretch, flex, dance–whatever movement that works for you. Just remember, getting up to pee or grab a snack doesn’t count. Shake that booty.
By moving your body you give yourself an opportunity to get out of your head! Embody your body.
Meditate
With practice, meditation can transform your brain. It doesn’t have to take very long and you don’t have to be perfect by any means. One of the things that makes people think they are not good at meditation is a mechanism that helps transform your wiring. Each time you notice your thoughts have intruded and you refocus it is like a rep in weight lifting. The more times your mind wanders and you refocus the more reps you’re doing. Failure isn’t a thing in meditation, unless you give up. Set aside a realistic chunk of time, whether that is five minutes or fifty. The best meditation practice to create is the one that you will do. There are many YouTube videos on beginning meditation, there are guided meditations on podcasts, there are free meditation apps to help you track your practice. I cannot begin to tell you the positive transformations in my life that happened once I had a meditation practice in place. No time like the present.
I hope this has been a helpful short list of tools for you to investigate during this strange time we’re all living through. If you’ve got any questions for me or want to see if we’d be a good fit to work together, email me or schedule a free virtual coffee and chat today.
