It’s becoming a well-known fact that anxiety impacts 1 in 4 of us. It’s not surprising as it’s how we’ve been evolutionarily wired(!). This is compounded by the fact that our society these days is functioning at an unnatural pace.
The nitty gritty of it is that:
- Our brains have evolved to detect threats quickly, as a survival mechanism to protect us. The flight or fight response is a physiological reaction that occurs in our body in response to a perceived threat or attack (ie. if we are getting chased by a tiger!).
- Our stress response may also cause us to freeze in nervous tension.
- Stress then becomes embodied.
- Today the tiger has been replaced by the acute and chronic stressors of an overwhelming, overstimulating society.
— (Dr. Shailia Vaidya – the Yoga MD)
Our stress response is evolutionary necessary to help us survive our lives. But how we respond to our stress and our lack of recovery from it, can adversely affect our mental and physical health.
The stress that we are all in these days to differing extents disconnects us from our bodies, and makes us feel disengaged. We are often like lollipops(!), rushing around stuck in our heads and not feeling ‘in our bodies’ at all. This is often compounded by the “winter blues” where its hard to motivate ourselves to go outdoors and exercise.
Now spring is here we can take the opportunity to destress by connecting back to our bodies and calming our minds. Here are a few ideas to improve stress resilience (the key is to slow down):
- A regular breath based Hatha yoga practice
- A long bath with epsom salts and/or lavendar after a workout
- Oil massage (you can even give your arms, legs and shoulders a gentle massage before bed)
- A mindful walk, noticing your feet grounding on the earth as you take each step and literally smell the roses (!) (and blossoms).
Enjoy!
Smiles, The Stable Team.
This is our considered but light and brief introduction to the topic. For more information please check out: