Taking a Chill Pill During COVID-19

It’s been a long year here in Melbourne. Many of us are at our wits end, aren’t we? I mean who has had enough?!

But we’ve all pulled together and as the sun comes out from behind the clouds, we are looking forward to a prosecco or two on a balmy evening. We can almost taste it.

In the meantime, we are adhering to the ‘staging down’ of the second wave of COVID-19, and stress is (understandably) prevalent. The popular mindfulness app Headspace outlines that: “a stressful situation, or ones that we perceive to be stressful, triggers the release of hormones that make our hearts pound, our breath quicken and our muscles tense. Unfortunately, when this surge of hormones happens in response to our many-day modern stressors (and the pandemic is a classic example!), it can take a toll on the body and mind, and put us at risk for health problems such as heart disease, insomnia and depression”. (Headspace)

We need to continue to be gentle and kind to ourselves and those around us. One way help us stay more peaced out is to take those mini-moments to relax and reset our mind and body. Nature, breath based yoga, qigong and massage all help activate the relaxation response. This in turn releases stress hormones, slows the heart rate, deepens the breath, and brings us to a place of calmness that exists beneath all our emotions.

If you find yourself in need of a quick relaxation ‘hit’ (ie. no time for a yoga sesh and just need to take a chill pill :-)), check out this brilliant one minute MiniMeditation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Ndym-IsQg

Take care and see you soon!,
The Stable Team