We all go through times of crisis in our lives.
Extreme stress and overwhelm are brought on by many things in our busy lives and it’s so useful to know what to do to soothe yourself.
Many of my clients have said its really helpful to know what’s happening in our brains during stress. So in a nutshell here is what’s going on:
During stress, the fight or flight response releases lots of adrenaline in to our system and our bodies are on high alert. This is why you might feel shaky or very anxious during stress. Your sleep and appetite are also affected and you often can’t think straight.
Our executive functions like memory, recall, rationalising and even speech are also affected. As our brain perceives a threat in stress, it isn’t really that bothered about our daily functioning!
Even when the stressful situation has passed, it takes a while for the body to relax and as such the impact remains in our system for a while.
We can’t avoid stress, it happens, but to allow yourself to be able to recover and come out of stress it’s great to have a “safe” list ready to action.
This is a really helpful list to have on your phone or written down, so you can action it quickly when stress strikes.
- Where do you want to be when you are overwhelmed? Under the covers, in a comfortable chair. Work this out beforehand.
- Put on warm, comfy clothes. This seems obvious but it’s often the last thing we do and can add to stress levels.
- Reduce noise as this can really induce stress, use headphones if needed.
- Do you want physical contact, some of us need hugs others might not want to be touched. Work this out and let a friend or loved one help.
- Listening to a familiar podcast, reading a favourite book are all really helpful. In stress we need and want the familiar.
- Using a soothing scent, such a lavender, favourite hand cream all ease overwhelm.
- Eating a soothing, safe food can also help, work out what this might be for you.
- Speak gently and kindly to yourself, compassion is a wonderful way to bring you out of stress.
- Breathing exercises to deepen your breath, square breath are all helpful. If you get stressed regularly do practice mindfulness.
Your safe list will develop over time but keep it safe at hand and update it when needed.
The most important thing is to show yourself care and compassion. Often we get irritated by our stress and angry we can’t just power through.
Stress makes us vulnerable and often afraid, treat yourself gently and you will come out of overwhelm more quickly. Speak kindly and supportively and give yourself encouragement.
My meditations and podcasts are a great place to start, give them a listen.