4 tools to help you calm the F down

I got a big response from last week's blog. So many people were noticing the fear starting to lift from their lives; like a heavy fog or blanket is being lifted off of you.

People were wondering what to do now that they noticed what an impact the pandemic and the last two years had on their nervous systems.

First of all, congratulations for noticing that something was off AND for wanting to do something about it. I always remind people, you have to notice what is happening before you can change it.

If you haven't noticed it yet, don't worry. Things come into our awareness as we are ready and able to deal with them. It will happen when the time is right. You can still do the practices I am going to mention because they are always beneficial.

Fear and a fried nervous system can show up in a variety of ways. These include feeding your feelings, sleeplessness / insomnia, racing mind, needing to be busy, perfectionism, procrastination, being overly controlling, unable to make decisions, illness, anger, depression, and the list goes on and on.

The good news is there is so much we can do about fear that doesn't require a ton of money and years of therapy. There are some very effective things you can do to alleviate the fear and down regulate your nervous system.

1. Slow your breath down.
This may sound too simple to be effective but it's not. Your breath provides a direct link to your nervous system. If your breath is short and choppy, your nervous system reacts and goes on high alert because it thinks something is wrong. When you are able to slow your breath down you are telling your nervous system that everything is ok and it can let go and relax. You can feel the effects of this immediately. To try it, close your eyes and breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of four. Continue this for at least a minute and keep your eyes closed for a few moments when you finish. You will literally be able to feel your body and mind calm down.

2. Stop what you are doing and go outside.
There is something about fresh air and sunshine that is so healing for your mind. We can get caught up in fear and keep ourselves busy so that we don't have to pay attention to it. Sometimes you just need to change up your scenery to have a fresh perspective. You don't have to go for a walk, you can just go outside and sit. One of my clients will go outside and sit on a bench, close her eyes, and listen to the sounds around her. It really helps her to step out of fear, gain clarity, while her nervous system gets a break.

3. Do a brain dump.
I used to do this when I couldn't sleep at night but now I do it all the time. You literally get out a piece of paper and write everything that is running around in your head. Don't worry about what you are writing or if your grammar, spelling, or punctuation are correct, just get it out. Keep writing until there is nothing left in your head. By doing this, you are getting all the junk out of your head so you can see things with more clarity.

4. Meditate.
I put this last because people often feel resistant to starting a meditation practice. The number one thing people tell me is that they aren't good at meditation and they don't know how to get their mind to stop running. Meditation isn't about stopping all the thoughts going on in your head, it's about noticing them. Research shows you have something like 65,000 thought a day and most of them are on repeat. The problem is not the thoughts but our lack of awareness around them. Creating space to sit down and get quiet, even for a minute or two, so that you can notice what is happening in your mind is how you begin to change it. There are so many apps out there that have guided meditations that are free. If you are looking for a quick 5 minute guided mediation DM me with your email address and I'll send you one I created.

Keep in mind, these are just 4 ways to address your fear and down regulate your nervous system. There are so many ways to do it; from taking a bath, petting your dog, planting a garden, just find what works for you. If you have a second, and you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear what you're going to try to down regulate your nervous system and move out of fear. Just comment below to share it with me.