During times of stress or struggle, your fight, flight, freeze response can become overactivated, overwhelming your nervous system. This is why mind-body practices are so helpful! Paying attention to the present moment helps you notice if feelings of agitation or dis-ease match your surroundings.
If you are feeling unsettled, you can use your mind-body connection to create feelings of safety in the moment – no matter where you are! Your mind and body already know how to do this, and most likely, you find yourself doing some of the suggested practices below naturally during the day. Once you know the physiological reasons behind these strategies, you can use them intentionally to settle your nervous system.
Let’s take a moment to explore a few ideas right now:
Hands on Head: How often do you rest your hands on your head? This simple movement is something you see athletes do all the time when they need to catch their breath. Placing your hands on your head not only allows your body to take bigger, slower breaths, it also tells your nervous system that you are safe. Try Hands on Head right now and see how it feels. Don’t like the sensation of hands on top of your head? Bring your hands behind your head or simply rest a hand on your forehead. Your mind and body will tell you what works for you!
Rocking/Swaying: Give yourself a loose hug and begin to rock or sway side to side. You can do this sitting in a chair, standing, or even lying down. Breathe slowly as you rock or sway. You might prefer to rock forward and backward. Play around with rocking and swaying to find what feels right for you. If you like this movement, you are not alone. Rocking and swaying soothe the nervous system, which is why we rock babies and have rocking chairs.
Big Sighs: Take a big breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do this a few times. You can even exaggerate this breath by breathing out with a “haaa” sound. People naturally sigh during the day when they are tired or frustrated. If these Big Sighs feel helpful today, use them when you need a reset.
No matter what is happening around you, you can always access your mind-body connection. If you found one of these practices useful, jot it down on a post-it note as a reminder to try it today when you need a break. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and you can help further the movemindfully mission to support public mental health by sharing your favorite mind-body practice with a coworker, friend, or family member.