Now more than ever, we know about the mechanisms of how life in the 21st century reduces energy levels, restricts health and inhibits thinking. The ‘I’m SO Busy Syndrome” and unconscious, continuous stress, anxiety and worry effects our bodies and minds as we accommodate stress as a normal state of being, not realizing how serious the consequences are.
Stress, simply explained, is the body and mind’s response to any pressure that disrupts our normal balance when we perceive demands to be greater than our resources. Every time you feel stress whether conscious or not your body and brain change on all levels - physically, chemically, emotionally and functionally; triggering old beliefs, patterns, emotions and mental states that no longer serve you.
Stress, simply explained, is the body and mind’s response to any pressure that disrupts our normal balance when we perceive demands to be greater than our resources. Every time you feel stress whether conscious or not your body and brain change on all levels - physically, chemically, emotionally and functionally; triggering old beliefs, patterns, emotions and mental states that no longer serve you.
‘Your Body Evolved To Run From Lions Not From Deadlines’
On a day to day basis our body’s immune system has the natural ability to keep us fit and healthy when we give it the right tools and create the right environment, however when you’re living on the edge continually and you don’t listen to your body’s signal system all’s it takes is one immune challenge, high stress incident, or emotional crisis to reach ‘THE TIPPING POINT’ and tilt your immune system over the edge.
You may be saying to yourself ‘I know this stuff’ after all it’s on the cover of every second magazine.
‘If you know it, where are you applying to your life and what’s the result?’
What is stopping you from being the number one priority in your life?
The kids, the career, the husband, the mortgage, or are you just stuck on the treadmill....??
It’s time to do something more...
But the question is ‘Are you ready to take your gloves off and step out of the ring?’
The one thing that differentiates humans from animals is we have the freedom to choose. To make different choices we have to become responsible, have clarity around our intent and be mindful or our choices on a day to day, moment by moment basis.
Every choice you make in every moment of every day either ADD’S to your health and vitality or DETRACTS from it on a physical, emotional, mental or spiritual level ITS THAT SIMPLE!
How PRESENT are you with what’s happening today? Most of us are living in this week’s budget, last year’s balance sheet or next week’s schedule. The power to choose is in your hands, it requires your presence of mind and awareness. Whether your walking down the shopping isle, reaching for that piece of chocolate cake, engaging in gossip, stuck in a cycle of negative self talk, emotionally beating yourself up, unorganized and living in chaos ONLY YOU have the power to choose your next step.
Your body is at its highest Potential when it has lots of rest and just enough stress and tension to keep it responding alertly and effectively. It’s unequivocal that a decrease in stress:
- Lowers your body’s response to aging
- Increases our presence, focus and creativity
- Boosts our immune system and confidence
- Decreases cravings
- Increases our I.Q.
- Brings feelings of love, laid back joy and euphoria!
7 Steps towards enhancing your Emotional Intelligence
1. Intention – Get clear about your number one priority, what’s your choice around your state of being in the world?
2. Become Aware - Notice when you are in or going into a stress reaction, take note of the triggers, the drivers and your body’s reaction to stress. When we move a reaction from an unconscious experience to the conscious one the energy already starts to dissipate.
3. Step into The Choice Gap - The moment in time you realize you are stressed, in negative self talk or having a stress reaction, choose to kick the habit. Stop, take a breath down into your pelvis, gently squeeze and flex the pelvic floor muscles and implement a stress minimizing technique.
4. Breathe 4 Life - Stress usually draws your focus and energy up into your shoulders, neck, face, head and mind. Creating movement pathways through your hands, hips, feet and toes drawing energy down into the lower extremities of the body allows stress to be alleviated and unblocked so congested energy can be released.
Breathe in for the count of 1
Hold the breath for 4
Breathe out for the count of 2
Do sequence 10 times, first thing in the morning, at least once during the day or anytime you’re under duress and as you are falling asleep.
5. Pelvic Tilts - Centering, Focus, Clearing the Mind, Stimulates Power Centre
Stand with feet flat on the floor, hip width apart and parallel. Softly bend the knees and place hands on the hips. Inhale first, and then initiate the pelvic tilt movement as you exhale. When you release the breath, your abdomen should come toward your back. Continue the tilting movement to drop tension away from the neck, head and open the lower vertebrae. Try to pull the pelvis from the abdominals, rather than pushing from the butt.
6. Flexion, Extension Toes and Fingers: Breaks Busy Mind Patterns Drops Tension, Improves Circulation, Moves Lymphatic
Slowly curl your toes firmly down into the ground or your shoes, and then relax them and pull all the way up. Slowly bend and flex fingers joint by joint. Repeat for 15 to 30 seconds. Moving your toes improves circulation of blood, lymphatic fluid and energy. As your energy increases in your extremities, stress levels drop and you become more grounded with the earth.
7. Occupy Your Body, Occupy Your Life: Take 3 to 30 minutes when you hop into bed at night and tense all of your muscles and release 3 times. Breathe into your right fingers, up through your elbow, shoulder down through your torso, your organs into the right hip, into the right leg, through the knee and down in to the ankles and toes. Now change sides and breathe through the left side of your body then through neck, into your brain, your eyes, nose, lips, scalp etc moving slowly with awareness all the way through body.
Notice where feel contracted, where feels stressed and tired, spend extra time simply breathing into these areas. This helps builds the immune system, brings you back into your body and into the present and lowers your brain frequency for a better quality of sleep and can be repeated anytime during the day when presence is needed.
For a little extra support Negative Irons stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls relaxation, digestion and sleep. Oils that Ionize negatively when diffused are: Bergamot, Cedar Wood, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass and Sandalwood.
© Michelle Richmond
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