Beyond Being Well

I have a lot of coaching clients explain to me that they are great at making healthy choices when everything is going well. It’s when times get stressful that is becomes harder to prioritise their health.

I like to use the analogy of a bank account with these clients. The more deposits we make into our energy bank account, the more we will have to draw on when things get stressful. It means that when things are going well, we must stay diligent with our self care schedules, making deposits into our energy accounts in the knowledge that, inevitably, life will throw curve balls our way.

When something bad does happen, what works best is focusing on making small tweaks or swaps to our routines. These little swaps not only help us get through a crisis, they help set us up for a lifetime of good health too.

1. Swap looking at your phone first thing in the morning for deep breathing for five to 10 minutes.

Deep abdominal breathing evokes the relaxation response, switches off the fight or flight response, detoxifies the lungs and decreases inflammation. Looking at our phone first thing, conversely, raises our heart rate, shortens our breath, can make us emotionally aroused before we have had time to center and collect ourselves, and overstimulates the pituitary gland in the brain, leading to a whole host of hormonal flow-on effects.

2. Swap your morning toast and coffee for eggs, veggies and herbal tea.

Heavily refined carbohydrates, caffeine and sugars first thing in the morning can set us up for a day of blood sugar fluctuations, mood swings and cravings. I’ve found that clients who eat regular protein-rich meals throughout the day, reduce their grain and processed carbohydrate intake and increase their fluid and vegetable intake, are much more able to cope with stress and anxiety.

In crisis mode, our bodies need nutrients to support the thyroid and adrenals and remove free radicals that are circulating in our bodies. Caffeine can over-stimulate our nervous systems, so herbal tea is a great substitute that can, over time, leave us feeling more energized throughout the day.

3. Swap high intensity cardio for a yoga class.

Many of us feel that when crisis hits we need to deal with it through high intensity exercise. Moving our bodies is great for removing tension, negative emotions and for boosting endorphins. However, when our bodies are already stressed, asking them to work beyond their limits will lead to burn out. Instead of going to a spin class or a run, take some time to stretch or go to a gentle yoga class. Make time for plenty of rest and allow the body the time to recover that it needs.

4. Swap working on your laptop at night for reading a book of fiction.

Screens late at night are bad news for our sleep patterns. We should aim to wind down at least an hour before bed and reading is a gentle way of encouraging our bodies to start to rest. Choose a novel to read or something that is absorbing and can take our minds off our troubles.

5. Swap your night out on the town for a quiet night in.

Using depressives like alcohol to deal with our troubles can just make things worse. It’s extremely important for us to make time to feel the emotions we may be experiencing in their entirety. Feelings are nothing to be afraid of—they are usually just trapped energy in the body. Suppressing emotions or distracting ourselves away from the feelings will encourage them to reside in the body for longer. Instead of heading out on the town, run a bath, breathe deeply and allow the emotions to wash over. Once we enable them to have their space, they may resolve. Staying mindful of our thoughts and being compassionate with ourselves will see us through this.

6. Swap negativity for positivity.

Choosing the way we describe and think of our crisis can change our experience of it. The more we tell ourselves and others that this crisis is ‘the worst thing ever’, the more it will start to feel like it is. I’ve found it really useful to use words like ‘hurdles’ or ‘little obstacles’ instead of crises. Remember that the way we speak to ourselves dictates our mental and emotional states. Seeing life’s little challenges as positive opportunities for growth, as opposed to terrible challenges, will build resilience so the next time we encounter an obstacle we’ll be more equipped to mobilise our inner resources and rise to the challenge.

We can’t always plan for life’s little challenges. However, we can nurture ourselves when they arise so that we come out stronger, wiser and more resilient. We don’t grow when things are going well. We grow when we’re challenged, stretched and pushed. Using these little swaps will turn the next crisis into growth.

 

Relephant: 

Yoga Heals Broken Man. {Astonishing Video}

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Author: Meg Berryman

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wikipedia