If you have been to any of Gillian’s Wellness Talks, you would have heard of Sympathetic Dominance and how as a society we are very much in this state of being. It’s the frazzled, worried, tendency toward quick aggression or reactiveness, uncertainty and chronic high stress levels.
People are finding it tough to be optimistic. You can still tackle troublesome thoughts and lower your stress level. Try the following techniques …
Write Away Your Worries
When they constantly float around your brain, worries seem intangible. Writing down your worrisome thoughts gives you more control over them. Write down possible solutions for each concern.
Cut Yourself Some Slack
Accept we all have stress it’s the way we perceive it that counts. Some people thrive on having a deadline, others struggle. And that’s ok – learn how you work best, as self-criticism lowers self esteem and self attack actually reduces your capacity for change. Far from pushing you to do better, it exacerbates your sense of helplessness. So be gentle with yourself.
Be Mindful
Is mindfulness a term you’ve heard of recently? The concept of mindfulness is focusing on the present moment, without judgment or self-evaluation. We spend much of our present time ruminating about our past or fearing for the future. Be present when drinking your aromatic coffee, enjoy the taste on your tongue, is it a lovely bold flavour? What else can you tell me about the morning coffee you had?
Have fun practicing being present in small moments and build from there.
Meditate
Meditation is a great way to boost mindfulness. Meditation techniques vary, but nearly all place an importance on deep breathing. This helps relax the body and mind.
If you are a meditation beginner, set aside 10 minutes twice a day to meditate. Morning and evening usually work best. Choose a place where you will not be disturbed. After settling into a comfortable position, breathe deeply. There are many guided apps and classes nowadays to choose from.
Play Time Warp
Imagine yourself one year, two years and five years from now. Now from this point of view, look back at your current problems. Is worrying about them helping or hindering you achieving your goals. Do the problems seem as difficult as they do today? Or have you blown your worries out of proportion? This is a great self-assessment task that helps steer you in the right direction.
Be Grateful
Gratitude can have a profound effect on calming fears, reducing envy and cooling anger. When you look at the rest of the world, where hundreds of millions of people struggle every day to find enough food to eat and clean water to drink. Gratitude creates a healthier perspective and a more hopeful outlook on life.
Gillian, our Chiropractor knows all too well the damage worry can do to your body. When you are under stress, you develop an increased sympathetic tone in the nervous system. This response causes muscles to tighten and joints to become compressed, restricted and painful. Regular chiropractic adjustments can assist in decreasing tension and optimising your function, helping to achieve more equilibrium from the sympathetic dominance common in todays society.
Ask our chiropractor what more you can do to keep stress damage to a minimum.