THE POWER OF YOUR BODY
"You need to listen to your body because your body is listening to you"
Phil McGraw
Your body is an incredible source of wisdom and can tell you a lot but you need to listen to it. It’s often your body that will know before you do if you’re stressed and burning out. It could be an achey back, twitching eyes, bad skin, irritable gut, bloating, chest pains - these are all physical symptoms of stress.
You have a nerve called the vagus nerve that connects directly from your brain stem through your chest, down to your abdomen and carries sensory information from the internal organs back to the brain - your body and mind are completely interconnected.
Anytime you feel stressed your amygdala has been triggered and your body begins to go into the fight and flight response. In short periods this is ok but if you're constantly stressed this can cause havoc on your nervous system and body.
We often go straight to the physical problem to fix stress but it begins in the mind - calm your mind and your physical wellbeing will improve.
*if you're worried that something isn't stress related always check with your doctor.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
When you feel stressed or anxious your body is quick to respond so it’s important to know what physical sensations you experience and how stress manifests for you. When you start to listen carefully to your body you understand that it's telling you (often before you realise) that you're stressed and need slow down. Here are a few ways in which stress can physically manifest:
Sweating - palms, face, back (any area of the body)
Nausea - feeling sick or actually being sick
Headaches - varying areas and pain intensity, migraines
Breathing & Chest - breath begins to shorten, which raises your heart beat, tension or tightness in chest
Gut - tense feeling in stomach or just above, going to the loo more or less than usual, IBS, bloating, butterflies, digestive problems
Numbness - in areas of the body that usually have more sensation
Appetite - hunger or loss of appetite
Twitchy eye - excessive blinking or sporadic twitch
Muscle aches - achy limbs, tension in back & shoulders, tight throat
Skin - bad skin (spots), breakout, irritation or blushing
Monthly Cycle - for women your periods can stop
HAPPY HEADS EXERCISE
Take a minute now to tune into your body and list out what reactions you have when you feel stressed or anxious...
MEDITATION - BODY SCAN
Below a guided body scan meditation. This is a really effective way to check-in daily with how your body is feeling and process any stress that you might be experiencing. Try not to judge or change whatever comes up, simply notice with a gentle curiosity.
