Ponderings today focused on impacts of stress and anxiety. When you feel anxious or excited where do you feel it? There are many physiological responses listed in textbooks, but each person has a particular set of symptoms. Is it the abdomen -- nausea, 'butterflies,' constipation or diarrhea? Might it bring on chest tightness, urgency and frequency of urination, muscle tightness in neck, shoulders or jaw, or a headache? Do you tap feet or fingers, fidget, or pace? Is this when all the cleaning jobs get done by putting that nervous energy to use? Some of us might say yes to all of the above -- hopefully not all at the same time. <smile>.
So -- when any of these symptoms arrive, how do you handle them? While there are medications, there are also many techniques that can help with relaxation and bring things back from the limbic system to a more cerebral thought process. Breathing sounds simple, but a focus on breath intake and output helps many people. I enjoy walking since it brings a rhythm with each step and regular and deeper breathing follows. Some find meditation or music can act similarly. Grounding may become necessary if emotions take over and try to lead one into a panic zone. We don't all recognize this as it is ramping up and heading into bizarro land. Those we work or live with can help to bring people back to a logical thinking place. Self-grounding can be difficult for some people as this means noticing the chain of events before it gets out of control and then working to regain control. Such techniques bring back usual breathing, heart rate and blood pressure -- things we can't see, but may feel.
Song lyrics reminded me of much of the thought process today. The song is by a young award-winning artist. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Breathin -- Ariana Grande
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