Whatever cause of the stress, high levels of anxiety cause the human body to release stress hormones that result in physiological changes that can include: a pounding heart, quickening of breath, tensing of muscles and sweating. All of the body’s combined reactions to stress are known as the fight or flight response.
Humans have the fight or flight response system to react to life threatening circumstances. However, now our bodies have the same response to non life-threatening stressors that cause high levels of anxiety. Repeated activation of stress can have chronic effects on the body like high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and more.*
Here are some ways to engage the parasympathetic nervous system and calm you down:
- Bring your attention to the physical: Notice where you are standing or sitting. Touch the ground and really feel your feet on the floor. Really get in your body and feel the physical world around you.
- Deep breathing: Taking slow deep breaths will help slow down your heart rate.
- Meditation with visualization: Meditating is a great way to slow down they system and using visualization of a place you love or would like to visit will help lift your emotional state.
- Relaxing muscles: Try stretching on the floor or doing some yoga poses.
- Get into nature: Connecting with nature calms the mind and spirit. Water can soothe the emotions just being near it or listening to waves. Sitting on the ground near trees can feel very grounding.
- Focus on positive emotions: Connect with something positive that you can focus on or repeat a positive word or mantra.
Try some of my guided meditations that have visualizations to help shift the energy in your body.
*https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
