#024 Friday Fix: Calm Your Body and Your Brain

When you’re anxious, angry, or stressed out, your brain and body responds accordingly.

Your brain will automatically look for the negative. It’s your brain’s way of helping you detect more danger so it can keep you safe. But the more you dwell on the negative and overlook the positive, the more your feelings will intensify.

Your body will also attempt to help you respond to danger by ramping up. Your heart might beat faster. Your blood pressure might rise. And stress hormones get released throughout your body.

As your body responds, it sends an even bigger signal to your brain that you must be on high alert for danger. 

Your brain and your body are reacting as if you’re in a life or death situation. They’re trying to keep you safe.

This will likely happen even when you aren’t in any real danger. Perhaps you’re just stressed out by a traffic jam or you’re frustrated about how much work you have to do in such little time.

So while those reactions can be helpful if you’re in a do-or-die situation with a hungry lion, in most instances, having your brain and your body in overdrive isn’t helpful.

Fortunately, there’s a simple but helpful exercise that can calm your brain and your body instantly. It takes less than 60 seconds and it can send signals to your brain that it’s OK to calm down.

In today’s episode, I’m going to share this exercise with you and explain the science behind why it’s so effective.

So the next time you feel your stress level rising, give it a try. And then reach out to me on social media and let me know how it worked for you.