Got stress build-up? Here's a simple solution

This week I went grocery shopping, spoke with a friend on the phone, and filled up my car with gas. Normally these activities would not be stressful, but these days they are because the concerns about the coronavirus hang over everything. 

Each stressor is like putting a bit of air in the balloon until you are carrying so much tension, you are ready to explode. This is Alarm mode. In Alarm mode, your body is putting its energy into getting ready to move so you can take care of a threat to your safety and well-being. It does this so that you can get back to Recharge mode, the state where your body heals, repairs, and defends against illnesses. 

Daily life is keeping us in Alarm mode almost constantly, but we need to spend more time in Recharge mode so we can stay safe and well right now. One of the most effective ways to get back to Recharge mode is to move, but many of our common solutions to stress don’t require us to move our bodies. Plus, moving is often not convenient or comfortable. What’s needed is a solution that involves both mind and body and that you can use right away when an alarm is triggered. This solution is a Recharge Pause?.

A Recharge Pause?is when you move in a specific way to restore calm in your mind and body. It is based on a blend of the sciences of mindfulness, mindset, and movement. There are three simple steps;

• First, because Alarm mode is most often triggered by thoughts about the past or future, bring your attention to what is happening in this moment, without judging, just noticing.
• Second, move smart, in the way your body is designed, so moving does not add to stress, but leaves you feeling better. The foundation of this is in the center of your body. Watch my smart core videos to learn how. 
• Last, set your mind to noticing how your body feels as you move, so your body informs your mind that you are okay, helping to calm the alarm and get you back to recharge mode.

Throughout the pandemic, I will be sharing simple Recharge Pauses. The first Recharge Pause is called Calm and Confident. Click here to watch the brief (1:35) video to give it a try. Sprinkling your day with Recharge Pauses gives you a there-when-you-need-it way to let air out of the ballon before stress builds up in your mind and body.

Bottom Line: A Recharge Pause is when you move your body in a specific way to get you back to the state where health and well-being happen. This week, spend more time in Recharge by practicing being Calm and Confident in your mind and body. In the coming weeks we’ll continue to explore how mindfulness, movement, and mindset work together to keep you healthy and well.

Stay WELL!

Sources:

• Godoy LD, Rossignoli MT, Delfino-Pereira P, Garcia-Cairasco N, de Lima Umeoka EH. A Comprehensive Overview on Stress Neurobiology: Basic Concepts and Clinical Implications. Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:127. Published 2018 Jul 3. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00127
• Alia J. Crum, Modupe Akinola, Ashley Martin & Sean Fath (2017) The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress, Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 30:4, 379-395, DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585
• Cuddy, A. J. C., Schultz, S. J., & Fosse, N. E. (2018). P-Curving a More Comprehensive Body of Research on Postural Feedback Reveals Clear Evidential Value for Power-Posing Effects: Reply to Simmons and Simonsohn (2017). Psychological Science, 29(4), 656–666. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617746749