How To Turn Off Your Bodies Alert System

**Note- I'm delaying the final blog post of our Water Exercise Series to share some Rest & Recovery Tools I shared with our newsletter community after the devastating 4th of July floods in Central Texas. We are sending so much love to all of those impacted by this tragedy & gratitude to all of the responders who continue to support these communities. XO- Mollie & Ender

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It’s been heartbreaking to see how many lives have been impacted by the extreme flooding in the TX Hill Country this past weekend.

We're grateful for the fast emergency response to help victims & the heroic efforts of the young camp counselors who responded so bravely to a horrific situation in the middle of the night. 
 
July 4th weekend is THE busiest time of the year for Texans to head to our rivers for camping & tubing.

It’s just what Texans do for fun but also to survive the summer heat.

You really aren’t a true Texan unless you’ve floated along the Guadalupe River at some point in your life.

It’s hard to fully comprehend how much joy the rivers bring with how much devastation they're capable of.
 
If you’re connected to anyone that has been directly impacted, please know we’re sending you all so much love.
 
It’s times like these where your body needs extra loving care to support processing the emotions, stress, and trauma it’s experiencing.
 
It needs more Rest & Recovery to remind it to calm down even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time.
 
If you’re not sleeping or physically exhausted (i.e. heavy or burning sensation in your muscles, sloppy movements or poor posture, decreased balance or coordination, or feeling weak or stiff in your muscles) from the stress, your Rest Rx is to take NAP BREAKS.
 
3 Types of Naps:

1. Power Nap- a 10-20 minute midday nap; great for mood, attention, focus.
2. Nidra Nap- deep rest while you listen to a 15-45 minute Yoga Nidra relaxing meditation that helps work through physical, emotional/mental, and spiritual exhaustion. Here’s a 15 minute one for you: DEEP REST NIDRA.
3. The Big Nap- a 90-minute nap which is one full sleep cycle so do this one if you’re not getting a full 7+ hours of sleep at night.

 
If you’re sleeping OK but showing signs of stress (i.e. restlessness, anxiety, worry, heart or mind racing, rapid breathing, difficulty concentrating, numbness, or muscles tension in your neck/shoulders/hips), your Rest Rx is to take RELAXATION BREAKS.
 
6 Stress Cycle Busters (Relaxation Breaks):
 
When you’re stressed, your brain goes into protection mode.
 
It signals to turn on your sympathetic nervous system (i.e. fight, flight or freeze mode).
 
It’s the opposite of your healing mode. 
 
You can help your body complete the stress cycle by giving it the cue that it’s safe to move back into relaxed mode & calm your nervous system by using any of these strategies as Relaxation Breaks:

1. Movement- #1 is physical activity of any kind for 20-60 minutes. It’s the most effective way to manage stress but you may not have the energy for it so turn to the other strategies.
2. Breath Work- find an App like Insight Timer and do some breathing exercises for 2-10 minutes. If you’re in the middle of a stressful situation, do a physiological sigh to help you reset (Inhale through your nose and take a second inhale at the end of it, then exhale slowly through your mouth- repeat 3 times). 
3. Laughing- find something that will trigger some deep belly laughs- the kind that make you laugh until you cry (i.e. Soul Laugh).
4. Crying- go ahead & sob- let it out; crying helps release stress chemicals/hormones trapped in your body.
5. Affection- connect with others through physical affection (i.e. a 6 second kiss, a 20 second hug) or petting your pet long enough to signal your body it’s safe to calm down.
6. Creative Self Expression- write, draw, pain, or sing to help calm your body.

 
You don’t have to do all of these to help your body recover & reset during stressful times. 
 
Start with one that sounds soothing & doable.
 
Check in with your body. It’ll tell you what it needs to calm down & feel better.

You'll know you've turned on your Relaxed Body when you feel a shift - sense of relief, yawning, goose bumps, a deep breath are all signs you've completed a stress cycle.
 
Be mindful of how much news & social media you’re taking in right now about this tragedy. It’s likely triggering a stress response in your brain & body. Definitely limit it a few hours before bed as it can disrupt your sleep.
 
If you want to do more for the areas impacted, World Central Kitchen is on the ground feeding Central Texans and the search & rescue crews. You can donate to support their efforts here.

Be extra kind to yourself right now!

I found comfort in this story about Hazel, the Camp La Junta dog, that scratched on the door of a cabin to alert the campers of rising water and waited with them until they were all safe (Texas Monthly shared about it). It's not a common dog name but it's my mother's name (who passed away in 2003).

Grieve the loss but always find the hope, love, & helpers out there as well (even if it's coming from our furry friends).

P.S. Want more strategies to go from your Stressed to your Relaxed Body? Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit & Daily Energy Planner here.