When Getting Calm is a Task
Considering what's on your plate, "getting calm" is as important as eating your vegetables and here is why; in a hyper stimulating world where work notifications steal our attention and the demands of others take precedence our nervous system is consistently, falsely, triggered into arousal.
While we can take steps to limit notifications and promote healthy boundaries, we ultimately have more control over our own autonomic system than we do over life's demands.
In addition to the mundane demands of life, the tumultuous nature of present times leave us lacking an overall sense of security that is needed to feel safe and grounded, leaving our bodies and minds in a constant state of vigilance for real, imagined, and perceived threats.
The antidote to hyper arousal is to "get calm," but alas, this can feel like another task on your already lengthily list of things to do.
As for calm being just another task to be complete, there's a solution for that. Instead of approaching calm as a bigger task sitting at the end a lengthy list, fold little bits of calm into your day.
Create a menu of calm-practices to call on because a single approach won't work for everybody. We are fortunate there are multiple paths to achieving a calm state, here are a few.
1. Thought stop. Identify and stop undesired thoughts. Get out of a habitual pattern of over focusing on stress and uncertainty by challenging pesky automatic negative thoughts.
2. Get Into Movement. Try movement to get out of your head and get into calm.
3. Stay Solution Focused. Don't stress. Just like there's a lid for every pot, there's a solution for every problem. Ask your mental health professional about solution focused therapy as a way to calm your mind and stay focused on solution.
4. Be in Nature. Nature has been scientifically proven to soothe anxiety and energize feelings of wellness.
5. Check your perspective. How big is the problem, really? Likewise, how big are your skills? Reflecting on what you've accomplished in the past as well as what's in front of you helps bring a balanced perspective to the worries.
6. Accept your anxiety. This is a big powerful tool for getting calm! Letting go of the need to control outcomes leads to greater acceptance, and greater acceptance leads to increased feelings of calm.
7. Change the channel. Borrowing a technique from cognitive behavioral therapy, “change the channel” in your mind. Focus on something else. Anything else!
8. Deep breathing. Deep breathing is the most tried-and-true method for getting calm. Here's why, when an individual is in a state of anxiety their mind has hijacked their parasympathetic response system. Slow, deep breathing will calm and regulate the parasympathetic response most efficiently.
Getting calm will be easy when you commit to folding these practices into each day. Start with one calming practice a day and increase as they become habits!
For more tips and tricks on getting calm please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help any way I can. You can reach me at marinabarbosapsychology@gmail.com or 202-318-1931.