4 ways to stay calm while sheltering in place
There seem to be so many more unknowns these days. Many are working remotely and taking care of kids in the way we did not expect. Even though this has brought us closer together, we still feel the stress as a disruption of normal lives. Here are some ways to keep calm and de-stress from Neal Phalora, The Brain Warrior.
1. Simple meditations – 2x Breathe. 3-5 min. Don’t breathe from the chest. That the breath of stress. Breathe from the abdomen. 4 seconds in (stomach goes out) and 8 seconds out (stomach goes in). This helps calm the vagus nerve.
2. Singing. The vagus nerve is the nerve that automatically controls heart rate, breathing, respiration, and digestion. All things that get out of wack when are stressed. Singing stimulates that nerve and calms it down. In turn that calms those organs and YOU.
3. Laughter Yoga. Laughter is the best medicine. It releases so many healing neuro-chemicals in your body. And forced laughter has the same effect as spontaneous laughter. Google YouTube for some videos on this and laugh along. Laughter has been used in chronic illness to help speed healing.
4. Dancing to Music. Have a dance party. Studies show that dance helps reverse aging and dramatically improve mood. As babies, we are programmed to dance. Remember stress is stored in the body and not the brain. When we are stressed, we tend to be more sedentary. If you move the body, you can burn off stress hormones, and music is something engages the whole brain. Do it in the morning at the start of your day!