Wellness Wednesday
Physiological Tools To Manage Emotions
Different tools for Managing Emotions
I will: Go for a walk: Walking can help with reducing anxiety because your eyes moving side to side to deactivate the amygdala (Similar to EMDR therapy). Meaning you can rationalize your emotions without the fear of perception.
-->When I am: Overwhelmed
I will take 10 deep breaths (4 seconds in and 6 seconds out). Longer exhales help decrease heart rate and dilates blood vessels, calming your nervous system.
--> When I am Angry
I will look outside the window into a panoramic view (or go for a walk). This constricts the pupils and blunts noradrenaline release so that you can think more clearly.
--> When I am Sad
I will move my body or listen to music. This helps release endorphins and can also help release serotonin.
--> When I am Lethargic
I will do a cold plunge to increase norepinephrine and dopamine, to prepare me for work.
--> When I am Tired at work
I will close my eyes for 10 minutes. Your brain needs to recover by going down into alpha brain waves. (This is done by closing your eyes and resting).
When you are constantly engaged in work (social media, work, caffeine cigarettes, etc.), we are operating on beta brainwaves which eventually lead us to burnout if we don't allow ourselves mental recovery.