what to do when the world is on fire

Ok, so maybe the entire world isn’t LITERALLY on fire, but it sure feels that way sometimes… And, if you’re a woman in midlife, you also might feel like your BODY is on fire, so I have a few tips for helping to regulate your nervous system when life feels like too much.

1. Breathe. I know. It sounds so obvious, but I’ll wager a bet that if you pay close attention you’ll discover yourself holding your breath. Often. So, here’s a research-backed method of breathing to help calm your nerves. It’s called box breathing (or square breathing), and it’s a simple, yet effective way to manage stress.

   Step 1: Breathe in, counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.

   Step 2: Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Try to avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.

   Step 3: Slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.

   Step 4: Wait for another 4 seconds before you breathe in again.

2. Focus on your senses. This one might not seem so obvious, but it can help to interrupt repetitive thoughts by reconnecting to your body. Here’s how you do it:

   5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings.

   4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet. 

   3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. This could be any external sound. If you can hear your belly rumbling that counts! Focus on things you can hear outside of your body.

   2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. Maybe you are in your office and smell pencil, or maybe you are in your bedroom and smell a pillow. If you need to take a brief walk to find a scent you could smell soap in your bathroom, or nature outside.

   1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste. What does the inside of your mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or the sandwich from lunch?

3. Another way to get out of your head and into your body (which, btw, is the number one tool for managing anxiety), is Progressive Muscle Relaxation. There are a number of scripts available for this exercise, but I prefer listening to a guided version like this one. https://youtu.be/86HUcX8ZtAk?si=QqCIUfEqBqq8z6Ir

Life can be a lot to manage. These 3 exercises are great to keep in your toolbox to access whenever needed.

https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-box-breathing
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/behavioral-health-partners/bhp-blog/april-2018/5-4-3-2-1-coping-technique-for-anxiety