As I wrote this I was flying in a tiny propeller aircraft to Edinburgh.
I can sense many passengers are more anxious than normal because of the size of the plane!
Have you noticed that when people get very anxious they want to get up and move? They want to essentially escape.
The reason is because when adrenaline and cortisol are released, your body is priming itself to fight or flee the anxiety provoking situation.
I want to share a quick physical hack you can use to burn off these stress hormones faster so you can quickly feel more comfortable again. You use this hack in combination with step three of Dare.
1. When a panic attack kicks in, you move to the third step of Dare -“get excited by the arousal and demand more of it”.
2. As you do this, I want you to clasp your hand together and contract all the muscles in your body for 5 seconds and then release for 10 seconds.
3. Do five reps of this. Contract all muscles for 5 then release for 10. Contract and release. (This means you are contracting your thighs, calfs, buttocks, stomach, chest, arms and hands. You can even clench your jaw if you want. The more muscles you contract the better).
4. Now sit back and do the fourth step of Dare. Engage with the present moment and watch as your anxiety levels plummet!
Why does this hack work?
Our bodies are still wired for primeval responses.
Have you noticed that when people get very anxious they want to get up and move? They want to essentially escape.
The reason is because when adrenaline and cortisol are released, your body is priming itself to fight or flee the anxiety provoking situation.
I want to share a quick physical hack you can use to burn off these stress hormones faster so you can quickly feel more comfortable again. You use this hack in combination with step three of Dare.
1. When a panic attack kicks in, you move to the third step of Dare -“get excited by the arousal and demand more of it”.
2. As you do this, I want you to clasp your hand together and contract all the muscles in your body for 5 seconds and then release for 10 seconds.
3. Do five reps of this. Contract all muscles for 5 then release for 10. Contract and release. (This means you are contracting your thighs, calfs, buttocks, stomach, chest, arms and hands. You can even clench your jaw if you want. The more muscles you contract the better).
4. Now sit back and do the fourth step of Dare. Engage with the present moment and watch as your anxiety levels plummet!
Why does this hack work?
Our bodies are still wired for primeval responses.
We spent a lot of time running from all kinds of predators.
Contracting muscles sends a message to your amygdala that you are fleeing the threat and that it can now turn off the stress response.
It’s like a ‘fake flee’ signal. The contractions also help to burn off the excessive adrenaline and nervous energy that you feel.
You could, of course, run on the spot which would be even better but that’s not always easy to do if you are in the post office or on a propeller plane over the Irish Sea 🙂
Contracting muscles sends a message to your amygdala that you are fleeing the threat and that it can now turn off the stress response.
It’s like a ‘fake flee’ signal. The contractions also help to burn off the excessive adrenaline and nervous energy that you feel.
You could, of course, run on the spot which would be even better but that’s not always easy to do if you are in the post office or on a propeller plane over the Irish Sea 🙂