The destructive power of fear . . . and how to overcome it

In this time of global crisis, the constant media focus is whipping everyone up into a state of crippling fear. I wanted to share with you below, a couple of recent quotes from key media titles and then share an exercise to help you de-stress and rebalance your body.

TUT (online) said in their daily email today:  

“Have you noticed it, too?  How fears are a lot like highway billboards?  The faster you’re moving, the quicker they approach, the larger they get, and the more they block your view of what’s real and alive.  To the point that they tower above you, larger than life itself, giving you pause and more reason than ever to turn around and retreat to safety.

Yet, if you muster the courage to stay the course, in just a blink they’re behind you, put into proper perspective.  And then as quickly as they appeared, they completely vanish.  If you want to stay the course then please, just stay the course.”

It is up to us whether we want to get caught up in the disempowering frenzy, or ‘stay the course’. Stay grounded, calm and at peace. 

So, how do we ‘stay the course’?  First, we recognise that getting stressed is, in itself, going to lower our immunity to disease: “The ability to fend off illness and disease depends on several factors, some of which are beyond our control, but the way we react to stress and the general health of our immune system, are things we can influence. If we’re not able to change our response to stressors, we’ll find ourselves in a constant hormonal battle that will lead to serious health issues like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. The brain and the immune system are in constant communication in this delicate balance that can be disrupted by any kind of physical or emotional stress.” (Psychology Today)

“When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. That is why we are more susceptible to infections. The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system (e.g. lowers the number of lymphocytes).” (Simply Psychology)

Mass panic and hysteria abound in the world right now. Learn to ‘ground and cleanse’ yourself – this opens up the kidney channels and the ‘wellspring point’ in the balls of your feet, in Chinese Medicine, and calms the adrenal glands which sit on top of the kidneys. The process helps you stay calm and keep things in perspective.

An exercise to help you re-ground and re-energise:

Sit back well supported, feet flat on floor without shoes.  Hands rest gently in lap.  Allow the buttocks to sink into the chair.  Breathe into the stomach and allow it to expand and relax.  Ensure the spine is as straight as is comfortable.  Relax the face and jaw muscles.

Focus on the balls of your feet. Imagine you are sending strong roots, just like a tree does, down from them, through into the earth deep beneath you.  Follow the roots with your mind’s eye until they are as deep as you can send them.  Just like a tree drawing up nourishment from the earth, imagine you are drawing up heat, energy and light.  Any colour that comes to mind is right for you. On the inbreath, draw up colour and energy into the legs and up into the kidneys, which are at the back of your body, just under the ribs. On the outbreath send any feeling of congestion and stale energy deep down into the earth to disperse. You can take this breath up through the whole body, then out through the feet again.

Sit quietly for a moment, spending time focusing on the positive things in your life, the joys and the blessings, and allow yourself to feel gratitude for these.

How can we help you?

In normal times, the kind of work we do at Body in Harmony assists you to achieve calm and to counter stress. At the moment, we may not be available to work with you much longer as we will be subject to any government guidelines during this challenging time.  So, in the absence of immediate help, this is your chance to take things into your own hands, to make the most of the time afforded to you if you are self-isolating or working from home.  Enjoy the quieter pace of life, find joy in the view from the window, the birdsong as Spring arrives, and the fact that you are alive.  You may not have this chance again for a long time, to take stock of your life and decide on changes that you want to implement – enjoy this gift of time out.

Please do get in touch to see how we can help you.

Sources:

TUT inspirational emails.

Image Credit to: Ben White Photography from Unsplash.com