October 2024

October

Research suggests that burn out is common in the helping professions. There exists the tendency to give too much, you want to make things better, leading to overworking, stress and heavy burdens. if we want to be successful at work. It is essential we balance work with play, and being present with ourselves, nature, and the people important to us in life.

If we adhered to that constant drive without rest, repair or reflection, it is possible that we would slowly but surely fall to one of the leading causes of death i.e. heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, or at least live medicated with a debilitating health condition by the time we were in our late fifties. And it is possible that we wouldn’t have the genuine caring support needed, from the families that we neglected because of our habit of overworking and disconnecting from relationships at home and/or with friends. Not to say that stress causes these disease’s, but it be can the stimuli that alters an organism’s system. We can learn to detach our worth from our work, and to connect to the things that also matter alongside our career purpose.

In every day, week, month of the year there is a necessity to balance three aspects of our lives

1. Our sense of drive and strive
2. Our sense of threat and vigilance
3. Our sense of relax, repair and recover.

This article focuses on the soothing system, as we tend to over-focus on the other too aspects. How we balance the ancient calling to decelerate that happened in Autumn for eons, with the sense of acceleration that has become prevalent in modern day work culture?

To stay healthy and happy, these three qualities of our inner and outer world should be balanced on a daily basis.

Activate the soothing system

Meditation Exercise for physical and mental health & wellbeing

The Check in & Grounding.

Every now and again close your eyes, turn your attention inward and check in to see how you are doing. Notice any sensations, any heaviness in your chest or any emotion like an anxiety in your stomach. Then stop, allow it, breath around it and relax. Ground yourself by feeling your feet on the ground or your bum on a seat. Let your hands hold onto the nearest support if you need e.g. the stand in a court room. If that’s not working or your sensations are too much to handle on your own, then seek external support in a friend or professional. The answers are out there. The best answers are mostly simple but not easy.

We may not realize it, but we’re not giving one hundred percent to ourselves. So, be present. That’s the game. This is life’s most viable meaning, that no matter what you’re doing be present in it. This can calm the chaos in our minds, because when you’re one hundred percent present, then you’ll take the right action to make any situation works for you.

Box breathing whilst walking

There are hundreds of breathing techniques for regulating the nervous system. One of the simplest and therefore most effective is the box breathing technique.

If you would, imagine drawing a box. You can go any direction. You can continue counting the technique, around the box as long as you need to calm/regulate your mind and body.

1. And as you draw the first side your breath in to the count of four.
2. As you draw the next side of the box you hold your breath
3. As you draw the third side of the box you exhale.
4. Finally, as you draw the last line connecting the box you hold for the count of four.

This can be done, laying down, washing dishes, on the way to a call, at a desk. Experiment how you can introduce this to your daily habits.