Do you wake up every day with a sense of…dread? Anxiety? Fear? Like there is a pack of beserker Vikings screaming, running at you with swords drawn, ready to pounce and hurt you?
It’s a common theme now among not only my clients, but also people around me.
We are all in a state of high alert. Fight or flight. All amped up, ready to toss spears at everyone around us at the slightest hint of any possible attack.
How does the world appear to you? Is your attitude one of triggering and attacking me first, or one that is more accepting and loving?
We cannot respond in an authentic, more peaceful way if we are always in this state.
I had a friend whose daughter got a week’s detention due to a RUMOR that she had a KILL LIST of kids. That “kill list” turned out just to be a list of kids whom she was not having great relations with right now. Think of the amped up nature of the school official who, without even viewing the evidence at all, decided to take a defensive action on a RUMOR alone.
It’s just a single example of many…and sparked this post!
Likewise, our health is affected too.
The other day I had a client who complained of chest tightness. Through coaching inquiry, we could note all the negative influx of stimuli from all sides: clientele he served, social media, the news, even his internal dialogue.
I took him through an exercise to activate his vagus nerve, which would take him out of his fight or flight state. After finishing, he noted that there still was chest tightness. As we talked for a few minutes, he pauses me and tells me his chest tightness is gone!
Looks what happens in a moment of respite… a clue perhaps as to what you might experience when you are not amped up…?
So what to do, Coach Dave- how the heck do I stop being amped up all day and night?
You could just flip on your vagus nerve and that would do it!
But it wouldn’t last. Us humans have amazing nervous systems. The moment we detect a threat, that vagus nerve goes back off and you are ready for battle!
Therefore, getting rid of the threats would be a great first step.
Social media and news fasts. Re-evaluating your relationships. Your job. Your life. Any big negative influences.
Then, take care of the basics. Sleep. Nutrition. Go outside. Energy recovery and restoration. Improve mindset and more beneficial attitudes towards life. Find people who love you for who you are and support you.
When you think of your state of being right now, how amped up are you? Do more things in your life trigger you versus calm you?
If so, what state of being would you rather be in, more continued amped up-ness and all its effects, or would some change be in order?
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