Five somatic ways to find peace in a fast-paced world

Grounding and nature are just some of the ways you can cope with this budy modern world.

The technological advances that have come into existence in the past 20 years have made everything much more fast-paced. You are able to be more "productive." But you are also subjected to more incoming stimuli--through your devices, social media, and the 24-hour news cycle. The expectations placed on you are greater than ever before. Everything comes so quickly through technology that you get used to high-pace living. However, when you are in a rush all the time, it takes its toll on your nervous system. Between your expectations of yourself and others' expectations that you process data and make decisions quickly, you might find yourself being more impatient and frustrated. This activates the autonomic nervous system, and the fight-or-flight response gets overused. This post gives you five ways to find peace in a fast-paced world.

Prioritize self-care to find peace in a fast-paced world.

Self-care does not have to be expensive or fancy. Something as simple as regular exercise and eating well might go a long way towards keeping your mood stable and your psyche refreshed. Remembering that you are in a body that has valid needs and wants is also important. How do you feel when you have to take a restroom break or get adequate sleep for the next day?

Do you resent yourself for needing to eat on a regular schedule or go to the doctor? You might not believe this, but your body is listening to how you treat it. Just as in any relationship, the better you treat yourself, the better the outcomes for your physical and mental health.

To that end, it's important to practice basic self-care that honors the body and reminds you that your mind and body are connected. One simple thing is mind your intake of sugar, caffeine, and junk food to downregulate your nervous system. Also, watch what you feed your mind. What images and sources of entertainment are you consuming, and what effect do they have on you?

How present are you in your body when you move, and how often are you moving it? Get outside every day if possible and enjoy the sunshine and breeze on your skin. Move your body in a way that honors any physical limitations you may have, but that also challenges your heart to beat faster. Being a little out of breath when you exert yourself is normal and healthy.

Breathing exercises can help you slow down.

There are many ways that breath can help you slow down in a fast-paced world. Slow, deep breathing can help regulate your nervous system and signal safety and calm. If you tend towards anxiety or being easily triggered by traumatic memories, breathing is something that you can use in your everyday life to restore calm. You may have already heard of box breathing. That is one fairly simple thing you can do with your breath to become more conscious of how you are taking in oxygen.

To do box breathing, breathe in on the count of four, hold the breath for a count of four, breathe out on the count of four, and then hold the out breath on a count of four. Repeat that a few times until you regain your equilibrium.

Another way to breathe that restores peace is to breathe in on the count of four, hold the breath on the count of seven, and then release your breath on the count of eight. The longer out-breath helps your nervous system get into the parasympathetic mode.

What messages are you telling yourself that contribute to feeling stressed?

Becoming aware of your own inner chatter is also useful in managing stress. What kinds of things are you telling yourself during the course of the day? Do you get angry at yourself when you are not performing well? Are you short-tempered or edgy? Do you find simple things frustrating and annoying? It could have something to do with the implicit and explicit messages you have, been entertaining internally.

The next time you get upset or fearful about something, try to ask yourself what came before that. What thoughts, images, memories, et cetera, led up to this eruption of emotion? This is more, a top-down strategy than a bottom-up strategy, but I believe we need both approaches to manage stress in these high-pressure times.

Breathwork is a powerful somatic way to regulate your nervous system.

Bring yourself into the present moment with grounding and mindfulness.

Something as simple as noticing your feet and focusing on them in great detail can distract you from whatever mental chatter you have about a situation. Chances are that mental chatter is not helpful. You can tell by the way your heart is beating. Your breathing might be shallow. You might have difficulty thinking clearly.

These are all signs that you are getting overly stressed. Take a moment to notice the bottoms of your feet and the contact that they make with whatever surface they are resting on. Or maybe you're standing and you notice the weight of your body on your feet. You might also notice the things that are touching your feet. Are you barefoot, or are you wearing socks and shoes? What is the temperature of your feet? What textures are you aware of against your skin?

While you're noticing your feet, you can also notice the strength in your legs as they support you. Where you are. If you're feeling detached from your body, you can dig your heels into the ground so that you have more pressure and contact. Notice how that feels.

These simple grounding techniques can be a way to bring yourself into the present moment and out of whatever self-induced trance of unworthiness you are experiencing. I suggest you try them the next time you're feeling stressed.

Do you need help finding peace in this chaotic, rushed world?

Now you have some ideas for self-care in this crazy, high-pressure world. I hope that they are helpful. However, you can know the right things to do and still not do them. It helps to have a knowledgeable, compassionate helper in your corner who can hold you accountable and challenge the resistance you may have against caring for yourself. Somatic group therapy or individual therapy using Somatic Stress Release can be a powerful, gentle way to reduce anxiety and stress in this frenetic world. If you're interested in either, please give me a call or click the button below.

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