Running on adrenaline.

Most of us probably think that we are pretty relaxed and that our lives are under control but if you never take time to watch your life as if you were watching a movie, by being an observer, you can’t be so sure of that. Just like fish aren’t aware of the water they are swimming in because they are in it all the time, we can’t be aware of the state we are in if we don’t allow ourselves to step out of our everyday activities to really see what’s going on. Take some time to do this simple year end review to see how you have been using your time and what changes you would like to make in the new year.

Fight or flight.

The fight or flight response can be an action much more than we think. Think of walking in the woods and meeting a bear. What would be your first reaction? Run for your life! Guess what is activated when you want to run for your life? Your arms and legs! The thing is, you don’t need to meet a bear to be in fight or flight. Any perceived stress that is not managed puts you in fight or flight response which causes the same reactions as meeting a bear. All the circulation goes to your limbs leaving your internal organs with very little circulation and oxygen. Can you see where I am going with this? This is the snowball effect of being stuck in the blizzard of life. When we are in this state and stuck in this state our entire health is affected and the Vata Dosha is imbalanced causing many things such as insomnia, digestive issues, feeling out of control and having trouble making decisions. So what can you do to stay healthy, centered and balanced?

Rest and Digest.

The rest and digest response is what happens when we take time to slow down and relax. First thing is first. You need to remind yourself each time you are worried or stressed that nothing is going to get better if you continue to be in this state, they will only get worse and your health will definitely not benefit. Some things you can do are to still the mind, meditate and practice some breathing exercises to soothe the nervous system. By centering our energy and calming our mind at least once every day or whenever we feel ourselves running on adrenaline, circulation flows well, our minds are clear and our immune system is strong. Yes you heard me, when you are in fight or flight your immune system can become very weak and that is often how we get sick.

So take care of yourself and know that there is always enough time to take a breath and slow down, you just need to take that time!