When we feel the fight or flight response, say, during a heated argument with our partner, or in a squabble with an acquaintance, or in a moment of utter humiliation, sometimes the wisest thing we can do is pause, and allow ourselves time to recalibrate, get back down to planet earth BEFORE WE REACT.
Thanks to the natural impulse we all have to survive, our bodies get flooded with potent performance-enhancing drugs when we find ourselves in situations where we perceive a threat. And while these drugs are incredibly useful for outrunning wooly mammoths, or charging into battle, they tend to be detrimental to when it’s 7:30am on Sunday morning, and you’ve run out of coffee, and there are dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, and your man just had the nerve to roll his eyes at you. It would be so easy to take a deep breath, smile, turn it around.
But the horomones, the neurotransmitters.
Adrenaline.
And so, a squabble quickly turns into a blow-out, chock-full of hurt feelings, anger, tears, confusion.Maybe all your emotions feel real, but that doesn't mean they're not lying to you. Some of your feelings are false, exaggerated and amplified by your own body chemistry.
In order to keep a healthy perspective, it’s so important to find healthy ways of pour some of these chemicals off, so when the flood gates do open, you don’t end up drowning in turbulent waters. This means, in no uncertain terms, physical exercise. Get your demons out.
Walking, running, having sex, dancing in front of the mirror, cleaning your house, or even just dropping down into a plank until you start sweating. (This last one has been a life-saver for yours truly, and I have been known to do it public places. Ha!) If you can't because you are unwell or disabled, then try to meditate, focusing on circulating oxygen throughout your body with deep, powerful breaths.
Turning healthy exercise into a ritual for increasing your vibration and positive energy will make a marked improvement in your overall well-being, and your relationships.
Get your demons OUT.