How Anxiety And The Brain Function
We tend to throw the term anxiety around and many people use that word to refer to many different body based experiences (such as sweaty hands, hearts racing, clenching muscles, tension in the jaw and upset stomach) and brain based experiences (such as excessive worrying, difficultly concentrating on thoughts of my choice, hard time sleeping or relaxing, and needing to stay overly busy to keep the brain distracted, to name a few).
Anxiety works differently in each of us, yet is a universal experience. We all will have the need to at times look Anxiety in the face and make decisions about what to do with it. Worry or anxiety, both as a body and a brain function is something that we all will have to deal with throughout our lives. What do you do when you are staring at Anxiety, or when it has taken residence in your skin and skull? Take a moment to think about a time when you were faced with Anxiety and you did rather well with that powerful emotion. What was happening that allowed for you to react better than some of the other times? Think about both the body and the brain.
Have you ever had a hard time finding the right words? Sometimes even simple words are hard to locate in that gigantic gray matter you have upstairs. Do you ever regret the words that you choose? Wishing you could turn back time just a few moments to take back the breach in integrity that you just had. Did you know that the tension in your body (the physical representation of stress, anxiety or worry) is directly related to your ability to access your natural and internal resources? The higher your body tension, the more difficult it is to access your prefrontal cortex which is your language, logic and reasoning center.
Teaching our bodies to relax and how to relax is an important and mature decision. Effective bodily relaxation must be practiced in and outside of tension/anxiety so that you can be sure when faced with difficult raw discussions, emotions or anxiety you will be able to do so with while maintaining your self-respect, balance and integrity. Relaxing in the midst of stress also allows for the natural tension, that is part of living and close relationships, to become a growing opportunity for your relationship. Tension and low level anxiety can help us see where we need to concentrate our growth potential when paired with a relaxed body and an open, positive mindset.
Take what you know about yourself and your values. I can guarantee that each time you have had a breach of your integrity you did so with tense muscles. Learning to relax your muscles in the midst of stress is one of the most important things you can do to consistently live and act within your principle and value center.
Enjoy purposefully relaxing today! If you need help in the area of anxiety, stress management, worry or relaxation please call to set up an appointment, 507.351.8799.
