Tune-in to your body for managing stress.
Your body is a living expression of your mind. From the communication of emotions through facial expressions and posture to the physical manifestation of more complex psychological issues that can influence our experience of life and play into injuries or sickness, the body constantly signals the presence of the mind.
Being mindful of how you carry life experience in your body, such as by pausing now and again through the day to notice your body, can complement a focus on healthy diet and physical exercise to promote holistic health and manage stress. Even a short pause—such as looking away from work for a few moments, while walking between meetings, or even while waiting in the checkout line—can have a big impact on your brain and body. It helps you to think more clearly and see a bigger picture. It can boost feel-good hormones that counteract the build-up of stress hormones and, in the long term, can help you shift even age-old habits of responding to stress and emotional ups and downs.
I’d like to describe an example of a pause you might take, in this case using self-supportive touch to tune-in to your body and reap these kinds of benefits.
Ground yourself in your body.
Place your hands on your head. Find the place for each hand that feels best, such as front and back, or top and bottom, where the back of your neck meets your head. Or you can hold both sides of your head. Go with what feels right.
Observe the effects on your thoughts as you hold your head. Touch is an effective connector of mind and body and this connection can be experienced in an instant. Your skin might feel more alive as your body senses awaken. This contact can help a busy day’s to-do list slip from your mind as a sense of being more present takes its place.
Touch is proven to decrease the physiological effects of stress and anxiety, lowering levels of stress hormones like cortisol, lowering blood pressure, slowing heart rate, and improving immune-system function. Nurturing touch is also found to release oxytocin, the cuddle or love hormone, which can relax your body and clear your mind.
Here are some more self-holding options for your exploration. They guide you to give attention to different parts of your body and provide you with constantly available ways to self-support. You could use any of them for stress relief, to provide comfort, or simply to connect with yourself and relax at the end of your day. Try them out to find the ones that you like best.
- Rub your upper arms.
EFFECT: Raises oxytocin levels. Helps you sense your personal boundaries. Another alternative is hugging yourself. You can either follow your natural inclination to wrap your arms around your upper body, or you can slip your hands under your armpits to hold the sides of your ribcage.
- Place one or both of your hands over your heart and hold for a few moments.
EFFECT: Mothers and self-nurtures. Putting a hand on your heart while speaking also displays sincerity and can positively influence how others respond to you.
- Rub your lower back and then hold your knees where it feels best.
EFFECT: Grounds you, energizes your legs, and encourages a feeling of “get up and go.”
- Place your hands in a prayer pose, either touching your chest or with a small space between hands and chest, whichever feels better to you.
EFFECT: Centers and hints of prayer—you can say a little prayer for yourself, too, while holding.
- End by holding your favorite position and notice how you feel compared to before you started.
This is an edited extract from chapter 1 of The Mindful Body (Rockpool Publishing, 2018) by Noa Belling, which offers practical strategies for building emotional strength and managing stress through body mindfulness. noabelling.com
