Written by: Jen Barnes, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Are you chronically stressed out? If so, this is for you. I’m about to share with you a quick and simple tool to help soothe your body at the moment. If you’ve been struggling with chronic stress, this is a particularly important tool.
The biggest mistake most people dealing with chronic stress make is they keep pushing and pushing, as though pushing through will eventually alleviate the stress they face.
But the problem is the impact of chronic stress on the body doesn’t go away just because you get everything done. In fact, that stress builds up over time and, when not released, can evolve into other problems like having trouble sleeping, irritability, snapping at people, always feeling on edge, not being able to relax without being numbed out, negative mood, and even illness and physical ailments. So even when the work is done, you still feel like crap. There are several ways to release this stuck stress from the body and to regulate your nervous system. Today, I’m going to share a favorite of mine. It’s a favorite because it incorporates fluid breath with movement along with a positive affirmation. Doing so makes it an effective tool whether you are feeling amped, keyed up, and on edge, or shut down, number, or depressed. Further, by breathing this way and using the affirmation, it sends a cue of safety to your body. When facing chronic stress, your nervous systems can get stuck in your fight or flight response, your shutdown response. These responses are protective and, in the face of a real threat, can be helpful. But over time, these responses are ineffective. They lead you to either address things with more intensity and aggression than a situation calls for or have you avoid the problems altogether. Further, as previously mentioned, long term, these responses impact your body and your life negatively by interrupting your sleep, leaving you on edge and being short with people, or even leaving you sick. Instead, you can use this tool I’m about to share to release stuck stress and communicate to your body that you are safe enough to connect, rest, and digest. So let’s dig in. The tool I’m about to share is a Meditative Movement™. Meditative Movements™ were developed by Ellie Peterson, a nurse in Chanhassen, Minnesota. They were studied at the University of Minnesota in 2017 and were shown to reduce anxiety and depression while increasing emotional and functional well-being for persons with chronic health conditions. To access the study, click here.
The Meditative Movement™ I am about to share is called “I am Safe.” Before we practice this together, I will share how to do it.
First, we will practice just the movement four times.
Then, we will practice the movement with breath four times, exhaling on the movement that requires the most exertion.
Next, we will practice the movement with the breath and say the affirmation four times.
The affirmation is “I am Safe.” If those words are problematic for you in any way, you are welcome to try out “May I be safe” instead. Let’s try this together. Place one hand on your heart and the other hand on your belly or low back. Switch your hands switch your hands again Switch your hands one more time Now let’s add the breath. Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, and hold your hands (one on your heart, the other on your belly or low back) Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands Now let’s add the affirmation. Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands one on your heart, the other on your belly or low back) As you exhale and hold your hands, say the affirmation four times: “I am safe” Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands As you exhale and hold your hands, say the affirmation four times: “I am safe” Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands As you exhale and hold your hands, say the affirmation four times: “I am safe” Inhale, switch your hands Exhale, hold your hands As you exhale and hold your hands, say the affirmation four times: “I am safe” Place your hands in your lap and pause, noticing how that feels. You can see this is a quick and simple way to calm your body by regulating your nervous system. Because this is so quick and simple, this is something you can incorporate throughout your day. You could do it during your nurse huddle, after a tough patient, or even throughout the day for a brief break. You might even do it at the end of every shift as a way to leave work behind. Before you go, take a moment now and commit to one way you can incorporate this into your day, keeping your momentum going by doing it tomorrow.
May you be healthy and well!
If you are a nurse facing chronic stress and looking to make a change, you are invited to a complimentary workshop, How to Recover from Chronic Stress and Build Resilience in Nursing™, with Jen on Thursday, October 20th at 7:30 p.m. Central Time. Click here to register. The event will be recorded, so be sure to register to access the replay even if you cannot attend live.
Jen Barnes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jen Barnes is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Minneapolis, MN. She specializes in complex trauma, PTSD, stress, and grief. The daughter and sister of nurses, she has a passion for empowering nurses to build resilience. She has worked with nurses 1:1 hoping to expand her reaching to a broader audience. In 2021 she completed the Dare to Lead certificate program in order to more effectively address organizational challenges in healthcare. Most recently, she spoke at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’s 2022 NTI conference on Building Resilience in Nursing.
