How stress relates to inactivity and overweight and how to effectively deal with it instead.

It’s human nature to want to avoid uncomfortable feelings. It’s probably linked to our primal survival instinct. In times of emotional stress, we seek to comfort or distract ourselves. There are many different strategies to do so. We can numb our pain by distracting ourselves with social media, watching movies, eating, drinking alcohol, drugs, or having sex. Some of these distractions might hinder you from reaching the goal you have set for yourself.

Ask yourself: What would happen if I allowed myself to feel the discomfort? Even if this is not what I want to feel, would I be ok?

Simple mindfulness practice to explore the emotions in your body might help you process your uncomfortable feelings rather than bury them. This can help to stop unhelpful distracting behaviour and bring you one step closer to your goal. Mindfulness has been proven to dial down the stress response in our bodies.

Close your eyes. Observe your breath. Is it shallow or deep? Where in your body does it travel? Observe how the emotion feels in your body. Where is it? Is there tightness, discomfort, heat, tingling or pain? Don’t wish it away. Sit with it. Meet those feelings with the curiosity of a child. Talk to them. You can even say hello to them and acknowledge they are there. Tell them it’s ok to be here and that you welcome them. At first, it can feel overwhelming, and the feelings might intensify. But once entirely accepted and explored, they disappear as fast as they came. Once emotions are regulated, your nervous system relaxes and tension decreases. This can sometimes be enough to settle body aches.

Explore your mind, understand your habits and make changes according to your goal.

It’s human nature to want to avoid uncomfortable feelings. It’s probably linked to our primal survival instinct. In times of emotional stress, we seek to comfort or distract ourselves. There are many different strategies to do so. We can numb our pain by distracting ourselves with social media, watching movies, eating, drinking alcohol, drugs, or having sex. Some of these distractions might hinder you from reaching the goal you have set for yourself.

Ask yourself: What would happen if I allowed myself to feel the discomfort? Even if this is not what I want to feel, would I be ok?

Simple mindfulness practice to explore the emotions in your body might help you process your uncomfortable feelings rather than bury them. This can help to stop unhelpful distracting behaviour and bring you one step closer to your goal. Mindfulness has been proven to dial down the stress response in our bodies.

Close your eyes. Observe your breath. Is it shallow or deep? Where in your body does it travel? Observe how the emotion feels in your body. Where is it? Is there tightness, discomfort, heat, tingling or pain? Don’t wish it away. Sit with it. Meet those feelings with the curiosity of a child. Talk to them. You can even say hello to them and acknowledge they are there. Tell them it’s ok to be here and that you welcome them. At first, it can feel overwhelming, and the feelings might intensify. But once entirely accepted and explored, they disappear as fast as they came. Once emotions are regulated, your nervous system relaxes and tension decreases. This can sometimes be enough to settle body aches.

Explore your mind, understand your habits and make changes according to your goal.

Originally published at https://www.myhealthscript.com on September 19, 2022.