“I think I could actually vomit”
The other day, a client said to me, “I have never felt this overwhelmed before. I think I could actually vomit.”
We take on so much. And then we spin. We wonder what to do next. What to do first.
We panic. The amygdala, a tiny, almond-sized sliver of our brains designed to protect us from predators, is convinced we are in mortal danger. It throws us into fight or flight or freeze.
But it is only our identities that are threatened.
And the first step is simply to breathe. To calm the system down. To reset.
And to recognize the possibility that we could do more by suffering less.
Being centered as a practice
For some reason, we have convinced ourselves that the way to get things done is to be stressed and worried about them.
This is exhausting, and unproductive.
The research shows that the safer we feel, the more of our brains we have available for creativity and connection.
We are generally wired to worry. But when we take the time to meditate, or to center, or even to walk in a park, we begin to rewire our brains.
When we practice this repeatedly, we expand our capacity to go into that calm, centered state, no matter what is swirling around us.
We begin to see that it is only our thinking that is swirling. And that amazing things open up for us when our thinking clears.
What have you done today to build your capacity to manage your state? And what have you done today to help your team do the same?
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