Nervous System Reset: Frozen to Flow (Part 1) & New Year Burnout

Hi there. We're nearly at the end of January. And if the new year energy has completely worn off, stop beating yourself up. You aren't losing momentum.

You are experiencing a biological crash. Right now, your nervous system is likely in a freeze state because you tried to sprint a marathon. If you feel like you've already fallen behind or you were just exhausted by the pressure to keep up, this session is for you. Today, we aren't pushing forward.

We're hitting the brakes to regulate your nervous system so that you can actually breathe again. Welcome to Calming Anxiety. I'm Martin Hewlett We're starting a special five-part series today to take you from frozen to flow. If the gloss of the new year has faded and left you feeling anxious, you're in the right place.

Today is all about safety. Let's get you grounded. Let's find a comfortable position. You can be seated or lying down.

Just make sure your spine is straight but not stiff. Now, close your eyes. We're going to spend the next few minutes simply reconnecting with the body. When we are frozen, we disconnect.

We live in our heads. I want you to come back to the physical. Pull the weight of your body pressing down into the chair or the floor. Feel the contact points.

Your heels, your hips, your shoulders. Notice your breath. Is it high in your chest? Is it stuck in your throat?

We need to signal to your brain but the threat is gone. We are going to use the physiological side. It's a double inhale through the nose, a long inhale, then a short sip to top it up and follow it with a long, slow out breath through the mouth. Let's go.

Feel, sip and release, breathing out for six to eight seconds.

Again, a deep in breath in, a sharp sip and then let it all go.

As you exhale, I wonder if you could imagine a wave of relaxation washing down from the top of your head over your face and then down through your neck. Let your jaw relax. Let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth. Keep that rhythm with the double inhale and then the long exhale.

With every breath out, we are releasing the negativity of the last few weeks, the disappointment, the exhaustion, the "I'm not doing enough." Visualize it as a dark smoke leaving your lips with every sigh. You don't need to analyze it. Just breathe it out.

In your body, for pockets of tension now, are your hands clenched, then open them, is your belly tight, then soften it. There is no danger here. You are safe to let go. Inhale and exhale.

Feel your heart rate slowing down. Feel the edges of your mind softening. You are not a machine. You are a human being who is allowed to rest.

Stay here now in this softness for a moment. Just breathing. Just being. Relax and unwind.

Now that the body is softer, let's move into your mind.

Picture yourself standing in a wide open field. It is winter, but the sun is warm on your face. You are carrying a heavy backpack. The backpack is filled with every expectation you set yourself this month.

Every goal you think you missed, feel how heavy it is. It is weighing you down. This is why you feel frozen. In your mind's eye, I want you to reach back, unclip the straps and let that backpack drop to the ground.

Feel your spine lengthen. Feel the lightness. Step away from the bag you don't need to carry it today. And as you stand there, lighter and free, repeat these affirmations silently to yourself.

I do not need to earn my rest.

It is safe for me to pause. I release the need to be perfect. My worth is not measured by my productivity.

I am safe. I am grounded. I am enough. Take a moment to let those words settle into your cells into the very fabric of your soul.

You are rebuilding your foundation. Take one big deep breath in now, filling your whole body with this new sense of safety, and then let it go. Relax within this moment. Before we finish, here are three caring tips for a happier, more positive life to take with you today.

One, the do nothing minute. Sometimes today, set a timer for just 60 seconds and do absolutely nothing. No phone, no planning, no tidying, just sit. Don't reset the nervous system faster than you think.

Two, hydrate before you caffeinate. When you wake up tomorrow, drink a glass of water before your coffee. Your brain is dehydrated after sleep and water will wake you up more gently than caffeine, keeping the anxiety lower. And three, replace.

I have to, with, I get to. It's a small shift. Instead of having, I have to go to work. Try, I get to go to work.

It changes a burden into an opportunity and light energy. Now wiggle your fingers and toes. Take a deep breath in and then as you exhale, stretch out the muscles in your arms and legs. And now open your eyes.

Thank you my friend for joining me for part one of this series. Remember, safety have to come first. You cannot build a new life on a burnout. In the next episode, part two, we'll look at expansion and how to find your flow without force.

If this session helped you reset, please do subscribe so you don't miss out on the rest of the five part series. Feel free as always to share this on your social media. It's my only request really. Although if you super love the show, come and join the supporters group.

It is only five dollars a month and then you get it without any of the adverts. Thank you. Be positive. Smile often.

And as always, to your beautiful song. Be kind.