How to reduce your stress in crisis and get back to balance

My dears, in face of the war in Ukraine, and the stress, disbelief and horror it raised worldly, let me talk to you, and let me share with you the ways to get back into balance in this life-changing situation.

 

Just as I recovered from 3 weeks of Covid in February, the war in Ukraine and all that followed shook me to the ground.

I still struggle to get back to my personal “normalcy”. Despite my burnout healing knowledge, being an empath and a healer tries to throw my brain in overdrive and my emotions in turmoil again and again.

I am sure that many of you feel the same and worse. Yes: what is going on is beyond comprehension, and painful beyond words.

And whoever’s is the “fault”, one basic horrible truth of all wars is valid once again: it is the ordinary people that pay the highest and ultimate price on all “sides”, and globally.

I know that just like me, many of you feel paralyzed, terrified, angry, sad, even in physical pain for all the suffering that is going on.

And then, we also have a life that still requires to be lived, tasks to be performed, work to do and dear ones needing our care and support.

So, we also need to be present in our immediate here and now, and able to function. That is, to take decisions, to have the energy to implement them, to have the brain and soul capacity to stay safe, and, where possible, find ways to help the immediate victims of the war horror.

 

Here are a few actions that help me stay grounded, make my mind shut up from rumination and get back to function adequately

 

Sleep, food and liquids

It may sound plain and irrelevant, but you need regular sleep, proper regular eating and enough water and liquids to help your body and mind overcome the stress. Even when your soul feels like eating is like sacrilege when people out there suffer and don’t have access to food. Just of same importance is to get enough water. And to help yourself to calm down anxiety and panic, choose whatever soothing herbal tea you have available: peppermint, linden, chamomile, melissa, valerian root, hops are some immediate go-to herbs.

Movement

Go around the house or office, do some exercise, or put some stuff in order, do anything that makes your body move. In times of stress the lizard brain activates the fight/flight/freeze reaction. In our effort to control the primal stress we make our body stiffen and thus also block ourselves from adequacy and proper thinking. Let go by doing the closest to fight-flight: move and perform physical actions that are constructive. Help the body relieve part of the stress. Even washing the dishes could be of help, despite being one of the hated household chores.

Have a plan

Have a daily plan and to-do list for your tasks, best written down from the previous evening. If you freeze internally and give up performing your immediate work, this doesn’t help those who suffer. On the contrary, working on your tasks helps you feel in control, as well as emotionally stable, present and contributing at least indirectly.

Mental detox time

It matters to stay informed about the current war crisis and how it relates to you. But overdoing with information tends to only make you panic and feel helpless. So, however difficult it is, do your best to not constantly scroll/watch the news for a given period daily: while you are busy with work/tasks, or at least a couple hours a day to give your mind and emotions a break to recharge.

Art, meditation, journaling

Set up a chunk of time daily for these activities. Let your emotions out by whatever form of creativity is “yours”. Journal your thoughts, fears, hopes, let them out of your head as this helps also to better understand and control them. Listen to music, move along with it, dance at home if you feel like. Especially in hard times, it is paramount to generate positive energy as it helps recharge our batteries and be present and functional.

Talk and share

Speaking with another person, sharing your thoughts and fears and hopes, discussing makes it easier to cope with the storm of emotions and the overthinking. We are humans, and part of our survival system is sharing and mutual support. Even knowing that you are not alone in the way you think and feel, is a huge help to restore inner balance.

My way of keeping myself sane, functional, and strong is to help other people, and to create pyrography art.

So, if you need to talk and to get back to balance, I am here for you. I’ll listen to you and bring you my emotional support, tips and my art to help you restore your inner balance and the control over yourself and your life – right now, and in the longer and more general term through my programs.

 

Here is how you can connect with me

 

Book a personal free call with me: https://calendly.com/nat-craft/personal-alchemy-from-burnout-to-balance

Join my Facebook group Personal Alchemy: From Burnout to Balance for Introverts: https://www.facebook.com/groups/400288081654558

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