Perimenopause can be an overwhelming time for some woman. The physical and mental changes that this life transition take are not always welcomed. Combine that with the list of symptoms, ranging from hot flushes, to anger outbursts and anxiety, it is a time where adding a few more tools to help you quickly self-regulate can only be a good thing.
I have put together three mini self-regulating sessions for you.
These have all been added for slightly different reasons. You may find one that works better for you, so I recommend using it often, even when you don’t feel like you need it. Then when you need to call upon it, it is like second nature, and your body knows how it is going to respond, allowing you to regulate your nervous system faster.
Butterfly Breath
Developed by Dr Lucy Artigas for survivors of hurricane Pauline (Mexico 1997).
Butterfly breath is a great self soothing technique that we can use when we are feeling under stress. Using pressure (much like the concept of a weighted blanket) and breath awareness, we are able to parasympathetic nervous system online, de-escalating strong emotions.
OVERVIEW
Used in therapy for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
A great tool for individuals as a self soothing technique under stress
Using pressure to activate your parasympathetic nervous system
Creates a general sense of calm
Still Hands
Although this one may sound a bit strange, I promise you it is a really relaxing and enjoyable practice, and one that can be easily done anywhere without anyone noticing you are doing it.
Our hands are constantly busy, and this keeps our mind alert with new stimulation constantly being assessed.
Add to this fidgeting is associated with not paying attention, the mind is alert, but distracted and often does reflect a level of stress. It provides a temporary distraction from what you are doing, and you may not even be aware that you are doing it.
A great way to bring a sense of calm into the mind and body is to stop new information entering, it’s like we are giving the brain a break from constantly making sense of what is happening around us. Purposefully keeping our hands still and then being completely aware of this is a really effective and easy way to do this.
Grounding Practice
When we are feeling overwhelmed, often we disconnect from our physical body, and we can live like this for a long time without even realising we are doing it.
Some people live like their body is just a handy way of moving their mind around, with a real lack of body awareness. Anxiety can be amplified by being lost in your thoughts, so redirecting your thoughts to an awareness of sensations in your body, can be an extremely effective way to de-escalate overwhelming feelings.
This is a technique to bring your mind and body together quickly.