Chill
Chill is a part of my music, as much as music is part of my chill. Meditation, yoga, tea, reading, sound healing... all are blissful ways to release the tension that builds up in life. I've been doing yoga and meditation for nearly 20 years, and it's helped me so many times to just cope with life, especially when you want to live one where you push yourself quite a lot! Or when you need to just have a way to cope with difficult times and ground yourself again. Chill does that perfectly.
Art of Chill
I used to think that being busy all the time was "good", but it kinda caught up with me in a not great way. I ended up with severe anxiety, and the diagnosis fell in the middle of studying for my sports massage qualification. With a lot of help, attention and action, I have made a full recovery (with the odd mild relapse), and am able to manage it, monitor it, and live a normal life, whilst following my dreams.
Studying and practicing sports massage gave me the two sides of relaxation and tension (the two nervous systems: sympathetic and parasympathetic), and the interrelated effects on the body and mind.
It showed me the following pattern. People say Anxiety is a 'mental health problem' but it is also very, very physical.
1) Anxious thought (or in CBT - Negative Automatic Thought)
2) Adrenaline (a stress hormone) released into the body
3) Physical muscular tension and other symptoms (eg stomach aches)
This cycle repeats and repeats as our thoughts do. As we flood our bodies with stress hormones, we feel that panic and tension - but without a visible imminent threat (eg a lion), we don't know always how to act or react. For me, it would take 4-6 hours to relax after a panic attack, and I would need to walk it off to help eliminate the adrenaline from my system. Finding ways to break the cycle and stop the pattern is key to beating anxiety.
Physical tension is usually just muscular tension. Think about it - your bones are solid, your tendons and ligaments move as you do, fat just sits there..skin holds it all together! So muscles are the part of your body that you have control over relaxing.
Sports massage is a set of techniques to release tense or damaged muscles, and as they release, they have a calming effect on the mind as well. As part of my Sports Massage journey, I co-wrote a blog with surfer & mum Hannah Harding on Sports Massage and Anxiety as part of a local mental health surf event. I hope that it's helpful read to anyone wanting to know more!
Studying and practicing sports massage gave me the two sides of relaxation and tension (the two nervous systems: sympathetic and parasympathetic), and the interrelated effects on the body and mind.
It showed me the following pattern. People say Anxiety is a 'mental health problem' but it is also very, very physical.
1) Anxious thought (or in CBT - Negative Automatic Thought)
2) Adrenaline (a stress hormone) released into the body
3) Physical muscular tension and other symptoms (eg stomach aches)
This cycle repeats and repeats as our thoughts do. As we flood our bodies with stress hormones, we feel that panic and tension - but without a visible imminent threat (eg a lion), we don't know always how to act or react. For me, it would take 4-6 hours to relax after a panic attack, and I would need to walk it off to help eliminate the adrenaline from my system. Finding ways to break the cycle and stop the pattern is key to beating anxiety.
Physical tension is usually just muscular tension. Think about it - your bones are solid, your tendons and ligaments move as you do, fat just sits there..skin holds it all together! So muscles are the part of your body that you have control over relaxing.
Sports massage is a set of techniques to release tense or damaged muscles, and as they release, they have a calming effect on the mind as well. As part of my Sports Massage journey, I co-wrote a blog with surfer & mum Hannah Harding on Sports Massage and Anxiety as part of a local mental health surf event. I hope that it's helpful read to anyone wanting to know more!
Other ways to Chill
Through yoga (Vinyasa flow, yin, ashtanga), and meditation, you can help to also relax the body and the mind. Most people can't relax on demand! So we need to reach relaxation through activities that induce it.
Other ways to process stress could be sports, running, walking, journalling, therapies such as psychotherapy, CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy), and being in nature. I actually wrote this down in a blog for SurfGirl magazine so, check it out. Hopefully something there helps! 8 Strategies for feeling good.
It seems that when our mind and muscles are relaxed, we are at our optimum self for whatever life brings. And our ability to return our muscles and mind to a state of relaxation as soon as we can after a stressful event or day, the more resilient we become. And the more accustomed and attuned we become with managing our own stress, the stronger we become in our body and mind.
So chill isn't just for lazy hippies! But definitely a good thing for everyone. Schedule some chill time for you now...
Other ways to process stress could be sports, running, walking, journalling, therapies such as psychotherapy, CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy), and being in nature. I actually wrote this down in a blog for SurfGirl magazine so, check it out. Hopefully something there helps! 8 Strategies for feeling good.
It seems that when our mind and muscles are relaxed, we are at our optimum self for whatever life brings. And our ability to return our muscles and mind to a state of relaxation as soon as we can after a stressful event or day, the more resilient we become. And the more accustomed and attuned we become with managing our own stress, the stronger we become in our body and mind.
So chill isn't just for lazy hippies! But definitely a good thing for everyone. Schedule some chill time for you now...
Links & Numbers
If you need to speak to someone asap, there are phonelines available (UK). They are free and fully confidential:
The Samaritans: 24 hour helpline 116 123
Help Musicians UK: 24 hour helpline 0808 802 8008
In the USA, the 24/7 Suicide Prevention Lifeline is: 1-800-273-8255
For more information about mental health:
NHS Choices
Mind Charity
Heads Together
The Samaritans: 24 hour helpline 116 123
Help Musicians UK: 24 hour helpline 0808 802 8008
In the USA, the 24/7 Suicide Prevention Lifeline is: 1-800-273-8255
For more information about mental health:
NHS Choices
Mind Charity
Heads Together
