This week’s mental sunshine is something that sounds terribly fancy – but is actually the most simple thing in the world.
Interoception…
Interoception is the sense of what is going on in your body.
It’s a great word to drop into a conversation if you want to seem very intellectual and knowledgeable!
More than that though, the process of sensing what is going on in your body is one of the best ways to calm your nervous system and chill out.
In practice, this can mean simply sitting quietly and seeing if you can detect your heart beating within your body.
This can feel impossible to begin with, but here’s a tip.
Close your eyes and take a big breath in, then hold it a little until you can definitely feel your heartbeat.
Let the breath out slowly, and try to keep track of your heart beating during that time.
The more you do this, the easier it becomes.
Each time you do it, even if only for a minute or two, you calm your body and brain.
Becoming more aware of what is going on in your body like this can help you to be more aware of the signals of stress when they first begin
…and as we all know, the first step towards preventing something is noticing it in the first place.
Give it a try this week, and let me know how you get on!