Do you ever feel like your brain is in overdrive,
Like you're just trapped on this mental merry-go-round that just won't stop?
You're deep in rumination and overthinking.
I'm here to help you out with that.
I'm Jessica Chronowski and I'm a holistic health practitioner that specializes in bodywork in San Diego,
California and stress management internationally.
I'm here to introduce you to a game changer in handling stress.
It's called the stop technique.
This isn't just any technique.
It's like your emergency brake for when life speeds up too fast.
It's simple,
Quick,
And there's no fancy equipment needed.
Just you and a moment to pause and remember to practice this exercise.
Exercise.
When we're stressed,
Our body switches on the fight or flight mode.
This means that adrenaline and cortisol flood our system,
Speeding up our heart rate,
Tensing our muscles,
And making us feel on edge.
It's like revving your car engine for too long.
Eventually,
If you keep doing it,
You're going to wear it down.
Here's where the stop technique comes in handy.
It's like pressing the reset button on your body's alarm system.
Let me show you how.
You're being faced with something incredibly stressful and you know you need to calm down to face whatever it is that you are dealing with.
We'll start at the S.
Stop.
Hit the brakes on a stress response.
Just stopping in your tracks will tell your body,
Hey,
Let's not panic.
You can literally say stop out loud.
You can say stop in your head.
You can imagine that somebody else is telling you to stop.
But just saying that word can help to put you in check.
Next,
Let's take a look at the T.
Take a deep breath.
Breathing deeply activates your parasympathetic nervous system,
Which is your body's natural chill-out signal.
It slows down the heart rate and tells your muscles that it's okay to relax.
Just one deep breath can start to reverse this tidal wave of stress.
If it feels right for you,
You could even take a few deep breaths,
Filling up the lungs and letting go of all the air in the lungs.
Let's take a deep breath together to practice.
Inhale.
As much as you can and exhale all of the air in your lungs.
The next step,
Observe.
Now is when you take a moment to notice what's happening within your body and your mind.
This step engages your prefrontal cortex,
Which is the part of the brain that helps you think clearly,
Regulate your emotions and make rational decisions.
You're basically giving your brain a moment to catch up to your body's panic reaction and the observation removes it from yourself.
So your experience becomes objective about that as opposed to subjective about me.
And there's power in that observation.
Now time for the P.
With a clear head and a calmer body,
You're in a better position to decide what to do next.
Smart choices come from a calm mind,
And that's exactly what you have just created.
So good job.
Now,
How to use this moving forward.
Think of the stop technique as your personal stress zapper.
Use it at work,
In tough conversations,
Or whenever you feel overwhelmed or you have ruminative thoughts.
It's your secret weapon to turn stress into composure in seconds.
Every time you use the stop technique,
You're not just easing stress in the moment,
You are training your brain to handle future stress better.
Start today and take control of this mental merry-go-round so that you can actually enjoy the ride and you will have healthier ways to respond to whatever it is that comes your way.
So then you can become more successful,
More loving,
More healthier,
You'll have better relationships.
You will find that your dreams just suddenly start to unfold for you because you have made these choices to stop.
Allowing stress to take over and allow your true self to be revealed.
One S-T-O-P,
One stop at a time.
Together we can stay mindful and marvelous.
