21. In Case of Emergency, Press Play: When Stress Becomes Your Unwanted Roommate

When stress has made itself a little too comfortable and won't take a hint, press play.

Stress doesn't just live in our thoughts or the world around us - it settles into our muscles, connective tissue, and joints. It can even change the way we breathe. Your body can literally become a storage unit for stress to unload 

This practice is perfect for anytime you notice yourself becoming tight, tense,  overwhelmed, or anxious.

No experience necessary. Just find a comfortable place, follow your breath, and remember what it feels like to relax.

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For th...

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi, this is Adrian. Welcome to another episode of In Case of Emergency Press Play. In today's episode, we're going to talk a little bit about tensing and releasing. Stress has a way of hiding in our bodies. And sometimes we don't even realize that we're clenching our jaw or our shoulders are up by our ears or we're even holding tension in our hips until we finally let it go. So today's practice is just going to use a simple technique called progressive muscle relaxation. By intentionally tensing and then releasing different muscle groups, it'll help your body recognize the difference between holding on and letting go. As your body softens, your nervous system has the opportunity to shift from stress into rest. So when your body feels like it's carrying the weight of the day, press play. Welcome to your practice. Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position. Allow the ground beneath you to support the weight of your body. There is nowhere else to be right now. Nothing to fix, nothing to figure out. Just this breath, just this moment. Slowly breathe in through your nose and allow yourself a long, gentle exhale through your mouth. Again, breathe in through your nose and take a long, slow exhale through your mouth. Notice your breath can settle into a smooth and natural rhythm. As your body softens, focus your attention in this very moment here. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Now exhale through your mouth as if you're blowing out a candle. Blow all air out. As you inhale, focus on slowing down your breathing into a calm rhythm. A calm breath pattern equals a calm and relaxed body. Ensure to exhale fully all of your air out. Continue to follow this breath pattern slow and calmly. If you haven't already, close your eyes. And take a couple of moments to notice how your body feels. Are you holding on to your breath? Or is your breath even? Do you feel any tension or stress in any parts of your body? Begin to relax your body as you relax your breath. Notice if there are any thoughts or worries lingering in your mind. Without judgment, focus on your breath. Just continue to notice the rise and fall of your belly. Allow any thoughts and worries to drift by like bright white clouds in a blue sky. Focus your attention on your feet. Just notice your feet, nothing else. Notice how they feel. Now, as you take a deep breath in, tense or squeeze the muscles in your feet. Hold it tightly. Squeeze all the muscles around your toes, your feet. Hold it, hold it, hold it. And then release the muscles in your feet as you breathe out. Continue that breath pattern gently and calmly. Now draw your awareness to your legs, just your legs, nothing else. And notice how they feel. Now breathe in. And as you do, squeeze the muscles in your legs. All the muscles in your calves, your thighs, your hamstrings, tight, tight, tight to the bone. Breathe in. Release the tension in your legs as you breathe out. Draw your awareness to the area of your hips. Nothing more, just your hips. Breathe in. And as you squeeze the muscles around your hips and your bottom, breathe in and hold the squeeze tight to the bone. And release the tension in your hips as you breathe out. Direct your awareness to the back of your body, the back of your ribs. Breathe as you squeeze your back muscles. Hold it in, squeeze tightly everywhere you can. And now release the tension in your back as you breathe out. Pull your awareness to your torso, your abdomen. Just notice how it feels. Notice whether you pull in the muscles in your belly. Now gently breathe in and squeeze the muscles in your belly, in your abdomen. Hold it tight, squeeze everything tight, tight, tight, and release all the muscles in your abdomen as you breathe out. Now focus your attention on your chest. Just that area. And as you do, begin to breathe in and squeeze the muscles around your chest. Hold it tight and release, relax the muscles around your chest as you exhale. Continue to breathe gently and calmly. Now shine your attention onto your shoulders. Notice if you carry more tension in one shoulder than the other. As you breathe in, squeeze the muscles of your shoulders. Try to squeeze your shoulders up by your ears. Hold the muscles tight. Breathe in. As you exhale, release and melt all of the muscles in your shoulders. Now focus on your arms and your hands. And when you squeeze the muscles in your hands, actually make a tight fist with your fingers and then very slowly open your fingers when you release the tension. Breathe in as you squeeze the muscles in your arms and your hands. Hold it. And release. Now focus your attention on your forehead and your head. Breathe in as you squeeze the muscles in your face. Tighten your eyes, scrunch up your nose, purse up your lips, hold all the muscles in your face tight, tight, tight. And as you exhale, relax all those muscles. Focus your attention back on your breath. Breathe gently and calmly. And enjoy the relaxation inside your body. From my heart to yours. Wherever you are right now, take a breath. Loosen your grip a little. Be bold. Listen and be impeccable with your words. Do meaningful work and leave things better than you found them. We didn't plan for this. But we're here. And for now, that's enough.