Financial insecurity is our modern day equivalent of the man eating tiger. It can trigger a permanent fight or flight response, and its this heightened, long term state of stress that causes our physical and emotional inbalances.
The Stress Cycle
There is a daunting vicious cycle that high levels of stress can set in motion, and breaking its hold can be as elusive as eliminating financial concerns. The cycle begins when negative emotional responses to stressful events and situations are repeated and become imprinted on our brain’s circuitry. When similar future events and situations occur, perhaps something as simple as receiving an overdue payment notice, the brain seeks an emotional response. If you don’t intentionally provide an alternative, and the common learned response pattern has previously been negative, ie., anger, anxiety, depression, etc., – the response cycle is reinforced, again.However, you can work the brain’s efficiency to your advantage if you remember that you are the master programmer. If you can consciously remember the last time you received an overdue bill, or came up short before payday and your response was to become angry, depressed or overwhelmed, for instance, you can choose to respond in a more measured way next time. With a little practice, you can reprogramme your brain’s circuitry and your heart can help. Yes, your heart can help! Researchers at the Institute of HeartMath have made some important discoveries over the years about your heart:The human heart possesses a vast intuitive wisdom and intelligence that guides us, but the many distractions in our lives, the stresses we are under, and the emotional imbalance that so often rules us can leave us disconnected and unaware of that power.
Reconnecting with your heart
HeartMath have many tools and technologies to help you reconnect with your heart wisdom and intelligence. By using their free heart coherence technique, you can learn to reprogramme your emotional response to a more balanced one. Heart coherence is the state in which your heart-rhythm patterns are smooth and ordered, such as you might see in an electrocardiogram. In a state of coherence, stress chemical pathways reverse, paving the way for increased synchronisation between the heart and the brain.When you focus on intentional emotions such as caring and compassion while in this synchronised state, you can achieve optimal mental clarity, which means making better choices, react to stressful events and situations in positive ways, and find calm amid the sometimes dizzying pace of world around you.Cut Thru Technique by HeartMath®
A HeartMath Tip: Cut-Thru: This simple exercise, adapted from the HeartMath Cut-Thru® technique, can help you achieve emotional coherence and gradually release the accumulated anxiety caused by financial stress.
- Be aware of how you feel about an issue at hand.
- Imagine breathing in a positive feeling or attitude.
- Be objective, as if the issue or problem is someone else’s.
- Rest peacefully in this neutral state, allowing your heart intelligence to offer new perspectives and possibilities.
- Imagine soaking all resistances and disturbing feelings in your heart’s compassion.
- Ask for guidance from your heart, then be patient and receptive. While awaiting an answer, find something or someone to genuinely appreciate.
For further help and coaching around stress please don’t hesitate to get in touch either at the contact page, or call 01582 413013. By way of easing the financial pressure at this time of year, I’m offering 20% off my individual coaching fees for new clients during December 2011 and January 2012.