Feeling Frozen?
Oh boy, there’s a lot going on in our world! It’s understandable that you might be feeling frozen with fear, frozen in taking action, frozen with overwhelm at work/school, the list can go on and on. And then you’re expected to exercise on top of all that! Gah! Just writing all this out makes me want to seize up.
Ok, so what can we do about this very real (and depending on who you are, very common) feeling? Let’s explore some options.
Take some very deep breaths. Try a 4x4 box breath. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds. I literally say this in my head while I do this breathing, “In, two, three, four; hold, two, three, four; out, two, three, four; hold, two, three, four”. Breathing can really calm the nervous system, bring your heart rate down tremendously and allow you a calm couple of minutes. You don’t have to do this for a long time to feel the benefits. You can do this laying down, sitting up, driving in your car, wherever and whenever. There is also a simple and free app called The Breathing App where you can watch a ball inflate and deflate to a timer that you set!
Pick a simple task that you can do without thinking. If you’re overwhelmed at even the idea of picking something to start, literally look at whatever is in front of you and decide to do something with it. Here’s an example - you’re sitting on your bed and you see a cluttered nightstand. Declutter it. Sometimes all we need to do is get up and do something in order for our brain to decide that we can do more. Before you know it, you’ll be making your bed, picking up your dirty laundry and starting a load.
Set yourself up for success the night before. That might mean making a list of to-dos, setting out your gym or running clothes so you don’t have to scramble in the morning, or setting up your coffee maker so you’re waking up to the smell of coffee. Take 5 minutes before you lay down at night to ask yourself what will help you have a successful start to your next day.
Get yourself a gym or exercise program that works for you! If exercising is overwhelming for you like it is for a lot of adults, I can’t emphasize enough how finding a program can help you move more in your daily life. This means not having to think about what you need to do and allows you to just get started. Maybe it’s your favorite Yogi on youtube (check out Yoga with Adriene), maybe it’s going to a pilates class, maybe it’s a strength and conditioning program like my Gym On-Demand program, or maybe you need something more personalized and want to find a local trainer. Believe it or not, the first step to exercising isn’t buying a gym membership or going to a class. It’s actually thinking, even for a brief moment, about what you’d like your health to look like. Then you might start to think about the kind of movement you enjoy, look around for a place or person that offers what you are interested in and then we’re finally in a place where you are signing up or at the very least having a conversation with a professional about what you want.
Talk to a mental health professional. Sometimes all we really need to do is blurt out what’s going on in our head to an unbiased person. Find yourself a behavioral talk therapist, a counselor or a clinical psychologist (here’s the difference between them). Speaking from personal experience, I have found that having the opportunity to really express my fears, my hopes, and everything in between to a my therapist has been life changing. One hour (or more if you need it) a week is sometimes all it takes for us to feel stabilized and centered.
And remember, you are not alone. Life is hard, but it can be easier for us with some simple solutions, professional help and giving ourselves grace.
