Experience safety
Are you permanently in fight-or-flight mode? Do you feel like you’re strung as tight as barbed wire, oscillating between exhaustion and tension so thick you can’t see through it? Are your adrenals totally shot?
What you need is a way to feel safe in the moment. When you allow yourself to feel safe, even if it’s just for a moment, you relax and your nervous system gets a break. It also brings you out of that fight-flight-freeze state, allowing your organs to come online again (non-essential functions go offline in fight-flight – and many of them stay that way unless we give our systems a chance to calm down again).
In a relaxed state, there’s space for new ideas, for solutions to problems, for you to see new perspectives. That state of relaxation is also key to sleep. That state of relaxation is also vital for the body’s repair processes, and it’s the best anti-aging tool there is.
With that in mind, here is a short, easy, 3-minute practice that’s designed to help you register safety in the moment and get into that relaxed state.
This practice is inspired by tools given to me by one of my mentors, Angel Drake – thank you, thank you, thank you Angel! – and by a meditation led by spiritual teacher and former monk DK.
It's a great way to start your day, or as a precursor to your meditation practice. It’s especially powerful if you engage with it consistently.
The practice
Set a mental intention to register relative safety.
Register your surroundings, with your eyes open. Where are you? What is the nature of the space you’re in? Are there four walls around you and a roof over your head? Are you outside under a tree? What noises can you hear? What can you see? Who is with you – or are you alone?
Ask yourself: “In this moment, am I safe?” We're not talking about the future, we're just talking about this moment, right here, right now.
If the answer is yes, close your eyes.
Feel the edges of you, where your skin meets the outside world. Feel your body, feel the bed or the seat beneath you.
At this point, you might notice different feelings arise. That's OK. Let them be, you don’t need to change them right now. Again, ask yourself that question: “In this moment, am I safe?”
Again, register your surroundings. Register that, right now, in this moment, you are safe. Right now, in this moment, you have absolutely everything you need.
Feel that sense of having enough safety in this moment, and having enough to meet your other needs. What do safety and sufficiency feel like right here, right now?
When you’re ready, take a moment to give thanks for the fact that you are safe in this moment.
And now you can simply return to registering your body. Feel your heart beating, or your breath moving in and out of your body. Registering the room around you. Open your eyes.
Please note: this practice is not offered as an alternative to medical assistance or to therapy. It is simply offered as additional support, as a tool that you can use to supplement conventional care. And please note that this practice is not designed for use in situations where you’re in real, physical danger.
3 takeaways from this post:
Most of us live in a permanent state of fight-flight-or-freeze. It not only impacts our ability to function in the moment, but it has long-term impact on our health (especially our organs) and well-being.
Parasympathetic states of relaxation are vital for sleep, anti-aging, organ function; and they help us find solutions and see new perspectives.
A short, 3-minute practice of registering safety can help you shift out of fight-flight mode and into more relaxed and receptive states. Practice consistently for powerful long-term results.
Do you need support in feeling safe? In my life coaching practice, I hold safe, non-judgmental space. It’s powerful, and it’s palpable. In this space, you can open up to the ideas and solutions that are waiting within you. Drop me a line if you’d like support, or book a free, 30-minute call so you can get a taste of how it feels to feel safe with another human. Book your call here.