E14: What To Do When Life Gets Crazy

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Now…. More about this week’s episode!

Fear is excitement without the breath…. In this episode we’re diving deep into this powerful statement by Fritz Pearls and chatting about:

• What to do when life gets crazy
• A simple yet profound question to ask yourself to shift from fear to curiosity
• An essential key to sustainable success that is also foundational to your health and happiness

And of course, lots more!

Find yourself caught in the cycle of over thinking, over working, and over giving caused by anxiety?

Make sure to register for Flowing 4Ward to create your own personalized plan to break free from that in just minutes a day!!  https://www.megan-nolan.com/4 

 Listen to the episode here! 

Please find the show notes below. Since it is a transcription there may be spelling errors and/or weird grammar. Ignore that and enjoy!

Welcome back.
Welcome back to another episode of the purposeful powerhouse podcast.
And before we get into this episode, I have an invitation for you.
I don't know if you've seen or heard yet.
But next Thursday, which is March 28th, I have a brand new brainstorming session called Flowing Forward.
To help you to break the cycles of overthinking, overdoing, overworking, over giving overwhelm that can often be caused by anxiety.
Creating your own personalized plan based on the core 4 elements of the mindful strength method to help you to break free from anxiety in just minutes every day.
So that you can achieve your goals without exhausting yourself.
So the link to join us for free will be in the show notes or somewhere around wherever you're listening or watching this from.
And if you happen to be catching this later, I will be doing it again.
So make sure to jump on the list, and I will keep you in the loop.
So see you then.
Alright.
Let's talk about an incredible quote.
Fear is excitement, without the breath.
Fear is excitement without the breath.
This was a quote from Fritz Pearl, who was the creator of a type of therapy called guess adult therapy, and he's talking about how in our body, fear and excitement are almost exactly the same, but the only difference between them is the breath.
So how we're breathing and the mindfulness around the experience.
I was having this conversation with my client and friend Jules the other day, and we were talking about how sometimes when we're anxious, hold our breath and I was reminded of that quote.
And then I was thinking about it because a lot of the times when I wake up with AM anxiety or that feeling of honing hard, racing brain, feeling like you're already behind and the day's only starting.
I am very quick to label it anxiety because the symptoms are very similar, but I've started to play with that.
Because we have the opportunity to shift things and change how we describe and experience them based on our awareness of them, our labeling of them, how we identify with them, And so that's what I wanted to play with a little bit today because one of the core tools inside the mindful strength method is the power pause.
And a power pause is literally the fastest and funnest way for you to come back into aligned energy and tap into joy fast.
And one of the questions that we ask ourselves when we're taking a power pause is where is my breath? And when we are experiencing anxiety or stress, we take short and shallow breaths.
Because it's essential because when we're experiencing survival stress or fight or flight, we need more oxygen and less carbon dioxide.
Side.
So we take short and shallow breaths.
So when we are feeling anxious, we default to that because your body is in a stress or a survival state.
So this is where we can begin to play with this a little bit when we are experiencing something that we might label as anxiety or a stressful situation because this is one of the tools that we have to directly shift and impact your interstate by way of your nervous system.
Because your lungs are one of your only organs that you have control over because by asking yourself that potent question, where is my breath? It automatically brings awareness and mindfulness to the breath.
And so chances are it will cause you to slow the breath down.
And when we are in a grounded regulated, connected, awareness state, then we are taking these short and shallow breaths because it's not necessary for us to have that oxygen or nutrient exchange happening as quickly.
So when we are in a centered state and we're breathing slowly and deeply, it allows us to become very grounded, become very present, and we can honor that feeling that we have and maybe it is anxiety or maybe it's fear that we are labeling as fear, and we're making it out to be a negative experience.
And so, of course, of course, there is a distinction between a genuinely fearful situation of where it is truly an acute survival situation.
But there's many times that we experience fear or anxiety, and you are truly safe in the moment.
Right? We can experience fear when we are about to send an email to somebody, and it's a challenging situation.
We can experience fear in our business if things have shifted dress to Right? Like, maybe your work situation has changed drastically.
And all of a sudden, the consistent revenue that you had is no longer available to you and okay, all of a sudden, you get to figure something out.
And so this is where we can begin to really honor that and be aware of the importance of going back to basics with how we are taking care of yourself and one of the most fundamental is the breath.
Right? And so, wisdom traditions, indigenous cultures, all around the world, different practices have always leaned back into the breath because of its direct connection to the present moment and it's amazing that now, you know, modern western medicine and sciences are coming back and saying, oh, yeah.
The breath is actually the most impact full tool that we have to lower our stress.
And so, you know, I think the yogis and and all the cultures around the world are kinda just sitting there like, yeah.
Good.
Thanks for catching up.
Not in a judgy way because they don't do that.
They're like, oh, of course.
Yes.
Yes.
Thank you.
We're glad that you understand it now from a scientific perspective.
Right.
And some and I love that.
I love where science and spirituality intersect.
And so I say that in chess, but really, when we are having those moments when we feel like we're out of control because our brain is just going 1,000,000 miles a minute Right? Like like mine likes to do.
I don't know about you, but it's just, uh, that sort of racing hamster wheel of of the thoughts.
You know? And so say you wake up, feeling anxious, and your brain is already racing, and your heart is already pounding, and you might be sweating, and you might just feel like woo, choo, choo.
I'm on stress express, and I'm going a million miles a minute.
That's where we can begin to.
Just place our hands on our body.
Breathe.
Slow the breath down.
Take your awareness to that part of you, conversate with it, hold it, love it, integrate it, and then maybe begin to dialogue with it because what happens when we're experiencing fear and stress is we get very contracted and we get very tight.
Right? And so we we instinctively are reflexively contracting because we're in fight or flight.
And so when we are experiencing that we contract physically to protect your vital organs, right, so we contract it in the muscles of the front body the chest, the shoulders, the hip flexors, which are notoriously tight and people who experience stress quite a bit, they will instinctively contract to protect.
And so how can we begin to breathe in a way that opens ourselves back up How can we begin to dialogue with that feeling within ourselves so that we are moving back into a more spacious and expansive state physically 1st and foremost and really giving yourself that indicator.
Yes.
In this moment, I am safe.
I know that there are situations that are happening in my life that may be causing anxiety, may be causing fear, but how can you honor and hold yourself in that moment? That is really the key.
Sorry about the little bump there.
My co wiffer ran into the desk.
No worries, though.
So this is important, right, because how we begin to hold ourself in that moment gives us the opportunity to play with that in a way that's nurturing and supportive and not just like batting away the fearful or anxiety feelings, but holding yourself so that you can integrate that part of you so that you can begin to play with that a little bit and and dialogue in a way that's no nurturing because we wanna shift and we wanna take this perspective that this is a gift.
This is an opportunity.
Right? And that might be obvious right away.
But if it is a more challenging, you know, vital situation, it might be a little bit before we figure that out.
And so just really holding ourself and having that growth mindset, which in the moment can be challenging.
Right? And so that's why important to first create safety in our body.
So placing your hands on your body, slowing the breath down, maybe you rock, maybe you dance, maybe you shake, because what we're doing here is we are creating that grounded quality in the moment and honoring and accepting what is currently.
Because we can't create more from a state of rejecting what we are currently experiencing.
And so it's really important for us to nurture and hold ourself in this moment.
Ask ourself where am I coming from right now? What am I needing in this moment? Rather than trying to just bypass it and, you know, scurry along and, like, okay.
Go into fix it mode.
Right? And that's where because we're in as our saboteurs are getting activated because that's part of our brain, the amygdala, the stress center, the survival center is getting activated.
And so we tend to go into go mode or maybe or you know, if that's you or maybe go into shutdown or maybe into worry or hypervigilance or perfectionism or people pleasing or whatever your fig your flavor is, right, your flavor is we tend to kind of default to that.
So we just wanna honor that in ourself.
And pause and get a little curious, right, and take that stage perspective of, okay.
Well, how can I handle this situation in in a way that feels good in a way that feels aligned and and get creative, right, because I believe it was Albert Einstein? He said we can't handle the situation, or we can't resolve the problem from the same thinking that caused it or initiated it.
I'm definitely remixing that.
So don't quote me exactly.
But you know what I'm saying? Is that we need to get outside the box.
Right? And the box is heavily guarded by the saboteurs.
And so it's so important to remember that, you know, when we learn to become aware, because what happens is we we go into this very narrow thinking.
Right? And again, that's a that's a survival stress response is that our pupils will become very narrow and they will become very fixated.
And so that's, you know, physiologically what's happening, but we tend to get this sort of, like, hyper focused, very narrow view of I don't know what to do, and this is how I handled it in the past, and it may or may not work.
And so how can we pause? How can we breathe? How can we get curious? And how can we widen the lens? Physiologically because when we are relaxed, is it literally allows our pupils to dilate.
We can take in more of the situation, right, both from a actual tangible perspective.
Like, we can see more of the room.
We're taking a a wider view, if you will.
Which allows us to see potential options that maybe we wouldn't have seen if we were very hyper fixated on.
Uh, I don't know what to do.
I gotta fix this right now.
Right? And so as much as our brain and our saboteurs are saying, oh, no.
We don't have time for this.
We have to do things.
We have to get we have to get in action.
We have to do, you know, in in that's not your creative center is not activated.
We're in the survival brain.
And so this is why power pauses are so important in in taking these little moments to check-in with ourself, ideally, at the beginning of the day, having a mindful morning routine to start the day with power pauses throughout the day, so that we can continually tap back into ourselves so that we can look at these situations from that perspective.
And that's not always easy.
Right? And and so it's important that we're kinda topping up the tank, if you will.
We're staying in the sage.
We're staying in that creative center of the brain.
Because inevitably, there's gonna be challenges that present.
There's gonna be anxiety that comes up for us and comes up for some of us quite a bit.
Right? And so, you know, especially I've been finding the last couple of weeks has just been really energetically quite intense for me.
You know, and I'm not super well versed in the astrological ongoing of the moment, but I do know there's a full moon, and I do know there's an eclipse.
And so I do know that I'm sensitive and sometimes it's just a lot.
Right? And so regardless, you know, and as a woman and as a human and as a being, we're all we're all sensitive.
We're all connected these things.
And so for me, it's become really clear that in these moments, it's really important that we go back to the basics and we go back to making sure that you are taking care of on the level of your physical body because I know you might forget this sometimes till you stub your toe where you get hungry because you haven't eaten anything.
And all you have in your tummy is coffee, and it's 12:30 in the evening afternoon.
But you have a body.
I know cheeky, but how can you make sure that you are taking care of it? Because It is your vehicle for experiencing life.
Right? And so that to me has really become obvious over these last couple weeks, as I mentioned, I was really going through it, and I was just feeling exhausted on every level.
And I'm still on the rebound with that, but it it really became obvious that it's important for us slow down.
And we have these sort of preconditioned ideas of what it means to be successful and what it means to be productive.
And it's like, well, who's making these rules? You know, a lot of this is was created 100 years ago, and a lot of the time was created by men who have a totally different rhythm throughout the day and throughout the month.
And so, like, is that suiting you? I don't know.
Right? And so are we pushing ourselves to the point of just because we've been told.
That's what it means and needs to be successful.
And so how can we really do things in a more mindful way that supports you as a multilayered and multileveled human being beautiful sparkle that you are, like, whatever you, you know, identify with.
And so that's really why it's become so important to me to share these tools.
And so, you know, over these last few weeks, really getting back into this awareness of how do we describe ourselves? How do we take care of ourselves in a way that's really nurturing to your vision and to the, the vision that you're living into, the version of you that you're living into so that you are really in alignment with your vision each day.
And so going back to that as a fundamental of, you know, how do you wanna feel? How do you wanna show up? And what does that mean? As far as a day to day routine and rituals.
And so for me, that was, okay.
Let's go back.
Right? Let's go back.
And and I noticed that when when I tend to get derailed as far as my energy and how I'm showing up and how I'm feeling is that I've been sort of breaking my own rules, if you will.
And I'm not one for rules.
I'm kind of a rebel, but in the sense that I do have rules around my phone first thing in the morning because I know when I grab my phone and I go to Facebook Messenger and I check messages before I do my morning routine, It really throws me off my game.
I'm thinking about things already.
And and if something came through that I, you know, maybe didn't wanna read yet, or I triggered or it caused me to go into work mode, I don't get to really be present with myself, and that's what my mindful morning routine is for me is time with myself.
Because, you know, uh, doing the work that I do, I'm interacting with you.
I'm doing lines.
I'm doing, you know, sessions with my clients.
It's very much a an output I get fueled by it, and I love it.
And and it's it's energizing for me for sure.
But my morning is my time to be with myself, to connect to my guides, to live into my vision, to tap into that energy, do all of the things that I do, in a way that really serves me, right, because I believe that you are the driving force in your business.
Your energy is your most important asset.
And so making that a priority before you go out and you give your beautiful self to the world.
How are you doing that in a way that's in integrity with your values.
And so, you know, for me, that integrity is one of my core values.
And so that's really important to me to be able to be quote, unquote, practicing what I preach, you know, because otherwise, it can be really easy to get tripped up by that fearful.
Oh, I don't know if this gonna work? What am I even doing? All of that inner dialogue of the mind and of the saboteurs.
And so that's what I wanted to share with you today.
I hope that it's helpful because it really is important sometimes just to go back to the basics.
And and that's what the core 4 are.
They're the basics of toolset that is what we need to be able to be in control of your life and your health and feel as though you're truly thriving, taking care of yourself so that you are vibrantly holistically healthy and happy, right, because I know I know common crazy.
I am, but I do believe that in order to be truly sustainably success, full.
You do need to be healthy and happy.
Right? And I say that in the intro, but I'm saying it for point here because it is really important to me that you are thriving so that you can share your gifts with the world so that you can go out and make the impact that you're destined for.
So that you can do that for as long as you wanna do it.
Because that's sustainable success.
So we'd love to have you join us for Flowing forward.
It's happening March 28th.
Totally free, live, and interactive brainstorming sessions so you create your own personalized plan around these core 4.
So I will not spoil it, but you can check out the link somewhere nearby so that you can grab your spot.
Yes.
There will be a replay.
And, yes, if you're happening to be watching this in the far, far away future, there will be an opportunity for us to do it again together because it's a really fun session that I've got planned.
So head over to the link and grab your spot.
And we will see you on the 28th, if not before.
And until next time, thank you for taking the time to learn to harness the power of your mind and think on purpose for moving your body on purpose to keep it strong and healthy and energized so that you can show up on purpose as your purposeful powerhouse CEO self because that's what you are.
Right? You're in charge of the direction and the health and the vision for yourself and your life and your business and all of those beautiful things.
So thank you again for doing the work that you do.
Sending you lots of love, and I'll see you very soon.
Take care