Escaping Fight or Flight

That Fight or Flight Stage

When my husband died by suicide in August 2021, my body immediately went into fight or flight. I was in a complete state of shock and had no concept of time. My breathing was shallow. My heart raced. I clenched my jaw so hard at times that the snap when I opened it to talk reverberated throughout my skull. I was in a very serious fight or flight stage. I kept thinking that I didn’t know what to do. I did not know what to do now. How to get back to a feeling of “normal.” If I could ever get back to a feeling of normalcy.

But as the fog very, very slowly started to lift, I realized I had all of the tools I needed to calm my parasympathetic nervous system and begin to take control of this body that no longer felt like my own. I had been on a journey through yoga training, meditation certification, Reiki and breathwork practices for years. I knew I needed to begin very slowly to employ the practices that I already knew. The tools the Universe had already shown me worked.

I needed to reconnect to my heart center.

This Time Was Different

But I also knew that this time was different. This time wasn’t just a hard-day-at-work stress or a late-for-an-appointment anxiety.

This was trauma. And while I had immediately connected with a counselor, as I knew how important protecting my mental health was so I could be there for my son and myself, I had not added in the self-care, self-love and mindfulness practices that had proven to me time and time again in the past could help to heal, restore, and rejuvenate me. The practices that brought me back to joy and love.

Start With The Breath

I started with breathwork (pranayama). One of my favorite sayings is change your breath, change your life. Intentional breathing can offer a host of benefits for your body, mind and spirit, including:

• Calming your nervous system
• Relaxing your mind
• Helps to alleviate anxiety
• Improves focus
• Can increase energy, especially if your natural breath is shallow
• Brings an overall sense of well-being
• And more...

Nearly ten months later, I am still healing, but I am calm. I am living my life with joy. I feel that inner peace once again and have come to a state of acceptance.

Are you living in a state of fight or flight? Burned out or stressed? Longing for more calm in your life?

Book a discovery call to find out how I can help support your journey HERE.

Peace and love,

Renee

P.S. this is the first part of a series of posts on my healing journey - Healing From The Soul UP - after the suicide death of my husband in August 2021.