TRYBE Tales - Weekly Wellness Edition

Wellness Wisdom Drops

FROM TRYBE

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” - Jon Kabat-Zinn

When the waves of life come at you, don’t hide, learn to ride.

🧠 The Hard Stuff

Our brains are fast AND furious, but don’t worry it’s not as outrageous and confusing as the 12-part movie series which shall not be named. Let’s start with the FURIOUS - when triggered by intense emotions, the amygdala becomes highly active, influencing the prefrontal cortex responsible for rational thinking, potentially leading to biases and impulsive behavior (e.g. you punch the wall out of anger, even though you know the wall will win). But don’t worry, here comes the FAST - Emotions have evolved to help us react quickly to things in our environment - they last a matter of seconds or minutes, not hours. That means they pass quickly, allowing our brains to process and move on. So when you get angry, take a breath, let it pass and save yourself that costly drywall repair.

🍦 The Soft Stuff

We now know that emotions are fleeting. When things go wild, just allow yourself to be aware of the emotion in a non-judgemental way, experience it like a wave in an ocean and accept the emotion to moooove through you. Knowing that emotions last seconds or minutes can cultivate patience for yourself and others. So next time your niece drops her ice cream and unleashes havoc, be patient - to be fair, your amygdala would be wilding out too if you lost out on a double scoop of gooey goodness in a waffle cone. And if you need to sit and have a cry after that horrible breakup with Chad (ugh why are we still talking about him!?), lean into the tears baby!

^^For those wondering who the heck is Chad, read our latest blog post here.

 1. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) 🧠 

PMR is a technique that involves slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle in your body, designed to reduce stress and anxiety. The theory behind this is you can’t have the feeling of relaxation and anxiety at the same time - let’s just say it’s as real as the square root of -1 (yes, I have friends. no, I don’t pay them). Try this technique out:

1. Take a few deep breaths to relax

2. Start with one muscle group, tense it tightly while inhaling, and then release the tension while exhaling

3. Move to the next muscle group, repeating the process of tensing and relaxing while coordinating it with your breath

4. Progressively work through all major muscle groups, focusing on one area at a time, and enjoy the overall feeling of relaxation in your body

By systematically tensing and releasing each muscle group, you can increase your body awareness and learn to identify and release tension during high-intensity moments.

 2. The 4-7-8 Breathing 🧠 🍦

This breathing style is inspired by Pranayama exercises and is a form of breathwork. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes relaxation and informs the body there is no longer any ‘threat’:

1. Take a deep breath in through your nose for a count of 4, allowing your abdomen to expand as you fill your lungs

2. Hold your breath for a count of 7

3. Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8, completely emptying your lungs.

4. Repeat this cycle three more times, for a total of four breaths

Wooosah my friends, woosah. 

3. Get Grounded in 5-4-3-2-1 🍦

Engaging your senses can help shift your focus, anchor you in the present moment and divert your attention from overwhelming emotions. Try this out next time:

• 5: Name five things you can see

• 4: Name four things you can touch

• 3: Name three things you can hear

• 2: Name two things you can smell

• 1: Name one thing you can taste.

And before we sign off, ask yourself this:

What makes you go from 0 to 100 real quick (insert Drake joke here)? What can you do next time that happens to give your brain time to get off high alert and make an informed rational response?