Are you a 'rushing woman'? Racing through each day trying to get everything done and feeling like you can barely stop to catch your breath?
We had one of those mornings in our household today.. despite the children being up around 5.30am, we were still rushing out the door to leave for school at 8.50am. Not my ideal way to start the day. There were on going conflicts between the boys and then further conflicts about who started it and whining and generally cortisol (stress hormone) levels were peaking on all fronts! I was busily trying to attend to the usual morning requirements, but my focus was also on getting something done that I needed for this morning..I had planned to do it last night when I wouldn't be uninterrupted, but by the time everyone was in bed I was just too tired..
If I'm not totally focused and present in the mornings, it all seems to turn to chaos! Thankfully, once the boys were at school I was able to head off on a walk and remembered to do some calm 6:2 ratio breathing (one of my favorite simple stress relieving breath techniques- simply breathe slowly in to the count of 6, hold for the count of two, breathe out again to the count of 6, hold to the count of 2 before beginning the cycle again. Repeat for a few cycles)to lower my cortisol levels and switch my nervous system from flight or flight, busy- rushed-morning mode and into a calmer state to move into the rest of the day.
So many of the women who I work with talk about feeling stressed and rushed ALL OF THE TIME and I DO understand. We are all trying to do so much each day, often shifting from managing children then into work mode and then back again with barely a breath in between! No wonder so many of us are experiencing the physical symptoms of stress such as digestive issues, anxiety, headaches and sleep difficulties or where that stress has been chronic, hormonal, adrenal, thyroid imbalance, weight gain and eventually burnout..
Dr.Libby Weaver talks about what she calls 'Rushing Women's Syndrome' which isn't a medically recognised thing, but so many of the women that I work with (and I myself) can really relate to what she talks about in relation to this epidemic of being on the go all of the time and the way that it begins to affect both your physical health and also your overall well being.
Stress has a HUGE impact on health and is a key driver of the imbalance that underlies so many health issues. A healthy foundation through a healthy diet, adequate sleep and movement is essential and there are also many natural herbal and nutritional options that can support us through stressful times to support our nervous system and adrenal glands but until we address the stress and find ways to create more balance within our lives we can tend to continue to feel like we're constantly running on that treadmill trying to keep up!
In her book 'Rushing Woman's Syndrome' Dr.Libby Weaver describes the typical 'Rushing Woman' as:
"It doesn't seem to matter if a woman has two things to do or two hundred, she is in a pressing rush to do it all. She is wound up like a top, running herself ragged in a daily battle to keep up. There is always so much to do, and she rarely feels like she wins, is in control or gets on top of things. In fact her desire to control even the smaller details of life can leave her feeling out of control, even of herself. Overwhelmed, at times she feels like she can't cope, whether she admits it out loud or keeps it all inside, adding to her wound up, knotted stomach".
Stress can affect each of us differently but common symptoms of stress are:
Difficulty sleeping or poor sleep quality
Feeling tired but wired
Always being tired or even exhausted
Digestive issues
PMT , period issues or hormonal imbalances
Sugar cravings
Poor concentration or memory
Anxiety
Feeling irritable, quick to anger or frustration
Feeling overwhelmed
Difficulty relaxing
Muscular tension leading to headaches
Frequent infections and being constantly 'run down'
Skin breakouts or rashes
High blood pressure, elevated heart rate, palpitations
It is helpful to regularly review the things on your 'to-do' list- are they all necessary? Is there anything that you can let go of or do differently? Is there anything that you need to add in to create a healthier foundation to support your body better? Do you need more sleep? More movement and fresh air? More down time and relaxation? More fun?
How can you schedule these things in so that they become just as important as everything else on the list?
For me, a challenging morning ( or sometimes challenging weeks!) are a reminder to regularly review how I am doing things, how can I better support myself so that I can be at my best and be more present to those around me? Where do I need to take the pressure off myself? Or be more organised? Or approach something differently?
Oh and ofcourse they are also a reminder to remember to do the calm breathing in the midst of a challenging morning rather than only remembering afterwards!
