Are you living in the crap zone?
A few years ago, I felt like I had a lot on my plate.
I was teaching pilates in the early mornings and late into the evenings, while during the day I was running my own practice and working multiple locum jobs.
I was also involved in various organisations where I also volunteered for leadership positions.
And, of course, I was also trying to be a functional adult and keep my relationships afloat.
I felt like I was “always on” mentally with a continuous background anxiety. I didn't feel particularly energised, nor did I particularly replenished after rest or sleep.
I felt constantly busy, while never feeling like I was doing anything particularly meaningful or excelling in any of my roles.
I had found myself, in other words, living in The Crap Zone.
Fully On or Off
Some things work better when we think of it as existing on a scale or dial. I often use this kind of analogy when thinking about habits or various areas of our health & it can be a powerful antidote to our all-or-nothing approach to behaviour.
However, when it comes to things like states of focus and engagement, or things like stress & recovery, an on/off switch approach is more helpful.
In other words, you want to be engaging in sufficient challenge or engagement followed by deep rest and recovery.
Instead, you might find yourself - as I did - in The Crap Zone, where there is a constant low-level grind, with neither sufficient challenge nor adequate recovery.
Which, of course, makes you feel like crap too.
Increasing variability
A greater variability in our physiological responses allows us to adapt to a stressor and become more resilient. We have a strong “amp-up” response from our sympathetic nervous system to rise to the challenge, and a strong parasympathetic response when it’s time to recover.
You can get an idea of how responsive your nervous system by using things like variability in your heart rate blood pressure & breathing rate before, during & after a challenge.
The easiest way to do this, however, is just to notice the felt sense of stress in your body.
Start to notice what physiological amping up feels like in your body - things like hot/prickly skin, butterflies in your stomach, restlessness, faster breathing, racing thoughts etc.
And then notice the opposite of this - when you are feeling calm, at ease and completely relaxed. Take note, too, of how quickly you can return to this feeling of ease after physiological activation.
What our “sweet spot” is when it comes to stress or challenge will be different for each of us and will also vary depending on the situation. The idea is not to have such high stress/challenge that it overwhelms your ability to cope, but rather to start incorporating periods of high demand with deep recovery.
This may look like:
Journalling your thoughts and worries before you rest or sleep so that you can fully relax
Prioritising the most important things that really deserve your time & attention, and being willing to let go of other things that are just taking up "busy space" in your life
Having space in your schedule where you are doing nothing at all
Intentionally calm yourself physiologically after intense challenge or activity, using e.g. feedback from heart rate or felt sense, breathing exercises etc.
Setting a timer in which you focus your full attention and energy on something during that time and then have a complete break when the time is up
How would you like to experiment with this idea of variability into your life this month? Let me know in the comments.
