Having worked in the field of complimentary therapy for many years, I’ve long recognised the connection between mind and body. Ongoing stress can and does affect both. The reason why has to do with your nervous system and how it works.

So, when you are facing a major threat a part of our brain triggers your nervous system to send out signals and hormones to your body to help you to get out of that situation fast. And that’s a good thing. But problems crop up when the stressor continues, and your body stays on alert. That’s when you start to feel all the physical and mental symptoms we associate with stress, such as feeling those aches and tension in your body, insomnia, having difficulty concentrating, feeling tired and irritable.

And without a doubt some people find it incredibly hard to relax and unwind when they get to this stage. It’s as if their body doesn’t want to slow down – which is true, it doesn’t. And like it or not, the ongoing pandemic that we are in right now is triggering stress hormones in us all. It’s that lack of control over the big picture and the inability to plan that’s stressful.

When my clients tell me that’s how they are feeling, I’ll recommend a therapeutic massage to help slow down their nervous system, or maybe some reflexology to calm and balance their body systems. Or if it’s apparent that the cause is deeply rooted – for instance, unresolved grief or childhood issues, having been involved in a physical attack or some sort of accident etc – I’ll recommend somatic trauma therapy. This therapy helps their nervous system relax and release some of the angst and unrest that they are feeling inside. I’ve seen these therapies really work with clients responding quickly and feeling better as a result.

And that’s why I do the job I do – simple as that. But right now, I cannot see my clients in person so here’s a simple exercise which should help to calm you to do if you’re feeling a bit trapped at the moment, and I reckon most of us are to some extent.

Sit on a chair with your feet firmly on the ground. Take a moment to feel your body supported by the chair and feel your feet planted on the ground. Then slowly, very, very slowly, start to move your feet as if you are walking away. Keep going as slowly as you possibly can. After a few moments notice how you’re feeling inside your body.

You are likely to feel less stressed because your nervous system thinks you are getting away from what’s bothering you and starts to relax. Give it a go.