Finding Your Center in a Noisy World— Helping the Body Release the Day

Sometimes pain is a form of communication from the Body & Mind

Part 2 — Helping the Body Release the Day

In the first article of this series, we talked about how the world can sometimes feel so very loud and pressured.

Not always because of sound, but because of the steady flow of responsibilities, information, and that steady flow of energy that we hear, create, and move through each day.

Many people feel they never relax, even when the day slows down, the body and mind never really seem to turn off and release.

You may finally sit down in the evening, but even after sitting for a while and relaxing, you feel that your shoulders are still tight and your body is still sore. When you lie down to sleep, you feel mentally and physically exhausted, even if you didn't do much that day that day.

This isn’t unusual.

But it could mean the body hasn’t been given enough help or clear signals throughout the day to release what it has been carrying.

Where the Body Holds the Day

Most people carry tension in familiar places.

The shoulders and neck are very common. The jaw is another place where many people hold their stress and tension. Sometimes it shows up as shallow breathing, and as it becomes more and more chronic, that general sense of fatigue is there more and more consistently.

Even though these are painful and we want to rid ourselves of them, we need to realize these are not the actual issues, fix these and the problems go away, no, they are signs that the body and mind have been working steadily without enough moments of true nourishment and rest.

And often, the reason we are experiencing these issues is the pattern of our lifestyle and life choices. These habits start first thing in the morning and continue throughout the day.

Here is a lifestyle choice you might recognize

You wake up already thinking about what needs to be done. Coffee/Tea become the first step, it is a habit that brings enjoyment but it also gives us the get up and go we need to get going. Breakfast is quick, a muffin, a couple of pieces of toast with Peanut butter or some other topping, Maybe Tim's or McDonalds, or sometimes it is skipped altogether. In fact, in today's world, it is encouraged to skip breakfast totally, it's called intermittent fasting.

By mid-morning, the body is trying to keep up because it hasn't had any "nutrient-dense" foods come into it so far that it can use for fuel; it is still running on the fumes from last night. By afternoon, your energy really begins to dip, and everything feels like it takes a little more effort.

That pattern is very common.

And it is one of the root causes why the body carries that tension.

Beginning the Day with Steady Energy

One of the simplest ways to support the body is to begin the day with real nourishment. Even if it is quick, it should still be nourishing, not just empty calories or fake food.

A balanced breakfast doesn’t need to be complicated, it should be real food that nourishes your body, not just components or chemicals that give it no use.

Examples of "Nutrient Dense" and real foods that are still simple are:

• eggs ( you can premake for the week)

• Sausages (or other choice of meat) with sautéed vegetables or greens

• a small portion of beans cooked in a healthy fat such as butter or olive oil

• perhaps yogurt, cottage cheese, or a prepared smoothie

Meals like this help the body feel steady rather than reactive.

When energy is stable, the body is less likely to build tension as the day goes on.

Hydration and That Midday Drop

Another really important ingredient that the body needs in order to function and is often overlooked is hydration.

Many people move through the day with coffee, tea, energy drinks, gatorade, pop, juices, but very little water.

Even mild dehydration can leave the body feeling:

• tired• foggy• irritable• low in motivation

You might notice this in the early afternoon — a sense that your energy has dropped and it’s harder to stay focused.

Sometimes that feeling isn’t stress at all.

It’s simply the body asking for water and support.

Remember, we are made up of water, not just liquid; Our bodies are need water (H2O), that keeps us alive and functioning. If our blood is not flowing easily, cardiovascular problems can increase, muscle movement will be painful, headaches increase, sadness creeps in, etc. Water is the most important nutrient of the day and evening. Herbal tea can be counted as part of your water intake as long as it is a good quality, it will still benefit the body, so you can flavor your water with those if you like, but try to keep the chemicals, like store-bought flavorings for water, out. There is no nutritional benefit to them. Keeping water nearby and sipping throughout the day can make a noticeable difference.

The Build-Up

As the day continues, most busy schedules, habits, and lifestyle choices continue to minimise what our bodies need. Whether it is more of this and less of that or the other way around, we often put our physical and emotional needs last. We often push through our days without pause because of our deadlines and time restraints, and we eat food on the run, if at all.

Standard signs of stress that you may personally be feeling could be:

• shoulders creeping upward• jaw tightening slightly• breathing becoming more shallow

These patterns are some of the ways the body shows stress.

If you are someone sitting most of the day, then movement is perhaps one of the things you need to do for a few minutes to help get circulation back into your muscles and other parts of the body that need oxygen and movement. If you are someone who already has an active job, perhaps it is to give your body a rest in some way for a few short moments, or even a change in direction of how your body has been moving for a few minutes to bring balance and support to your system. A simple change in what you are constantly doing can help interrupt the pattern that creates chronic pain.

One or two minutes of making some conscious changes like stepping outside, rolling your shoulders, or taking a slower breath, can help.

Meals make a difference

Let's face it, food and drink are how our bodies survive. As a society, we have been encouraged to forget that we need to look after our bodies. Just like it is our responsibility to look after our children and our pets, our bodies can not look after themselves, and they need our help. We are the ones who choose what we feed our body, we are the ones who choose what we drink, and in the end, we are the ones who will experience the result from what our everyday choices have created in our bodies. Real Food, calming atmospheres, and good hydration can make a real difference to how far and fast our bodies break down. This includes our Mental and Emotional health as well.

Giving the Body Space Before Sleep

Evening is when many people hope to be able to relax, but once again, our lifestyle choices, our habits, and our thoughts can be a contributing factor to not being able to release the stress you are carrying. Parents of young children often have many extra curricular activities that take the family out many evenings a week. Parents themselves do not often get to relax until the children go to bed. Children often don't get to relax because they have homework or want to play their video games, watch TV, or just play. The problem is we need to tell our bodies and our minds it is time to settle down before we head into the actual sleep. If we are still hyped up, whether it is from our games, our work stress, or the thrilling tv show, we can't turn off. What we view as relaxation may be making us more wired.

There are reasons your body will stay in activity or tension mode. The digestive system is a major one. It takes energy to digest each time you eat or drink. If we eat late and then go to bed, it is also much harder on our bodies. The body will also stay in stress mode if it is trying to find nutrients from somewhere else in the body because we have not given it enough nutrients during the day. Another reason could be tension, stress, or any kind of lack of calm. If the body has been carrying tension all day, it doesn't care if you are finally sitting down; it is still trying to survive. Then, if we eat late or we eat while still on the run and go straight to bed, the body still has to work for many hours into the night to digest what you have eaten.

Giving our bodies time and the right environment to digest our food and relax can make a big difference in our sleep quality.

This small shift can make falling asleep much easier and feel more natural.

Aromatherapy as a Daily Companion

Remember, essential oils can be an incredible tool to help you get to a place in your life that you want to be. Aromatherapy works best when it becomes part of the rhythm of the day, not just something used once in a while.

Mental Health is a really big problem in Canada these days; in fact, the world as a whole is experiencing many negative challenges these days.

There are so many reasons people are reaching their breaking points, far too many to mention here. At Casaroma, we try to help as much as we can, where we can. As you know, Aromatherapy is our passion. This is why we are always trying to remind people to use these tools; they are powerful, and when used properly, they can be so beneficial.

Please remember that these can be helpful tools for you as well.

Start your day with the energizing blends to give you encouragement and support. New Beginnings is a great blend for that. Wake Up is also a great blend for mornings.

Last issue we mentioned you could use Stress Away during a tense or stressful time, another choice you could use would be our Cheerful blend, put it in a diffuser, or put a drop on a tissue and tuck it into a pocket so you can pull it out and breathe it in. Remember, this is a great tool to help your body remember to destress.

As the evening begins, last week we mentioned Relax, here is another choice that can be diffused or applied as a gentle signal that the day is slowing down, Balance

Before bed, in the last issue, we offered Serenity as a choice; another alternative could be Bedtime.

When small tools, like Aromatherapy, are used daily, stressful moments can have less of a damaging impact on our everyday lives.

A Small Practice to Try Today

At some point today, pause for a moment.

Take a slow breath. Roll your shoulders gently. Have a glass of water.

Notice where your body has been holding the day.

Often, the body doesn’t need anything complicated.

It simply needs a moment. A moment to breathe, a moment to relax and perhaps to feel a moment from you that it is loved.

For those still looking for a simple place to begin, try the Quiet Moments Trio, which bring these three blends (Relax, Serenity, and Stress Away) together to support that natural progression from activity to rest.

In the Next Article

In the next part of this series, we’ll look at something many people experience but don’t always connect back to their day:

Why does sleep become lighter when the body has been carrying too much tension — and how to support deeper rest again.

I’d Love to Hear From You

What part of your day feels the most challenging right now?

Mornings?Midday energy?Evening tension?

You’re welcome to share your experience in the comments above (a quick sign-in to our website is required).

You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, where many readers share their thoughts and experiences.

Join the conversation here →

A Quiet Invitation

If something in this article resonated with you and you’d prefer to ask your question privately, you’re always welcome to reach out through our Customize Your Support page.

Sometimes a small conversation can help point you in the right direction.