monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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flip your thoughts from positive to negative Dont allow it to make you attack others
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
You will find that the raw agonizing buzz of anxiety will fall away if you breathe as if you
werent in pain By breathing slowly and deeply while focusing on the subtle stinging
reverberating throughout your body you will learn to unbrace This will heal you
The Link Between Distressed Breathing and Muscular Tension
Scientists have documented that average muscle tension especially tension in trigger points
increases during transient stress Muscles will tighten up during a paper and pencil examination
or during and after watching a horror film The same is true for more chronic sources of stress
like longlasting personal or workrelated stress Stress and more specifically heightened
arousal of the sympathetic nervous system increases the risk of repetitive strain injury
especially during repetitive tasks This means that if you are stressed while sitting at the
computer for hours your body is fast at work cementing your computer posture into
your joints
Stress causes bracing via distressed breathing Numerous brain pathways connect shallow
breathing to muscle tension This is a hardwired connection that prepares mammals for
physical conflict As our breath becomes shallow we brace more in preparation for fighting
Relaxed breathing by contrast causes us to brace less and experience less pain So unbrace
your diaphragm and let your outbreaths become passive and limp
Since childhood my hands used to hurt and cramp after just a few minutes of
uninterrupted writing or drawing Since started breathing diaphragmatically however my
hands do not hurt or cramp even after an hour of pushing a pencil When do manual labor all
day with friends they all tell me the next day that their bodies are sore but notice that mine is
not This is because the way that breathe now after diaphragmatic retraining is conducive to
microbreaking As you pursue the five tenets of diaphragmatic breathing described thus far
you will find similar examples in your own life
Find Calm Through Visual Imagery
Imagine finding yourself alone on an inflatable raft following a nasty shipwreck Your mind is
racing playing out the worst possible scenarios You glance at the few remaining tins of food
realizing there is no way to know how many days you will be out on the open sea The thought
of starvation brings on a wave of panic and bodily constriction Then you hear a voice in your
head Conserve your energy or you are going to die Imagine at that second you have an
epiphany You recognize panic as an energy consumer that will only increase your caloric
requirements You realize that you needed a lifeanddeath experience to see how your familiar
neuroticism is simply a metabolic state that can be adjusted Wow you say Ive been
carrying this frenetic tension for so long but can just let it go
Picture yourself laying your head down on the plastic surface of the raft and making a
concerted effort to placate your hectic reactivity Let your body descend to an absolute
minimum of activity Your face goes lax your heart beats slowly but steadily you are breathing
just enough to get adequate oxygen and every muscle you arent currently using unwinds
You let yourself be still as the rhythm of the ocean lulls you Now this was an extreme example
but it was meant to help you see that stressing out on a survival raft is counterproductive
Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy
Similarly your baseline level of stress today is almost certainly out of proportion to your
immediate physical challenges
There is no need to return to that raft That was an intentionally provocative example
Instead come up with positive imaginary In mine am a man foraging on a subSaharan
savannah years ago well before humanity split apart into distinct races am moving
and working constantly but at the same time am impossibly calm cool and levelheaded
Most importantly this version of me allows every muscle in his body to go lax unless it is
needed for a particular motion With hunger and nutrition major concerns it would have been
imperative for our ancestors to conserve metabolic activity doing only what is required So this
Jared walks and talks with incredible ease His stride is fluid his face is placid and his posture is
perfect yet effortless would like to encourage you to spend some time creating similar mental
imagery that is compatible with calmness
Stress raises metabolism in the short term and activation of the sympathetic nervous
system can double our resting or basal metabolic rate But it does so only for a few hours
Over weeks and months chronic stress actually leads to a lowered metabolism and everything
that comes with it including weight gain visceral fat elevated blood pressure cardiovascular
disease diabetes and other health risks One of many reasons for this is that as you read
earlier when you start bracing a muscle it burns a lot of energy but if you keep bracing it it
shortens physically so that it doesnt have to burn energy to remain in contraction
Scientists distinguish between catabolic states in which energy is burned for movement
and anabolic states in which energy is stored and used to construct necessary molecules like
proteins The parasympathetic system uses anabolism during periods of rest to build the body
back up leading to revitalization The sympathetic system uses catabolism to burn energy for
fight or flight Catabolic breakdown that goes on too long consumes our energy stores
including important proteins leading to depletion and corrosion When we become stuck in
anxious stressed or hyperactive states catabolic pathways within our cells become overactive
and place huge unnecessary demands on our bodys other systems Stress even burns away
muscle making it harder to stay fit and lean We are lumbering cellular survival machines
burning ourselves to the ground because we are stuck in overdrive You need to let your body
relax so that you can stop burning parts of the ship
If you need a role model for this kind of calm look to those who naturally breathe with
their diaphragm toddlers have been fortunate enough to spend time babysitting my friends
children One day with an imperturbable twoyearold girl was especially transformative for me
She was so sweet and pacific that my highstrung personality seemed likely to scare her So as
we passed blocks back and forth worked on getting closer and closer to her level of wideeyed
peacefulness Now often pretend that it is my responsibility to be a calming influence on
others the way she was for me
Some people dont want to be calmer They enjoy being energetic and intense The truth of
the matter is that being energetic and being calm should be two sides of the same coin
Without the ability to dole out microbreaks exhilaration turns into exhaustion in a matter of
minutes If a person cannot balance intensity with periods of rest then they will burn out like a
sprinter running a daily marathon
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Never Be Afraid of Being Too Calm
One of the greatest barriers to relaxation is the instinct to keep alert on edge and ready to act
Some people are afraid that becoming too calm will result in tragedy It is true that increasing
the output of the stress system might indeed help you fight or take flight if your challenges are
immediate and very severe However if you dont know when the challenge will arise then you
are better off relaxing completely This is because a chronically activated sympathetic stress
system becomes a detriment in a matter of hours
For instance if you were convinced that someone or something was going to threaten your
life in the next few minutes maybe you would need to activate the sympathetic stress system
This is because it just might free up enough energy or accentuate a reaction that saves your life
However if you have no grounds for assuming that a physical threat could take your life in the
next hour then you are better off turning the stress system all the way down and allowing your
muscles and mind the rest they need to stay strong Even a mixed martial artist would benefit
from being as calm as possible up until minutes before entering the ring So stop holding your

flip your thoughts from positive to negative Dont allow it to make you attack others

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

You will find that the raw agonizing buzz of anxiety will fall away if you breathe as if you

werent in pain By breathing slowly and deeply while focusing on the subtle stinging

reverberating throughout your body you will learn to unbrace This will heal you

The Link Between Distressed Breathing and Muscular Tension

Scientists have documented that average muscle tension especially tension in trigger points

increases during transient stress Muscles will tighten up during a paper and pencil examination

or during and after watching a horror film The same is true for more chronic sources of stress

like longlasting personal or workrelated stress Stress and more specifically heightened

arousal of the sympathetic nervous system increases the risk of repetitive strain injury

especially during repetitive tasks This means that if you are stressed while sitting at the

computer for hours your body is fast at work cementing your computer posture into

your joints

Stress causes bracing via distressed breathing Numerous brain pathways connect shallow

breathing to muscle tension This is a hardwired connection that prepares mammals for

physical conflict As our breath becomes shallow we brace more in preparation for fighting

Relaxed breathing by contrast causes us to brace less and experience less pain So unbrace

your diaphragm and let your outbreaths become passive and limp

Since childhood my hands used to hurt and cramp after just a few minutes of

uninterrupted writing or drawing Since started breathing diaphragmatically however my

hands do not hurt or cramp even after an hour of pushing a pencil When do manual labor all

day with friends they all tell me the next day that their bodies are sore but notice that mine is

not This is because the way that breathe now after diaphragmatic retraining is conducive to

microbreaking As you pursue the five tenets of diaphragmatic breathing described thus far

you will find similar examples in your own life

Find Calm Through Visual Imagery

Imagine finding yourself alone on an inflatable raft following a nasty shipwreck Your mind is

racing playing out the worst possible scenarios You glance at the few remaining tins of food

realizing there is no way to know how many days you will be out on the open sea The thought

of starvation brings on a wave of panic and bodily constriction Then you hear a voice in your

head Conserve your energy or you are going to die Imagine at that second you have an

epiphany You recognize panic as an energy consumer that will only increase your caloric

requirements You realize that you needed a lifeanddeath experience to see how your familiar

neuroticism is simply a metabolic state that can be adjusted Wow you say Ive been

carrying this frenetic tension for so long but can just let it go

Picture yourself laying your head down on the plastic surface of the raft and making a

concerted effort to placate your hectic reactivity Let your body descend to an absolute

minimum of activity Your face goes lax your heart beats slowly but steadily you are breathing

just enough to get adequate oxygen and every muscle you arent currently using unwinds

You let yourself be still as the rhythm of the ocean lulls you Now this was an extreme example

but it was meant to help you see that stressing out on a survival raft is counterproductive

Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy

Similarly your baseline level of stress today is almost certainly out of proportion to your

immediate physical challenges

There is no need to return to that raft That was an intentionally provocative example

Instead come up with positive imaginary In mine am a man foraging on a subSaharan

savannah years ago well before humanity split apart into distinct races am moving

and working constantly but at the same time am impossibly calm cool and levelheaded

Most importantly this version of me allows every muscle in his body to go lax unless it is

needed for a particular motion With hunger and nutrition major concerns it would have been

imperative for our ancestors to conserve metabolic activity doing only what is required So this

Jared walks and talks with incredible ease His stride is fluid his face is placid and his posture is

perfect yet effortless would like to encourage you to spend some time creating similar mental

imagery that is compatible with calmness

Stress raises metabolism in the short term and activation of the sympathetic nervous

system can double our resting or basal metabolic rate But it does so only for a few hours

Over weeks and months chronic stress actually leads to a lowered metabolism and everything

that comes with it including weight gain visceral fat elevated blood pressure cardiovascular

disease diabetes and other health risks One of many reasons for this is that as you read

earlier when you start bracing a muscle it burns a lot of energy but if you keep bracing it it

shortens physically so that it doesnt have to burn energy to remain in contraction

Scientists distinguish between catabolic states in which energy is burned for movement

and anabolic states in which energy is stored and used to construct necessary molecules like

proteins The parasympathetic system uses anabolism during periods of rest to build the body

back up leading to revitalization The sympathetic system uses catabolism to burn energy for

fight or flight Catabolic breakdown that goes on too long consumes our energy stores

including important proteins leading to depletion and corrosion When we become stuck in

anxious stressed or hyperactive states catabolic pathways within our cells become overactive

and place huge unnecessary demands on our bodys other systems Stress even burns away

muscle making it harder to stay fit and lean We are lumbering cellular survival machines

burning ourselves to the ground because we are stuck in overdrive You need to let your body

relax so that you can stop burning parts of the ship

If you need a role model for this kind of calm look to those who naturally breathe with

their diaphragm toddlers have been fortunate enough to spend time babysitting my friends

children One day with an imperturbable twoyearold girl was especially transformative for me

She was so sweet and pacific that my highstrung personality seemed likely to scare her So as

we passed blocks back and forth worked on getting closer and closer to her level of wideeyed

peacefulness Now often pretend that it is my responsibility to be a calming influence on

others the way she was for me

Some people dont want to be calmer They enjoy being energetic and intense The truth of

the matter is that being energetic and being calm should be two sides of the same coin

Without the ability to dole out microbreaks exhilaration turns into exhaustion in a matter of

minutes If a person cannot balance intensity with periods of rest then they will burn out like a

sprinter running a daily marathon

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

Never Be Afraid of Being Too Calm

One of the greatest barriers to relaxation is the instinct to keep alert on edge and ready to act

Some people are afraid that becoming too calm will result in tragedy It is true that increasing

the output of the stress system might indeed help you fight or take flight if your challenges are

immediate and very severe However if you dont know when the challenge will arise then you

are better off relaxing completely This is because a chronically activated sympathetic stress

system becomes a detriment in a matter of hours

For instance if you were convinced that someone or something was going to threaten your

life in the next few minutes maybe you would need to activate the sympathetic stress system

This is because it just might free up enough energy or accentuate a reaction that saves your life

However if you have no grounds for assuming that a physical threat could take your life in the

next hour then you are better off turning the stress system all the way down and allowing your

muscles and mind the rest they need to stay strong Even a mixed martial artist would benefit

from being as calm as possible up until minutes before entering the ring So stop holding your