A few thoughts to put into practice not only at Christmas, but also after any stressful, exhausting period.
Vitality for life
Regeneration is a phase in the pulse of our body, our energy system, our mental functioning, our destiny. It is through regeneration that we replenish the depleted energies and empty physical and mental reservoirs that are emptied during the stressful activity of everyday life. Many depleted trace elements, vitamins, antioxidants, etc. are missing from the body after a more stressful period, be it a university exam period, a stressful project or prolonged bad moods in the family. What occurs in addition to deficiencies is what we have gathered during the stressful period: minor or major inflammation in the body, shifted gut flora (dysbiosis), accumulation of metabolites including lactic acid.
Under pressure…
A simple but easy-to-follow programme can help to restore balance more quickly at the end of a strenuous ride. And you don’t even need a party to „crown” the end of the exam period. Recommended for anyone who wants to recover consciously and quickly after a difficult period. In particular, a body and energy system in its 20s and 30s can basically recover quickly, whereas a body over 45-50 needs extra support and conscious steps. Once a 30-year-old patient with depression came to the psychiatric outpatient clinic where I worked. He told me that he had been depressed for 3 months in his bed, and only got up for basic things. But at the end of the 3rd month, he thought that it couldn’t go on forever, and he gave it a try: he got up and went to work. And lo and behold, he was right back where he was 3-4 months before! So the body shook itself, and like a full car, when it starts, it can keep running and even recharge the battery as it goes. But he was unable to repeat the same trick at 30 and was left in a depression that was coming back on him. The lesson is that a body around 20 years of age has much more reserves and a better metabolism, i.e. better regenerative capacity, than a body aged 30 or 40.
So here’s a little programme.
- Stop staring at screens for 5-10 days.
- Drink enough water, herbal tea.
- Avoid stimulants: caffeine, taurine, hot and overly spicy foods. Avoid cold drinks or foods.
- Take higher doses of vitamins (vitamin C and B complex are essential, higher doses of D3 + K2 recommended), trace elements, antioxidants, and whatever else we may need.
- Avoid „big munching”, especially fast food and foods soaked in sugar.
- 2 times daily conscious breathing exercises (at least 15-30 minutes each)
- Daily walking or jogging. (Can also be a leisurely swim or bike ride.) 10-60 minutes, depending on your workload and time.
- Meditative practice, mantra repetition, prayer. (It is good to have at least 1 hour.)
- Relaxation, yoga nidra (conscious sleep). Recommended 1-2 times a day, and 20-30 minutes minimum
All this can be spliced with stretching after jogging or at any time during the day. Or with physiotherapy, tai chi, yoga asanas. Maybe even rinsing your nose with lukewarm salty water is the icing on the cake. These technics can be found online as well in the encyclopedia of yoga at Yoga in Daily Life The System.
This little programme is also a great way to calm and recharge a nervous system and a body caught in a vicious circle of alertness and readiness, even for those who are struggling with panic attacks. As long as we are running away from the lack of panic, we are only setting ourselves up for survival and cannot have a better, happier life. One of the antidotes to panic attacks is prevention, which is provided by higher energy levels.
Have a speed recovery, relaxation and recharge!
Tibor Kökény‘s article on the Focused Panic Solution site about the relationship between regeneration and panic attacks.
Tibor Kökény is a psychologist and instructor of the Yoga in Daily Life® system. He has several references in sports with Olympic and European champions, Hungarian champions, Kata Huszti Exathlon winner and many more. Besides sports, his speciality is the treatment of panic attacks, certain personality disorders (borderline, narcissistic), burnout. His Youtube video collection gives support in understanding both panic and other problems.