Sunday morning, I was watching the Olympic field hockey game between Canada and the United States.

And suddenly…

Breathing short.
Jaws clenched.
Shoulders contracted.

I was sitting on the end of my chair. My body was on high alert.

For a field hockey game!!
A screen.
A puck.

A sport I don’t even particularly like! HAHAHA!

Nothing really dangerous. Just the Canada-USA rivalry.

Yet my nervous system couldn’t tell the difference.

That’s when I had a moment of clarity:
If my body can react so intensely to a sporting event… imagine what it goes through on a daily basis when faced with urgent e-mails, conflicts, deadlines and responsibilities.

Our primitive brain doesn’t always distinguish between
🧠 a real danger
and
📧 a perceived pressure.

The result?
Shortness of breath.
Tense jaw.
Accelerated thoughts.

So what can you do when stress takes hold – even for “nothing”?

Here are 3 simple things I did, right there in front of my TV:

1️⃣ I loosened my teeth and consciously relaxed my jaw.
2️⃣ I took a long exhale (longer than the inhale).
3️⃣ I added a voluntary micro-smile to my face.

In less than a minute, my body received a new message:
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Stress is not the enemy.
It becomes a problem when it gets stuck in the body.

This week, I invite you to observe:
When does your breathing shorten?
When does your jaw clench?

And above all… can you intervene before the tension gets too deep?

🌀 Mission of the week

Choose a stressful moment (meeting, traffic, sport, family).
Release the jaw. Breathe out for a long time. Micro-smile.
Observe what changes.

Gritting your teeth is like driving with the “check engine” light on… you can keep going for a while, but it’s not ideal.

You know what to do!

At least I do. Breathe, relax, smile… and why not laugh out loud?! (Do it with me here)

Thanks for reading

Linda