Intensive Exercise is the Antidote to Squashing Negative Emotions

We couldn’t survive without having emotions but sometimes it would be nice to get rid of them!

 Emotional intensity is like the volume button on a radio. Turn up the dial and you heighten your emotion. Wouldn’t it be good to improve your ability to turn the dial up and down more easily?

 The reason why it is hard to change our responses, is they are hard wired, triggered automatically and then reinforced over time.

If there was no emotion at all we would not be inclined to offer comfort to a crying baby. Although we need to react, we also need to be able to regulate our response. When the baby settles quickly you feel competent, happy and love automatically. But if your actions don’t have a calming response, you may feel anxious, guilty, tired or frustrated. Our job as mums is to be able to help our children manage negative emotions, so how do we do that if we don’t feel in control?

It’s all about learning to reduce the spike in stress hormones in the brain that fuels the negative response and reduces our ability to think and communicate. 

Exercise is the best antidote. Not only will your stress hormones be reduced, you’ll release endorphins (the brains natural mood lifters). The good news is that you only need 7 minutes (7 rounds of 45 seconds work and 15 seconds res). Its great to do with kids and will leave you feeling better for hours.