Why is grief & anxiety so exhausting? You aren’t imagining it.
I felt a shift in energy at the weekend. Yes, the promise of a change in the weather is very welcome.
But I also finished clearing out my mum’s flat last week and realised that all the hard decisions - from funeral arrangements to what furniture to keep - are now behind me.
After weeks of feeling exhausted, achy and brain fogged, I noticed that I’ve quickened my stride, been able to jump out of bed and almost skipped around Tescos yesterday morning.
I learnt last month that even at rest, our brains use around 20% of our body's energy, despite making up just 2% of our body weight (Raichle & Gusnard, 2002, PNAS).
Plus studies on PTSD and anxiety-related states similarly show that under sustained threat-response, the brain struggles to switch off its warning alarm, even when everything around you may be safe. So you can feel tired, even when you haven't done anything tiring. (PMC7443821, Posttraumatic stress symptomatology and abnormal neural responding during emotion regulation).
So if you’re dealing with anxiety, stress or grief and ever wondered why you feel so flippin’ exhausted, you aren’t imagining it. You can sit still for hours and still end up feeling tired, because the exhaustion isn't from you doing anything physical; it's from your nervous system staying on alert.
It's also why you can't simply "think" your way out of it. A brain in alert mode is short on capacity, because so much of it is already working hard trying to keep you safe.
And using practices such as meditation to try still the mind can be really hard.
When I work with clients during a Reiki treatment, I always begin with the head.
Placing my hands on someone’s crown, sides of face as well as over eyes and behind the skull, have all become essential head placements before I can start working down their body.
Once the head stops being so busy - and yes, this can take 10 minutes or more with some clients - I see their body relax and their breathing and heartbeat slows down. All signs that their nervous systems are switching from fight-or-flight mode and into rest-and-recover.
In this relaxed state, the brainwaves slow down, as they would during sleep, and the body becomes more open to heal itself. It’s why I’m often told by clients that 20 minutes of deep relaxation with me can feel like a 8 hour restorative sleep.
I have a regular Reiki self-practice but nothing beats having Reiki from someone else. So knowing that I was coming to the end of mum’s flat clearing, I booked myself a Reiki treatment on Friday.
The next day, I felt this energy shift.
Coincidence? One can, of course, always argue this. But Reiki will always be my go-to when I know my mind and body needs help in calming and shifting energy.
If you’d like to experience Reiki yourself, get in touch with me.
My email is Karen@serotina.co.uk or you can text or Whatsapp me on 077843 276427.
I work at Luck’s Yard Clinic in Milford, Godalming, at Sublime Wellness in Hewshott, Liphook from September, as well as Distant Reiki for clients across the UK and internationally.
Thank you for reading,
Karen Skidmore
Reiki Master, Somatic & Sound Healing Practitioner
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