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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I read yesterday about a clinical study being conducted at the University of Sussex in Brighton. It's being suggested that tuning into your heartbeat can help lower anxiety. It's called interoceptive awareness and the idea is that you find a quiet place and set a timer for one minute. You then close your eyes and try to detect your heartbeat. When you're ready, start the timer and try to count your heartbeats for a minute. Repeat the exercise, but this time feeling your pulse to take an accurate reading of your heart rate. The researchers think that  focusing on your heartbeat and breathing would be a good coping strategy for anxiety. The trial is being conducted on 120 autistic people for whom anxiety is a big problem.

I thought that I'd mention this study as it may be if interest to some ladies.

I must admit I found that focusing on my heart rate made me more anxious not less but there may be an application for anyone not suffering from  palpitations.

The young woman leading the study had spent a decade looking at ways that interactions between the heart and the brain influence emotions and behaviour. I must admit the cynic in me wondered what she'll make of the menopause when it hits her! If she experiences the weird and wonderful changes that some of us report she may need to re think the entire subject when she realises that everything changes when hormones are in charge.

Hope this is of interest ladies and wishing you all well.

K.

[Kathleen]

Hello Sparkle.

I admit that when I first read the article I thought concentrating on your heart rhythm was a silly idea seeing as anxiety usually increases the heart rate anyway! The breathing aspect I can understand as we have much more conscious control over that.  It then occurred to me that not everyone has palpitations with meno so perhaps there is an application after all.

 I  wonder what will happen when this young woman experiences changing hormones and learns the effect they can have over brain and body.  Research re write perhaps lol.

Wishing you well.

K.

[Shadyglade]

This sounds very interesting. It's like another form of mindfulness.

Have you got a link to the article Kathleen.

[Kathleen]

Hello Shadyglade.

Sorry I don't have a link to the article but as it appeared in Saturday's Guardian I think it will be available on their web page.

Hope to can track it down and find it helpful.

Take care.

K.

[Shadyglade]