Spot The Spiral - Create That Shift
There are moments when we notice the day pulling us faster than we intended. Our breath shortens. Our shoulders lift.
A faint urgency moves through the body. These early cues are not signs of weakness. They are biological signals that the nervous system has slipped into protection mode.
This is the beginning of the spiral. Modern life rarely presents physical danger, yet emails, deadlines, Christmas shopping and constant updates can trigger the same stress response.
The body reacts as if something urgent is happening, even when we are sitting still.
In Stop the Spiral, we describe the Safety Loop as a simple way to understand this pattern.
Recognise the early signs of tension.
Reset through small physical cues that signal safety.
Re-engage once the body has settled and clarity returns.
These steps are grounded in neuroscience. Recognition engages the reflective parts of the brain.
Resetting uses breath, movement, and sensory awareness to interrupt the stress cycle. Re-engaging from calm restores focus in a way force never can.
Learning to spot the spiral is not about avoiding stress. It is about meeting it sooner, with more awareness, so our energy stays steady rather than scattered. A deeper exploration of the Safety Loop and the science behind these practices can be found in Chapter 1 of Stop the Spiral: Calm Your Nervous System and Recover from Burnout in a World on Fire. Out now!
Stress begins in the body before we register it mentally
Awareness lowers physiological arousal and widens perspective
Interrupting the spiral supports clearer decision-making
Embodied resets help complete the stress cycle
Micro-Practice: Horizon Gazing
Find a window or step outside. Let your eyes rest on the farthest point you can see. As your visual field widens, the nervous system receives a signal of safety. Studies show that soft, expansive gaze reduces activity in regions associated with threat detection and helps the body downshift into a calmer state.
A small pause. A simple shift. A reminder that clarity is accessible even on busy days.
