Episode 8 - The magic of of a hot drink reduces anxiety
It may sound like a lifehack you might find on Instagram, but this tip is actually true.
What tea, coffee, hot chocolate, warm milk and a simple glass of warm water have in common is…warmth. The heat of the beverage warms your belly when you drink and even fills you a little, and those two feelings send a very important message to your Deckhand.
Anxiety is, at its core, fear of dying. That sounds dramatic, but to your Deckhand, who thinks only in black-and-white absolutes, any time you are not 100% convinced that you are safe, you’re continued existence may be in danger. So your Deckhand is alert. When they become over-alert, that is when you experience the nausea and sweaty palms of anxiety.
But a warm, full belly tells your Deckhand you are not in danger of starving, and you’re not in danger of hypothermia. Your life is not in any immediate danger, and therefore you are safe. And when you are safe, there is no need to be anxious… so your instinctive brain reduces the biochemical processes that make you feel anxious, meaning you become noticeably less anxious.
Simply by drinking a warm drink. Almost like a kind of magic!
Have anxieties that need a bit more attention than a hot cup of cocoa? Let’s talk:
Video is subtitled in English & DutchÂ
