What Does Body Language Have to Do With the Dow And the Financial Crisis?

I am writing this less than 24 hours after the Dow fell a record 777 points, setting an all time record. The news is flooded with a grim, dark and rather pessimistic view of what we can expect as a result of this financial situation. I'll keep my political views to myself-it's better that way. I'm not an economist or financial guru. All I could offer is a very weak opinion about what "they" should do in Washington. No, politics is not my area of expertise. However, my area of expertise does in fact offer a powerful feeling of relief for those who may currently feel like the world is tumbling down around them.

More than once in my life I had the opportunity to help bring a high level executive back from the brink of mental and emotional meltdown. If there is one thing I know to be true, it's that the "meltdown" is never the result of what is going on around us; it's the result of what is going on within us, and this my friends, is almost exclusively controlled by the way we are using our physical body and our nonverbal communication.

For decades now, much has been written about taking control of our thoughts, or, thinking "positive" for a more enjoyable and productive life, and as you know, that advice is not without merit. However, you probably also know, that when you are caught up and the seemingly inescapable grip of anxiety, worry and fear, moving a mountain seems to be a more feasible activity than controlling your thoughts. This is precisely why body language is so critically important. While a racing mind may prevent us from running our own mind, we can always, yes, always, control the way we are using our physical body- and when we do, we get an immediate and instantaneous shift in how we are feeling. Interestingly enough, there is also a rapid shift in our thoughts. In short, the body doesn't follow the mind as quickly as our mind follows our body.

Clearly, this article cannot encompass all of the nearly unlimited ways in which we can access powerful peak performance states even while chaos surrounds us. However, what I'm going to share with you here, has the ability to change the way you experience life the instant you use it; it does not require weeks or months of practice before it starts working.

When you are experiencing stressful feelings, you are in what is referred to as foveal vision. Foveal vision simply means that your focus or line of sight is reduced to a narrow band of what is directly in front of you. Many refer to this as tunnel vision, and that accurately describes what happens; when in foveal, or tunnel vision, we are not aware of any options that exist, and focus only on the possible consequences of what we are worrying about.

You've no doubt heard of peripheral vision, but what you may not have known was that when we intentionally switch to peripheral vision, we automatically trigger our parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of our nervous system that initiates a return to calm, relaxed, and centered feelings. I think you'll agree, even in the most trying of times, you can consciously control what you are doing with your eyes. When you do, seemingly magical things happen.

So, right now, as you are reading this, I'd like you to take a moment, and while you keep eyes and head directed at this article, allow your awareness to shift so that you are aware of what exists off to your left, to your far right, up above you, and down below you. Simply become aware of the spaces all around you, as far out as you can comfortably go. Then, just comfortably remain with your awareness here for 20 seconds or so. You may be surprised to discover that after just a few seconds, you will effortlessly and automatically take a deep breath. This is a sign your parasympathetic nervous system is responding.

This can be done as often each day as you like- the more the better. Not only that, you can literally do this anywhere. As you begin using this method several times each day, you'll notice you are thinking more clearly, not panicking near as much ( if at all) and have a lot more energy left over at the end of the day.

© Copyright 2008. Vincent Harris. All Rights Reserved.

Vincent Harris an Advanced Body Language Expert, and the President of Harris Research International. As an author, speaker, trainer and consultant, Vince teaches others to transform their ability to achieve communication mastery. Join Vince's newsletter and get your free ebook at http://www.scienceofbodylanguage.com or http://www.vinceharris.com