Feeling unsafe, in yourself or on behalf of loved ones is a heavy burden. Over the past couple of years we have experienced watching tragedies on TV, feeling unsafe in our homes, in our cities and in the world. Disease and the fear thereof makes us feel unsafe being around other people. Simply put, we probably feel unsafe a lot of the time, yet, according to Dr. Nancy Gahles, feeling safe is a prerequisite to happiness, health and wholeness, and to normal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual development.

Feeling unsafe can be as a result of being in an unsafe situation – such as walking down a dark alley and you suddenly hear footsteps behind you. Feeling unsafe can also be the perceived sense of lack of safety. We can become caught up in thinking about past events or anticipating future attacks. Thinking about the same events, over and over again (worrying and stressing) can cause inflammation and lead to diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

If you know you have suffered an attack on your safety in the past, make sure that you do not over expose yourself to negative media (the news etc). This can cause a flare up in your sense of safety.

If you find that you are constantly feeling unsafe, consider the following habits to help reduce the stress [1]:

• Take regular media and social media breaks (especially if there is a ‘large’ global tragedy unfolding
• Try and make time to be in nature or the outdoors. Visit a park, cycle in an open field, take a hike or just walk through a leafy suburb.
• Pull yourself out of yourself and consider all the good in the world – how can you be grateful for the good that has befallen you?
• Bring yourself back to the now. Don’t get wrapped up in the ‘what if of yesterday’ or the ‘what could happen tomorrow?’. Focus on what’s happening right now and what you can actually control, right in front of you
• Consider learning different breathing techniques to help you focus and relax

May the VITAFORCE be with you!