Why is my cortisol so high right now?
Why does my body feel wired, jittery, almost buzzing like it's running on a chemical you
didn't ask for, even when nothing is actually wrong?
If that question is sitting in your head today, right now or whatever time it is, let's
actually answer it properly in the next 10 minutes.
Hi there, I'm Martin, a clinical hypnotherapist and a former frontline paramedic.
I've managed real adrenaline and cortisol surges in the back of an ambulance more times than
I can count, so today I'm not going to give you fake reassurance.
I'm going to show you exactly what's happening in your body right now and exactly how to
bring it down.
Wherever you are, just allow your body to settle where it is.
You don't need stillness to start this, you just need your next breath.
Cortisol doesn't switch off because you tell it to, it clears in response to a signal and
the clearest signal your body understands is a long, slow exhale, so we're going to use
our own rhythm.
In through the nose for four, holding at the top for two, then out through the mouth for a
long, slow count of six.
This will be your superpower, wherever you are, whenever you need it.
Ready?
Let's begin.
In.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Good.
That long out breath isn't just relaxing, it's mechanical, it's the vagus nerve doing its
job.
It tells the adrenaline system, the alert can stand down now.
Let's do another round.
Ready?
In.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Two.
Relax.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Feel your shoulders.
Just loosen a little.
Cortisol loves it there.
Let them drop a fraction further.
Let's do one more round.
There's no rushing it.
Ready?
Three then.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Hold.
Two.
Release.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Now just let your breathing settle.
And whatever rhythm it wants.
And I'd like you to picture something that I've managed for real more times than I could count.
It's a drip line, a clear tube, fluid running through it, a small chamber where you can watch
the drops form.
Right now in your mind, that line is running into your body somewhere and the chemical running
through it is Cortisol.
It's running fast, too fast.
Drop, drop, drop.
Almost too quick to count.
There's that weird feeling in your chest, in your hands and in your thoughts.
It's not a malfunction.
It is simply at a rate that has been set too high.
Now, here's the important part.
We're not reaching for the line to rip it out.
We never stop adrift dead.
That causes its own kind of shock.
We reach for the little wheel on the side of the chamber, the one that controls the rate.
And with every slow out breath you take, I want you to imagine your hand turning that
wheel just a fraction, not off, just slower.
Drop, drop, drop.
Slow in.
Breathing out you turn it again.
Drop, drop, drop.
Slow as still.
You are not demanding your body stop producing Cortisol.
You are simply, patiently, turning down the rate, the way a professional would and the way
it's meant to be done.
There will still be a drop falling every now and then.
That's fine.
That's normal.
That is the body regulating itself.
Not a body that has failed.
You are not aiming for empty.
You are aiming for steady.
To enhance this moment within the beauty of your imagination, visualize these words in
your mind's eye.
Keep note of the colour, the size, the shape and let them land.
My Cortisol is chemistry, passing through me, not a verdict on my safety.
I do not have to outrun this feeling.
I only have to let it slow down.
My body is clearing what it no longer needs, breath by breath.
I can feel wired and still be safe, all at the same time.
This high alert will pass and I am the one who decides how slowly.
Allow the words to drop a little deeper now, past the buzz and into the part of you that
is already steadier than it feels.
And then one more time with me.
I do not have to outrun this feeling.
I only have to let it slow down.
I can feel wired and still be safe, all at the same time.
The higher alert will pass and I am the one who decides how slowly.
And to make this part of your soul, to weave it into the fabric of your subconscious, here
are today's three daily caring tips.
One, the 90 second rule.
When cortisol spikes, the urgency it creates is chemical, not informational.
Most surges genuinely begin to clear within about 90 seconds if you do not feed them.
Before you respond, send the message or make the call.
Just wait the 90 seconds out.
Two, the no big decisions window.
The first hour after waking is biologically your highest cortisol window of the entire day.
It is not the time for hard conversations, big emails or major decisions, however tempting
it feels.
Let the curve come down first, then decide.
And three, watch the rate, not the total.
You don't need cortisol at zero to feel okay.
You never will and you don't want to.
You just need it, not spiking.
So today, instead of asking, is this gone yet?
Ask yourself once.
Is this rising or is it settling?
That question alone changes what you are aiming for.
Now gently bring your awareness back into the room around you.
Feel your fingers and toes.
Now take that deep breath in through the nose, hold and then as you breathe out, stretch
out the muscles in your arms and legs.
Thank you, truly, for putting your faith in trust in calming anxiety.
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There's a link in the show notes for iOS and Android.
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Have a lovely day, my friend.
Do be positive, smile as often as you can, and then in every thought, word and deed.
Be kind.