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Why is my cortisol so high right now?

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Why does my body feel wired, jittery, almost buzzing like it's running on a chemical you

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didn't ask for, even when nothing is actually wrong?

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If that question is sitting in your head today, right now or whatever time it is, let's

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actually answer it properly in the next 10 minutes.

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Hi there, I'm Martin, a clinical hypnotherapist and a former frontline paramedic.

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I've managed real adrenaline and cortisol surges in the back of an ambulance more times than

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I can count, so today I'm not going to give you fake reassurance.

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I'm going to show you exactly what's happening in your body right now and exactly how to

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bring it down.

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Wherever you are, just allow your body to settle where it is.

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You don't need stillness to start this, you just need your next breath.

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Cortisol doesn't switch off because you tell it to, it clears in response to a signal and

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the clearest signal your body understands is a long, slow exhale, so we're going to use

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our own rhythm.

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In through the nose for four, holding at the top for two, then out through the mouth for a

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long, slow count of six.

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This will be your superpower, wherever you are, whenever you need it.

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Ready?

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Let's begin.

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In.

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Two.

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Three.

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Four.

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Four.

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Four.

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Five.

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Six.

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Good.

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That long out breath isn't just relaxing, it's mechanical, it's the vagus nerve doing its

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job.

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It tells the adrenaline system, the alert can stand down now.

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Let's do another round.

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Ready?

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In.

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Two.

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Three.

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Four.

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Four.

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Four.

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Two.

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Relax.

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Two.

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Three.

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Four.

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Five.

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Six.

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Feel your shoulders.

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Just loosen a little.

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Cortisol loves it there.

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Let them drop a fraction further.

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Let's do one more round.

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There's no rushing it.

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Ready?

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Three then.

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Two.

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Three.

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Four.

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Hold.

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Two.

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Release.

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Two.

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Three.

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Four.

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Five.

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Six.

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Now just let your breathing settle.

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And whatever rhythm it wants.

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And I'd like you to picture something that I've managed for real more times than I could count.

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It's a drip line, a clear tube, fluid running through it, a small chamber where you can watch

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the drops form.

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Right now in your mind, that line is running into your body somewhere and the chemical running

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through it is Cortisol.

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It's running fast, too fast.

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Drop, drop, drop.

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Almost too quick to count.

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There's that weird feeling in your chest, in your hands and in your thoughts.

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It's not a malfunction.

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It is simply at a rate that has been set too high.

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Now, here's the important part.

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We're not reaching for the line to rip it out.

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We never stop adrift dead.

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That causes its own kind of shock.

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We reach for the little wheel on the side of the chamber, the one that controls the rate.

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And with every slow out breath you take, I want you to imagine your hand turning that

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wheel just a fraction, not off, just slower.

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Drop, drop, drop.

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Slow in.

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Breathing out you turn it again.

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Drop, drop, drop.

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Slow as still.

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You are not demanding your body stop producing Cortisol.

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You are simply, patiently, turning down the rate, the way a professional would and the way

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it's meant to be done.

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There will still be a drop falling every now and then.

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That's fine.

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That's normal.

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That is the body regulating itself.

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Not a body that has failed.

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You are not aiming for empty.

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You are aiming for steady.

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To enhance this moment within the beauty of your imagination, visualize these words in

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your mind's eye.

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Keep note of the colour, the size, the shape and let them land.

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My Cortisol is chemistry, passing through me, not a verdict on my safety.

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I do not have to outrun this feeling.

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I only have to let it slow down.

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My body is clearing what it no longer needs, breath by breath.

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I can feel wired and still be safe, all at the same time.

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This high alert will pass and I am the one who decides how slowly.

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Allow the words to drop a little deeper now, past the buzz and into the part of you that

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is already steadier than it feels.

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And then one more time with me.

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I do not have to outrun this feeling.

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I only have to let it slow down.

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I can feel wired and still be safe, all at the same time.

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The higher alert will pass and I am the one who decides how slowly.

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And to make this part of your soul, to weave it into the fabric of your subconscious, here

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are today's three daily caring tips.

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One, the 90 second rule.

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When cortisol spikes, the urgency it creates is chemical, not informational.

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Most surges genuinely begin to clear within about 90 seconds if you do not feed them.

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Before you respond, send the message or make the call.

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Just wait the 90 seconds out.

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Two, the no big decisions window.

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The first hour after waking is biologically your highest cortisol window of the entire day.

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It is not the time for hard conversations, big emails or major decisions, however tempting

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it feels.

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Let the curve come down first, then decide.

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And three, watch the rate, not the total.

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You don't need cortisol at zero to feel okay.

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You never will and you don't want to.

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You just need it, not spiking.

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So today, instead of asking, is this gone yet?

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Ask yourself once.

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Is this rising or is it settling?

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That question alone changes what you are aiming for.

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Now gently bring your awareness back into the room around you.

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Feel your fingers and toes.

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Now take that deep breath in through the nose, hold and then as you breathe out, stretch

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out the muscles in your arms and legs.

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Thank you, truly, for putting your faith in trust in calming anxiety.

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Please do share it, or leave it a five star review and a comment on Apple or Spotify,

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wherever you watch it or listen.

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If you would like to make calming anxiety, part of your daily routine, check out the app

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and could.

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There's a link in the show notes for iOS and Android.

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Over 3,000 guided sessions just for you, your coffee break for the song.

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Have a lovely day, my friend.

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Do be positive, smile as often as you can, and then in every thought, word and deed.

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Be kind.

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