101: How to (actually) keep calm & carry on – with Roger Jackson

You’ve heard it a million times: just keep calm and carry on. But how in the world are we supposed to do that when it feels like our world is on the spin cycle, totally flipped upside down, and going sideways?!! The grinding busy-ness, the never-ending onslaught of notifications and bings on your phone, the shocking news headlines that are starting to become the norm, Lord, don’t get me started on Brexit… it’s all a bit much.

My special guest today is Roger Jackson and he is simplifying how to (actually) keep calm and carry on. He’s approaching the topic from a somatic point of view, sharing different ways we can calm the mind (and your heart) when anxiety, fear, or worry rear their ugly heads. So the next time you find yourself in a high-stress situation or speaking to someone who is especially triggering, after listening to this one, I hope you’ll gain a few simple, new ways to get calm and get back to center.

Here’s how.

Roger Jackson simplifies how to (actually) keep calm & carry on.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why it’s so important as a business leader to begin to take more responsibility for our own lives and health… and a few simple ways to get back on track here
• How to check in with yourself when you get triggered or feeling a bit of panic coming on. How to tune in to what your body is trying to tell you, in that moment
• What the Polyvagal Theory is and how to apply it to your work and life when stressed
• Plus, we talk about Somatic Experiencing, how it works, and he shares a few positive resources that could help you gain alignment once again so you can get back to calm
• How to begin to address trauma sitting in our bodies and hearts, (stemmed from change or mistakes or otherwise) and learn ways to start to heal

Bottomline is this, when we get triggered and shut down or when we put our porcupine quills out as a defense mechanism to tackle the world, it affects everything. 

When we make decisions from a reactive state, our business suffers and it’s impossible to keep calm & carry on.

Roger believes that we are making decisions from the wrong state of mind and are likely operating from fear, rather than love. So in today’s conversation, he shows us how to pull back, tap into a few simple resources to calm yourself, learn to get present to process the feelings and emotions, and then make a better decision.

This might be how we can change our lives and get back to thriving, over time.

#DoTheThing!

Links, books and apps mentioned:

Book: Lost Connections: Why You’re Depressed and How to Find Hope – Johann Hari

Resource: The Togetherness Movement, founded by Adam Wilder – helping people cultivate more meaningful connection with themselves and within their community.

Podcast: How to heal from anxiety, featuring Uma Sanghvi – The Simplifiers Podcast

Podcast: How to use mind-body magic to create flow in your business, featuring Abigail Steidley – The Simplifiers Podcast

Favorite quotes from this episode:

[04:23] “[The first step is to] recognize that I’m in a reactive state, you know, recognize: ‘Okay, I’m furious.’ And be able to actually put your finger on it and recognize it.”

– Roger

 

[09:05] “Often I find that if I’ve been triggered by something, it’s often just a case of just what’s the global sensation, what do I feel right now? And often the predominant sensation is I feel angry.”

– Roger

 

[18:25] “The body cannot lie, you know, so people can tell you how they are, but you can see, you know. You can see the somatic reactions of actually how they’re feeling all the time.” 

– Roger

 

[21:24] “[Notice] the witness space, the part of us which is capable of recognizing what’s going on in our external world and in our internal reaction. And I think that’s vital… it’s just stopping slightly more than a second. Just stopping and noticing what’s happening.”

– Roger

 

[21:00] “We grow through [our] problems. This is the very simple idea… we find ourselves confronted with a problem [or] confronted with something chaotic, something that’s not functioning. And if we can take the time to recenter and really give ourselves time to think about that, then we can normally reorder that in a new way.”

– Roger

 

[29:14] “As humans, we have a prefrontal cortex filter, which allows us to then put value judgements on [our pain.] So often I’ll feel uncomfortable, but I don’t really know that I can deal with that level of uncomfortable. And so I’ll say to someone, yeah, I’m fine. Yeah, but I’m actually uncomfortable, but I can deal with it. You know? So, there are the two different things to look at, comfortable or uncomfortable, and to start really checking in with the felt sense. Ask, what do I FEEL in my body right now?”

– Roger

About Roger Jackson

Roger Jackson is a qualified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and Esalen Massage therapist. He is the director of Oasis school of massage and healing arts in Buenos Aires and a faculty member of Spazio school of Californian massage, Spain. 

He graduated from Reading University with a philosophy degree. He is also trained in Iyengar yoga, and has experience in many different meditative practices. 

He has just recently moved to London after 16 years living abroad.