A racing heart

A racing heart is your body getting ready to act fast. Your heart beats harder and quicker, sending more blood to your muscles so you can move, speak or get out of the way. In our model it is one of the clearest signs that a cue has touched the need for Safety.

It is not your body overreacting for no reason. It is your body taking a possible threat seriously, before your thinking mind has caught up.

What it is doing for you

When something seems dangerous, your system doesn't wait for proof. It prepares first and checks later. The racing heart is part of that preparation, along with quicker breathing, alert eyes and muscles ready to go. When something really is wrong, that speed matters.

The difficulty comes when the alarm fires at something that only resembles an old danger. Then all that readiness arrives with nowhere useful to go.

What it often travels with

A racing heart usually travels with fear, sometimes covered on the surface by irritation or a burst of busyness.

It is common in the Safety Templates. In Safety × Chase, if I watch everything, I'll be safe, it powers the scanning and checking. In Safety × Hide, if I stay out of sight, I'll be safe, it can come just before you slip away, leave the room or go quiet. In Safety × Fold, if I keep everyone calm, I'll be safe, it drives the rush to smooth things over, or the moment you go completely still and wait for things to pass.

Four missed calls

It's Thursday afternoon. You come out of a two-hour budget meeting and turn your phone over. Four missed calls from your dad, a few minutes apart. No message.

Your heart jumps and then races. Your mind runs through the options: a fall, a hospital, bad news about someone. Your thumb shakes a little as you call him back, and you realise you're holding your breath while it rings.

He answers, cheerful. He's clearing out the loft. "Do you still want that box of your old records, or can it go to the charity shop?"

You tell him to keep it, say goodbye and sit down on the stairs by the lifts. Your heart takes a good ten minutes to settle. Nothing was wrong. Your body was answering a question from long ago: what has happened, and how bad is it going to be?

One thing to notice

The next time your heart races, start with your feet. Press them into the floor and feel the ground holding you. Then name three things you can see right now: the window, a cup, the door handle.

Then say what is happening in plain words. "My heart is racing. The missed calls surprised me." Your body may take a little while to catch up. That's fine. You're giving it present information to work with.