How do you listen to your body? Do you listen to your body?
Skill #1: Learn the Language
Skill #2: Create Quiet
What is your main stressor?
These are the 5 main stressors in people’s life:
- Relationships
- Work
- Loss
- Big Changes
- Illness
How is our stress response?
Our brain releases adrenaline & cortisol, these signal our brain to drive blood from our prefrontal cortex (the decision making centre) to the amygdala (the fear centre). Our heart rate starts to increase (to provide more energy when necessary). Oour immune cells leave what they do at the moment and gather on the skin (because that’s the place of likeliest injury). Oour digestion shuts down & the liver starts to release glucose into the blood, lastly, most blood goes into your limbs to allow for us to run/ flight or fight.
A lot of our stress & threat comes from our social environment as we try to avoid being cast out from our tribe.
What are the Chronic stress effects?
Diabetes: During stressful moments more sugar is in your blood stream.
Heart disease: Your blood runs through your veins in higher pressure.
Ulcers: Gastro-intestinal complications.
Infertility: If you perceive a lot of threat / stress, your body has less time to give energy to reproduction.
Immune dysfunction: Since your immune system is waiting to be attacked from elsewhere it can’t focus on the stressors inside the body.
Mood & brain disorders: The brain, if depleted of dopamine for too long can assume that it won’t ever end and thus develop depression.
Weight gain: Sugar craving comes with stress in order to manage the cortisol in the bloodstream.
Let’s talk Perceptive around Stress – How do we perceive stress?
Perceiving stress as a danger, makes it dangerous while perceiving it as an opportunity for growth can help create more growth.
Inner Stillness = The state we create when we are more resilient, we know how to respond skilfully to stress and when we reduce the amount of sources of stress.
#1 Resilience
How do we increase our resilience to stress?
Social Support: Do you have 3 close relationships, that you can rely on?
Mindfulness practices: Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR)
Gratitude practices: Focusing the brain on positive things. Consider writing a handwritten thank you note.
Physiological elements: Exercise. Managing stimulants (like caffeine). Little challenge: Take 1 week off caffeine and see how you feel. Increased intake of fish oil / omega 3 fatty acids & magnesium. Always consult your doctor / physician before taking any supplements
#2 Reducing sources of stress
Review your goals: are your goals creating a lot of stress?
Hard decisions: for any sources that are ongoing and regular
Do you need to bring in more self-care?
Are you avoiding to process stressful situations?
#3 Responding skillfully
Manage your breath and through that manage your central nervous system.
Alternative Nostril Breathing: One of the most effective ways to switch from a sympathetic to a para-sympathetic state. Cover one nostril with your finger and inhale through the other. Switch and exhale through the other nostril, then inhale back through the same. Switch again and exhale through the other. Do that for about 6 times
Enjoy!
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