What is stress? Stress is a natural response to challenging life experiences. We can all handle a little bit of stress in our daily lives. In fact, small amounts of stress are healthy. It motivates us to complete tasks, achieve goals and find success in many areas of our lives. In the short term, stress can be helpful because it can help you cope with potentially serious matters.
Stress can also be a fear response. Think about it, when we face fear, physiologically, our muscles tighten, our minds may struggle to focus, our anxiety and heart rate may increase, and we may find ourselves having difficulty controlling our reactions in the heat of the moment. That is because the prefrontal cortex (located behind our forehead) which controls decision-making, emotional regulations, and empathy, slows down to allow the amygdala (at the back of the skull) to take over. (Note: Scientifically, there is more to it than that, but you get the point!) This multistep process is responsible for the secretion of cortisol; the fight or flight response.
While this process was once incredibly important to the survival of our hunter-gather ancestors, today, this response is rarely required. Yet, most of us live in constant stress, thus, in a constant state of elevated cortisol levels.
Truth is, elevated stress levels can take a toll on our health. In fact, stress is the number one contributor to a number of health issues. When we experience too much stress over long periods of time, our cortisol levels dysregulate resulting in a lowered immune system leaving us more likely to get sick, experience digestive problems, have flare-ups of other health conditions, chronic pain, insomnia, moodiness, irritibilaty, high blood pressure, constipation, allergies, headaches, anxiety, and depression to name a few.
The more stress we allow ourselves to feel, the less stress we are able to cope with, and the higher the chances of burnout and illness. And, don't forget, in addition to its impact on our bodies, stress wreaks havoc on our relationships, our self-worth, and our ability to find inner happiness.
So why is everyone so bloody stressed out all the time?
Well, we live in a very fast-paced society, which is in constant flux and most of us are finding it increasingly difficult to slow down. Not to mention the day-to-day expectations put on us as parents, caregivers, employees, etc, and the pressure we place on ourselves.
But most of all, we are so busy living in the past, and worrying about the future that we are have forgotten how to just live in and appreciate the moment. We are dealing with a lot, every single day!
If you will recall in my previous post about the conscious and unconscious mind, I mention that we can't change what's already happened, nor can we control the future. So what is the point of spending so much time there? We can only control how we feel in this moment.
This is where practicing self-awareness and mindfulness can really help. As we become aware of the stress in our lives and the effects it has on our body and emotional state, we also become better at tuning into the present moment.
When we start peeling back the layers of stress, we can begin to take a closer look at the underlying causes of our stresses and anxieties, our unmet needs, and our limiting beliefs. We can also begin paying closer attention to all the positive aspects of ourselves as well as start showing gratitude for the blessings in our lives.
Practicing mindfulness (i.e. paying attention to our thoughts, to the physiological changes in our bodies when we feel our emotions, and to our actions), can effectively reduce stress and anxiety.
Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are. - Chinese Proverb
It is as simple as it sounds. Mindfulness is simply the awareness that we experience when we pay attention, on purpose, and without judgment, to the present moment. No shit! That's it! It is taking a moment, several times a day, to disengage from our thoughts and feelings to witness, internally, how they are affecting us.
For example, we can mindfully observe the pace of our breath during a work meeting, slowly eat a meal to fully enjoy its flavours, or notice the physiological changes in our bodies when we are aroused. It really is just taking time to notice... And, once we begin to notice, we can begin swapping our old negative patterns with new positives ones.
Focusing on the here and now helps to calm the mind and to remain grounded in the current reality of our lives. When we get stuck worrying about the past or stressing out about the "hows" of the future, not only are we missing out on the precious moments of today, we also create unnecessary stress on our bodies.
"Stop focussing on how stressed you are and remember how blessed you are" - Unknown
Perfectly Imperfect,
Stephanie
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