The recent fires in the Sierras (where I live) and dealing with all the overwhelm and uncertainty from fire threats has me thinking a great deal about my nervous system. An anxious, nervous person by nature, I have to be really intentional around the ways I respond to stress both in my inner and outer world.
Perhaps you have had to deal with higher levels of stress recently, too. Our nervous system is pretty complicated, but to relay in simple terms, what I want to specifically share about how are stress response gets activated and how we can buffer ourselves from it through processes that initiate the relaxation response.
Just to be clear I’m talking specifically about the autonomic nervous system. Two states of that are the parasympathetic system (aka the relaxation response) and the sympathetic nervous system (aka the stress response). The parasympathetic is where the body’s natural healing mechanisms kick in.
When the body is in stress response we are in “fight or flight” and our body’s natural self-healing mechanisms shut off. In threat, the stress response is short-term, then we go back to the relaxation response. But in modern society, studies show we go into stress response up to 50 times per day. Eek. Isn’t that wild?! Our amygdala-the part of our brain that registers danger cannot tell the difference from a real threat, like a mountain lion is about to attack me versus a thought, feeling, or a belief. Having anxious thoughts or beliefs like “no one likes me” or “I’m a failure” or “I’m not good enough,” to the part of our brain that processes threats, it can’t tell the difference. So basically anytime we are upset – like irritated at our partner, saddened by an unexpected loss, worried about how to pay the bills, or mired in self-loathing- our stress response gets activated.
Each of us have our ways of self-soothing, but I wanted to share a few tools when you find yourself triggered by the hormones of stress.
~Deep breathing. Count to 6, hold, exhale for the count of 7 to 8.
~Move your body. Shake, go for a walk, run, or dance. Movement is great for dispelling anxiety.
~Connect with social support. Reach out to at least one person who makes you feel truly seen. A natural “consequence” of the stress response in women is that it activates our tend and befriend habits.
~Essential oils such as lavender, bergamot, and geranium have been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
~If angry or enraged, punch a pillow (so cliche, but it works!) and/or take an ice cold shower (or dunk your head in cold water). If you are really in a pinch, even holding an ice cube and watching it melt in your hand helps.
These are just a few of many tools to use, but I hope that if anything reading this brief blurb reminds you of how easy it is for all of us to get caught up in the stress response cycle and that self-care truly in this day in age is a radical act of courage.
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