Work pressure, trouble with family or friends, juggling responsibilities, and overwhelming emotions - any of these things can cause stress.
Stress is real and it can result in mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. What if instead of just managing life's stressors you could influence how your body responds? This blog series will explore why stress happens as well as body-based practices that can influence and calm the body's stress response.
First, it’s important to understand that despite how it feels, stress is not bad for you. It’s actually meant to serve as a protection mechanism for you. Stress is triggered when you detect a real or perceived threat. Your stress response is a normal part of your body and it’s an important part of your nervous system to have online in the event of an actual threat. Unfortunately, in today’s times the perceived threats are all too plentiful.
To understand why this happens, it’s important to know a bit about the autonomic nervous system.
Autonomic Nervous System
The nervous system is a network of nerves that carry signals around the body.
Your nervous system connects signals from your brain to your body and your body to your brain so you can do things like walk, talk, think, feel and breathe. Your body is constantly communicating via nerve fibers that travel from your body to your brain and your brain to your body.
One interesting thing to note is that there are 10x more afferent fibers coming from your body to your brain than there are efferent fibers, coming from your brain to your body.
It’s like a 10-lane highway coming up and a 1 lane highway going down.
CONSTANTLY SCANNING
Your nervous system is constantly scanning for threats beneath your awareness and “listens” to three areas:
Inside your body
Your external environment
Other nervous systems
When a threat is detected (real or perceived) you are flooded with stress hormones and your pre-frontal cortex or “thinking brain” goes offline in service of survival.
As part of the Polyvagal Theory, therapist, Deb Dana describes this as “climbing down the ladder.”
When a threat is detected you “climb” down the ladder into defensive states, such as fight/flight or freeze. In safety, you climb back up the ladder to your social engagement system which allows for connection.
Remember, this is ALL in service of your survival. Your nervous system is always protecting you and responding is part of its job.
Becoming Aware
This first part is all about becoming aware of your own stressors. Ask yourself:
What stresses me?
How do I know that I am stressed?
Where in my body do I feel it most prominent? Is there spot I typically feel stress? For example, I usually feel tightness in my neck and shoulders.
Next, it’s helpful to know how you feel when you are in a more connected relaxed state. Deb Dana refers to these as “anchors.” These anchors can help you find your way back from stress. Ask yourself:
Is there a place that feels safe or anchoring for me?
Is there a person that feels safe or anchoring for me?
Is there an activity that feels safe or anchoring for me?
Identifying and bringing awareness to what feels safe or anchoring, maybe even buoying, during times of stress can help you strengthen your ability to return to that space when stress strikes.
As this blog series progresses we will explore body-based practices related to your senses and areas that represent your senses. These can be helpful in going beyond managing stress to start influencing your stress during a difficult time.
