Without a doubt, stress is highly contagious, who we listen to, and our self-talk impact how we respond to triggers or stressors, whether real or imagined. Our body’s Sympathetic Nervous System’s “fight or flight” response is very quick in reacting against an acute stressor, it prepares our body by releasing hormones to help us think clearly and decide if we are going to fight a posed threat or flee from it, and quickly returns to its pre-stressor mode. However, under chronic stress, the continuous activation of our nervous system and hormones, such as cortisol, and the constant state of guardedness results in inflammation and a wear and tear on our body.
Our brain craves clarity more than anything. Learning what triggers us, how we react, and our perception will help us get a clear route to healing. There are two main factors that play a significant role in our reactions. One is genetics, such as the stress our mothers go through when the baby is in the womb, and the other one is our experience of our perceived capacity to deal with stress. Overcome stress by giving your brain some clarity – analyze your own relationship with stress by creating a GPS system for the soul – Assess, Appreciate, and Adjust:
- Assess and prioritize time each day to think about: Who am I? What matters to me? Am I focusing on the right things?
- Appreciate that your body is bringing attention to something that is out of balance and that you have the knowledge to adjust.
- Adjust with confidence – our brain wants to know we can deal with this, and it comes from having the CAPACITY we need through eating, moving, and sleeping properly, CONTROL of your own actions and reactions (not of others) and take one small imperfect action to move you in a good direction, CONSISTENCY by keeping it simple, continuous, and creating healthy habits.
Prime your brain with the right thoughts and information, so that even in difficult circumstances, you can build resiliency!