What is Stress?
Stress is an internal reaction to life when things don't feel comfortable.You'll know when you are stressed because your body starts to feels tense. At the beginning you may feel a little bit of excitement. When this happens, stress can help you adapt to a situation. It can spur you into getting action lists done. It can also help you prepare and act smartly in the case of an emergency. However, if stress plays out for a long amount of time, it can take a toll of your health.
Stress usually includes emotional, mental and physical characteristics and symptoms. At the basis of most chronic stress are feelings of fear. Something feels threatening and you feel triggered easily. When the dysfunctional energy pattern of stress is not integrated with emotional completion of its cycle, it can lead to ongoing automatic reactions of anger, anxiety, depression and irritability. When this energy dynamic becomes habitual, is easy for people to feel overwhelmed by life's changes. Stress can also negatively affect your health in many ways. The tissues often feel tight, clumped together, immovable and dehydrated. Stress can suppress the immune system, it can disturb the digestive tract, prevent healthy breathing such as with asthma, trigger high blood pressure, disturb sleep... basically the whole body is affecting by constant stress that is not addressed.
How to Release Stress:
Are You Your Reaction or are you Something Else?
1. Recognize that you are associating with stress. First you have to understand that you are being triggered to react a certain way, and notice how that is affecting your life. Are certain life moments and experiences more difficult for you to navigate? Some common stressors in Life are: Birth trauma, divorce, death, financial issues, exams, lack of sleep and illness, war, and dangerous situations that actually threaten your life. Be mindful of what relationships are causing stress in your life.
2. Notice the thoughts that are coming up in your thinking. Notice if your internal environment is responding correctly to what is happening in the moment. Often the stress is part of our old belief systems and the body/mind/feelings react even when everything is safe and OK. Question your beliefs and notice how they are affecting your life. If your thoughts changed, would your life change? Stay present with yourself and look around. What is really happening in the moment. Where do your thoughts and reality diverge?
3. Feel deeply into yourself and notice the patterns of stress inside your body. Hang out there and explore. Do you have any understanding that the stress reaction is part of your history verses the present moment?
4. Begin to distinguish the differences between emotions and sensations. Often when people get stressed it is because a physiological reaction begins and the sensations in the body from the autonomic nervous system initiate the fight-or flight reaction. Often with stress, people tend to come up with strategies not to feel the origin of the discomfort. Notice if you want to move away from your sensations and feelings or if you can just stay there with your eyes open and feel the fullness of the moment.
5. Often when stress becomes too much for people, it is because some part of the brain has not found a resolution to the original fear. The Amygdala and Reticular Activating System are out of alignment. Mindfulness to whatever is happening in the moment can be the best healing to stress.
Stress is not always easy for people to handle by themselves. Basically, it is a closed system that needs to be interrupted so that new information can come in and enlighten the individual.
If Stress is a big part of your life, make sure that you ask for some help.
At Lighten Up Therapies, we use a holistic model to health. While the basis of our work is through Massage Therapy, we also hold a space for your inner intelligence to lead you through life's challenges. We find that listening, mindfulness, exploration, melding touch, and respect go a long way in helping to release stress. Our work is to help you to integrate the Mind Body Spirit connection.
Sharon Hartnett is trained as a Licensed Massage Therapist LMT, but also has a background as Hakomi Pracitioner, a Trauma Bodywork Specialist, a Brennan Healing Faculty Member. For more information, please look at:
www.integrativesoulandbodywork.com
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett
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