Your nervous system’s ability to handle stress is THE key factor that determines your well-being and health. Each of us has a unique capacity to handle stress based on a few factors; which we won’t get into here (another topic for another day).
Illness and dis-ease often manifests when your body is unable to self-regulate and complete the stress response, therefore leaving your body “stuck” in a state of fight, flight or freeze. Anything incomplete stays...meaning, it gets stored in your body.
Imagine wanting to stand up to someone that is treating you unfairly, but being too afraid to. You have the impulse to lay a boundary and say something, but worry about the consequences. So you stay quiet, move onto the next thing and “let it go”. While you tell yourself you “let it go”, your body says otherwise. The energy of that impulse to “fight” has nowhere to go and is held within your body. Imagine how much energy gets trapped when this is a repeat experience with a boss or maybe a family member. Then multiply it by all the other stressful situations in your life where you feel you have to suppress your authentic expression.
Over time, stored stress builds up leading to dis-ease (physical or mental) like digestive issues, chronic anxiety, poor immune health, headaches, chronic fatigue, heart disease and so on.
In a highly overstimulating and triggering world full of stressors, this is everything. One of the first steps to regulation (and building capacity) is to connect with your body and be present to what you are experiencing, without judgment or story. You have to tune into your body in order to sense what your body needs in order to regulate.
Is your body needing to rest and relax? Or express and release? (ps - it’s not always about “calming down”)
Being with your experience is key. Become aware and present to your feelings, the sensations in your body, and your impulses.
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