| Obviously, people experience different levels of stress. Low to medium levels (short term) encourage motivation and are considered healthy. There is great value in understanding the difference between how our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems function when considering the practice of stress management. Simply stated, within the automatic nervous system (ANS) there are two groups, the sympathetic, which is arousing (fight or flight), and the parasympathetic, which is a calming system. Ideally, the two work together ‘automatically’ to balance the bodies biological systems.
Having a practice of accessing our emotional (mind), somatic (body), and spiritual states and knowing what we can do to make corrective, positive changes is detrimental to our overall health. Many studies have concluded that if you live in a chronic state of stress you are at risk for several chronic health illnesses. A host of autoimmune conditions are related, lowered immunity, high blood pressure, among others, which most are prevalent in woman.
A study by Dr. Gabor Mate’ in his video series ‘Embracing All of You’ he also highlights four personality characteristics associated with chronic illness.
- The compulsive concern for the emotional needs of others.
- A rigid and compulsive identification with duty, role and responsibility, rather than or opposed to the needs of the Self.
- Repression of healthy anger.
- The belief that your’e responsible for how other people feel coupled with the belief that you must never disappoint anybody.
Recognizing your bodies ‘cues’ and what is causing the emotional triggers is the first step in managing these ‘fight or flight’ cortisol hormone levels associated with an activated sympathetic nervous system. When a pregnant woman lives in distress during her pregnancy these hormones are shared with the baby. What does this mean for the newborn child? Under these conditions, a persons nervous system can be set up for challenges from the beginning of life. This could correlate to the scripture reference of ‘inequities’ showing up to the 3rd and 4th generations. |
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How can prayer help?
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will gaurd your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~ Phil 4:6-7 |
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| What are your practices for dissolving conflict, handling environmental chaos, or managing challenging relationships? If you’re a person who has experienced sustained high levels of stress, abuse or trauma, your SNS and PSNS are most likely out of balance and will require retraining so they can begin to work as intended. We should learn the early warning signs of when our sympathetic nervous system is over functioning. Some emotions that are activated are fear, anger, and sometimes pleasure. For many people this is their default setting and they aren’t aware of it. Warning signs can be irritability, poor digestion, difficulty sleeping, being present, impulsive or robotic actions due to pushing self beyond fatigue. |
| The goal in retraining the overactive SNS is to consciously engage the PSNS through a variety of calming methods or activities. It basically undoes the work of the SNS after a stressful situation and is responsible for the body’s rest and digestion response. Emotions present with an active PSNS are peace, contentment, joy. Retraining requires you to take an internal inventory of stress, emotions, and responsibilities and engage in practices that calm your mind, body and spirit like; prayer, deep diaphragmatic breathing, spending time in nature, massage, positive affirmation, music, play with animals or children, daily light exercise, yoga, whatever you discover works best for you and is easily accessible. |
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People with accumulative stress and a highly sensitive SNS due to a history of abuse or trauma may have a diagnosis of PTS, PTSD or Complex-PTSD. The impact of trauma exposure can be seen on an MRI and demonstrates that the brain can become “stuck” in a continuous ‘fight vs. flight’ state as a biological response. The good news is that we’re not destined to stay trapped in emotional pain or self-sabotaging patterns. Studies in Neuroscience have concluded that our brains have the ability to rewire, and be renewed with awareness and repetitive practice of corrective thoughts and actions, which means – there are long-term benefits in learning to respond to life differently. It starts with getting to know our triggers and trust our bodies physiological responses. People will often report their ‘gut is in knots’, tightness in shoulders, or head ‘pounding’. A common reaction for me is pressure on my chest and shallow breathing. Next, receive this information and start to dialogue with yourself or, the Holy Spirit and get curious. Asking ‘what’s going on’? ‘what do I need right now’? ‘where is this coming from’? ect. In a coaching session when a client has these feelings/emotions, or associated symptoms come up, we use this time for deeper exploring and often the client will discover a connection that is attached to a memory or belief that doesn’t serve them. With new awareness, a new perspective may emerge that helps them move forward with greater emotional freedom.
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“The human condition unexamined leads to being enslaved to our conditioning, which we had no choice in designing. It can lead to self-condemnation and a life of suffering, but when we awaken to ourselves in a new way and take a stance of balanced self-leadership it can be our unique treasure to offer the world.”
‘Radical Responsibility’ Fleet Maul, PHD |
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