The average 20-year-old has already developed approximately 10 million ‘premature cognitive commitments’ (PCC’s).
What does this mean?
It means that there are approx. 10 million unconscious and conscious thought patterns surrounded and relating to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgement, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional (Will) processes. Basically, individuals have already been burdened with millions of stressful thoughts and emotional patterns by this age.
You could think of it maybe like a computer with too many windows opened at the same time… The computer can potentially freeze or crash.
This also means that before we stop growing, we have already put our bodies into various degrees of ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ stress responses and modes.
What happens to our bodies when the ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ stress responses are triggered?
- You release Adrenalin and the hormones Cortisol to help with precision, strength, and speed to ‘Fight or Fly’ away from the situation. Holding onto the stress for a longer time spikes the Cortisol, leaching toxins into our system and in turn this can cause blood problems, heart issues, releases toxins into the liver overloading it creating many illnesses or disorders. Long term it can create memory issues, damage to the nervous and adrenal systems causing depression, anger, and anxiety related issues and much more.
- The digestive system floods with acid to shut the digestive system down, this is to conserve the energy so it can be used in the ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ situation. This wreaks havoc on the precious micro bacterial system and gut flora creating many long-term issues such as, IBS, SIBO, allergies and intolerances, UTI’s and many more ailments.
- The acid then rushes to our skin, so we taste like crap to our predator; bully, narcist, abuser, trauma, fright etc. Acid in our skin?? Can you see where Psoriasis, eczema, acne and other dermatitis conditions might arise? The liver is so over loaded by now.
- The blood thickens and coagulates in case you are hurt, so you won’t bleed to death. When the blood stays thickened for a long period of time it puts extreme pressure on the heart, arteries, brain and nervous system.
- The immune system also shuts down and goes on the ‘back burner’ with merely a pilot light on. In ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ mode the body’s last worry is fighting a chronic illness if there is a possibility of dying.
These ‘stress’ responses only take about 20 to 60 minutes for the body to go back to its normal functioning self IF the ‘threat’ has been taken away. This is not the real world we live in though, is it? In the real world the mind and body are under stress nearly 24/7 from various traumas, daily and life stresses, pharmaceuticals, food toxins and environmental pollutants. This means the body is constantly in ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ mode! Constantly fighting off toxins in the body daily.
Long term stress (fight, flight or freeze) weakens many parts of the body’s immune system which turn into anything from IBS, SIBO and Candida, allergies and intolerances, hypothyroidism, UTI’s, fibromyalgia, brain issues, fog and memory problems, migraines, high blood pressure, hormone problems, skin conditions, weight issues, autoimmune, various strep infections/conditions, to infertility, cancer, stroke, heart failure and much more.
Ultimately – Stress is making us STUPID, SICK and SLOW!
How can I manage my Stress?
Meditation:
Probably not what you wanted to hear haha but it is true! Meditation for 20 minutes a day can literally change the make up of your body and cells, restoring balance to ALL your systems.
- Meditation is 5 times deeper REST than sleep
- Slows the metabolic rate, calming adrenalin and easing the release or cortisol
- Cools the body (the liver gets really hot when over worked)
- De-excitation of the precious nervous system, creating order within your cells allowing a full lifetime of trauma and stress to leave the body
- Increases immune function helping fight mild and chronic illness
- Decreases inflammation and pain on a cellular level
- Fights depression, trauma and anxiety
- Improves your ability to regulate your emotions
- Increases cortical thickness in areas related to paying attention, memory and focus
- Increases grey matter in the brain
- Increases volume in areas related to emotion regulation, positive emotions & self-control
- Balances electronic and magnetic energy in the brain and heart which expands intuition
- Strengthening of emotional and volitional or ‘will’ processes.
- Increases compassion and decreases judgment (judgment creates anger, anger creates stress)
- Makes you wiser
Mindfulness is:
- the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
- a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Being mindful of what you allow in your mind and what you put in/on your body and personal environment can dramatically decrease your stress levels and response to stress. Turn your TV off and take mindful breaks from social media platforms. Take note of what you focus on and what negative thoughts and judgements that keep repeating, replace it with gratitude and positive affirmation.
Clean Consumption:
- You can handle stress better when you are as healthy as possible, so eating nutritiously and natural is a good defence against stress responses. There are foods that boost levels of serotonin (like seeds and spinach) and calming brain chemicals and other foods that can cut levels of cortisol and adrenaline (like high fibre foods and dark chocolate), stress hormones that obviously take a toll on the body over time.
- Certified Organic food is not contaminated by GMO, heavy metals, MSG, preservatives, artificial colours, or flavours and have many healing benefits over the toxic food in the general supermarket. The contaminates on non-organic food put an incredible amount of pressure on the body and stress response systems hindering the liver and the adrenal and nervous systems making more problems and dis-ease (stress) in the body.
- Cutting out processed foods, sugar and saturated fats are proven to dramatically reduce stress, depression, and anxiety.
- Ethical natural supplements can also have a positive effect on the stress responses. Ashwagandha is a great adaptogen and works directly with the nervous system. Zinc, vitamin b complex, and omega 3 EPA DHA are a few supports known to work with the nervous and adrenal systems also.
- Personal care products can also be setting your stress responses into a spin. Using natural toxin free products can make a huge difference to the stress in your body. Fluoride, parabens, sulphates, formaldehyde, oxybenzone, aluminium are all toxic poisons that cause many issues in the body and stress response systems. Be sure to check your make up, deodorant, toothpaste and personal care products and reduce the toxins that reap havoc on your internal systems.
- Choose natural remedies and support supplements over pharmaceutical toxic drugs and reduce or stop drinking alcohol.
- Air quality is another important element people take for granted however don’t realise how much pressure the pollutants are putting on the body. Getting out in nature is optimal however putting lots of indoor plants around your home and or air filters will all help with creating better air quality.
Nurturing Nature:
- Spend time grounding (or earthing – the act of connecting your bear feet and hands on the earth to recharge electromagnetic energy) and connecting in nature will reduce stress up to 60% done daily for 20 minutes or more.
- Take the time to watch animals in nature or loosing yourself in a sunset, staying in the moment (now) will settle adrenalin and cortisol in the blood and body nearly instantly.
- Spending time in the sun prana for about 20 minutes will neutralise stress and kill off unwanted bacteria and fungus that overburden the liver and digestive system where serotonin is produced, therefore calming the nervous and adrenal systems.
- Hug a tree. Another way to activate electromagnetic energy in your being.
- Walking and exercise also have proven effects to manage depression and anxiety.
- Pat, your pets. Proven to destress the mind and body.
- Stay in the now as much as possible.
- Breathing techniques, conscious breathing, and breath therapy. Breath techniques have been used since the dawn of humankind as an extremely effective way to not only neutralise but stop stress responses in its tracks.
Destress your life today!
For further support and advice please contact me.