the best piece of wisdom I've gotten lately
I learned something major in my nervous system training, and since then, I’ve heard it again on podcasts and in certain books I’ve read. Our perception of stress can be more damaging than the stress itself.
I know I’ve mentioned this here before but it’s worth bringing up again. This is huge. It’s huge because it takes pressure off of us to eliminate stressors (we can’t control life happening to us) and it puts our healing back in our own hands. Though it’s not always easy - and it takes time and consistent practice - we can influence and change our perception. We can gather the tools needed to view our stress differently, not dwell on it for as long, and not let it get stuck in our bodies.
Learning this science behind stress has changed my mental health, along with having a flip phone (which I’m going to talk about in my next newsletter). Having this information in my back pocket has made me more aware of when I’m unnecessarily holding onto thoughts about my stress or letting it fester. It has prompted me to dance or go for a walk or do something else that discharges the stress from my body. It has helped me adopt reminders and mantras, such as [let it be & proceed] when I notice stress start to take over. It has helped me decide which stressors I can simply try and let go of on my own and which stressors I need to address outwardly - whether that’s by putting a boundary in place or having an honest conversation.
We know that our perception of stress is what really drives cortisol production. And we know that excessive cortisol production leads to burnout, adrenal fatigue, and so many other conditions that interfere with our quality of life. Which is why I want to spread this message far and wide. Luckily, part of the answer to our healing is free and accessible to us at all times. Of course, we might need other interventions as well, but mindfulness can serve as one great player on our self care team.
Stress can put us in an unpleasant state. And sometimes we get stuck there. We’re going to experience stress because we’re human and we live in a complicated world. That’s not the issue. It’s the getting stuck part that’s the issue. So how do we get unstuck? How do we get out of an unpleasant state and strengthen new neurology? How do we work with our nervous system so that it’s both supple and resilient?
Well, I have one exercise that might help! This exercise is about choosing a certain state and allowing yourself to visualize it so that it can crowd out the stressful state. I love this exercise because it is essentially savoring - savoring a more ideal state of being until it signals joy and ease to your body. This practice can help us down-regulate our nervous system when we’re feeling activated.
I hope this helps and let me know how it goes if you try it!! Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram (@sarahdiedrick) because I’ll be sharing more about this soon and might even host a little savoring challenge on there :)
Changing States Exercise:
Write down of a list of states that make you feel good; that make you feel at ease and more connected to yourself and the world around you. You can come up with these states by thinking of a real positive memory, or, you can imagine a scenario where you feel good and at ease, conjuring up these states. Examples of states are:
calm | joyful | connected | playful | at ease | receptive | optimistic
After you write your list, notice which one(s) you are drawn to the most.
After you’ve chosen one, or a few, write down images that show up for you for each state of being. For example:
joyful: a field of flowers in the sunshine
calm: a lake
Now that you have these states in your mind, where do you take yourself when you think of a time (real or imagined) when you felt these. For example:
joyful: I think of that time when I’m laying in a field and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin
calm: I think of that time when I’m sitting in front of the lake and watching how calm and quiet the water is
*The effect will be just as powerful whether you think of something that actually happened or make it up - so it’s totally okay to make it up!