BodyMind: How To Move In And Out Of Stress

In this blog I want to share the wonders and intricacy of the bodymind relationship. In reply to some of the comments to my blog last week, yes, absolutely spirit is an integral part of our being. However, as its affect on our health is far more subtle, I am more specifically exploring the relationship between our thoughts and our feelings and our physical health, how there is really a single mindfeelingbody. This is so often forgotten and yet it can have such a profound affect on our wellbeing.

For instance, imagine you are trying to squeeze some toothpaste out of a tube but you have forgotten to take the top off. What happens? I actually did this in one of my most unaware moments and the toothpaste soon found another way out through the bottom of the tube. It got all over me! If you do this, it may force a hole in the side, or whatever and wherever is the weakest point.

Now imagine that the tube of toothpaste is you, under pressure and beginning to experience psychological or emotional stress. But you do not take your lid off, as it were, by recognizing what is happening and making time to relax or deal with your inner conflicts. So what happens to the mental or emotional pressure building up inside you? Eventually it has to find a way out and if it can't come out through the top--by being expressed and resolved--it will come out somewhere else.

It will find the weakest point, whether through your digestive system, your nerves, immune system, behavior, or sleep patterns. Repressed or ignored it can become illness, depression, addiction or anxiety; projected outwards it becomes hostility, aggression, prejudice or fear.

The fight-or-flight stress response enables us to respond to danger if, for instance, we were on the front line of a battle or facing a large bear. And even though not many of us are often in those situations, bears do come in many shapes and sizes. Seemingly unimportant events can also cause a stress reaction, as the brain is unable to tell the difference between real and imagined threats. When you focus on your concern about what might happen it plays as much havoc with your hormones and chemical balance as it does in a real situation. Try remembering a gruesome scene from a horror movie and you will feel the muscles in your back or stomach contract. The images are just in your mind yet they trigger an instant response in your body.

Recent studies show, as if we didn't know, that job dissatisfaction, moving house, divorce and financial difficulties are at the top of the list of known stressors. But we all respond differently to circumstances: a divorce may be high on the list of stressors for one person but it may be a welcome relief to another! Life-issues that we are all subject to in one way or another are stressors for some but not for others. The difference lies in our response, for although we may have little or no control over the circumstances we are dealing with, we do have control over our reaction to them.

In other words, the cause of stress is not so much the external circumstances, such as having too many demands and not enough time to fill them. It is more our perception of the circumstances as being overwhelming; and our perception of our ability to cope, as when you feel stretched beyond what you perceive yourself to be capable of.

What you believe will color your every thought, word and action. As cell biologist Bruce Lipton says in his book, The Biology of Belief, "Our responses to environmental stimuli are indeed controlled by perceptions, but not all of our learned perceptions are accurate. Not all snakes are dangerous! Yes, perception "controls" biology, but... these perceptions can be true or false. Therefore, we would be more accurate to refer to these controlling perceptions as beliefs. Beliefs control biology!"

In other words, thinking that it is your work, family or lifestyle that is causing you stress and that if you could only change these in some way then you would be fine, is seeing the situation from the wrong perspective. Rather, it is the belief that something out there is causing you stress that is causing the stress. And although changing the circumstances certainly may help, invariably, no matter what you do, it is a change within your belief system and perception of yourself that will make the biggest difference.

When I feel myself getting stressed (and I do!) I take ten minutes to breathe and chill. Most importantly, I change the voice in my head from "I can't" to "I can." Find an affirmation that works for you in order to shift perceptions and belief patterns and to reinforce your strengths. My favorites are: "My mind is at ease and I am capable of doing everything," and "With every breath I am more relaxed and flowing through my day with ease."

Comments

[soundheals]

I'd like to suggest that one of the best methods found for reducing stress is using sound. There are a number of different CDs that are particularly useful for this. Slow and gentle music calms our heart beat, respiration and nervous system. Sound is a powerful modality for enhancing relaxation.

[chandra-shekar]

I just released a CD called "The Magic of Gayatri". I have been using the music with cancer patients, who have listened to the chant during surgery under anesthesia. Some of them have had dramatically reduced post-op rehab and recovery times. Strange are the ways in which the vibrational impact of music affects us.

[soundheals]

Yes, many CDs including "De-Stress" have been successfully utilized in various therapeutic situations. Readers interested in the uses of sound for healing may find Jonathan Goldman's new book from Hay House, THE 7 SECRETS OF SOUND HEALING to be particularly useful with regard to the hows and whys of this subject.

[wm1066]

I had just put alot of money into my car and it wouldn't start, my mind went into immmediate "red zone".
And as I wracked my brain on how I could get it running an answer to a different problem popped into my head, it was the darndest thing, I have never had that happen before. Within three hours I got my car running with out puttting more money into it and my other problem was solved too. It was like I had put into play problem solving phermones and I got two for one.

[AndiG]

I just read this very pertient and timely (for me) information by Deb Shapiro...­it has helped me so much with looking at my own health connected to my emotional body...the analogy with the cap of toothpaste not being taken off and yet toothpaste squeezing out somewhere was brilliant in helping me realize that I simply must release those stress related issues that tend to go underground!
Much appreciate­d... Thanks Deb!!!

[barriosbabe]

Your article was interesting. The fight flight thing is unfortunately ignored and people pop pills instead. I started hyponsis with a non-scripted practitioner and got excellent results in bypassing the chatty mind. I also think in our society and you seem to hint at it there is not enough relaxation and better yet expression or creative outlet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8WGFzZluMk I do spoken word etc but also a big part of it is just daily practice of quigong, meditation, different things work for different people. Thanks for what you wrote!