Decoding Your Stress Response
Do you ever wonder why some things really make you feel stressed? Have you ever asked yourself why some people possess the ability to irritate and annoy you? Do some situations trigger your anger and raise your blood pressure? These are the kind of intriguing questions that are intended to make us think more carefully about what provokes our stress response.
Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.
— Hermann Hesse
Most of us know that our stress levels are connected to the adrenal glands that are located just above the kidneys. These glands produce adrenaline and cortisol, the two familiar hormones that we associate with the fight or flight response. It’s part of a complex system of responses that evolved in our distant ancestors to help us survive dangerous encounters. We’re all familiar with the way our systems change when we feel frightened. The problem within our modern, high-tech society, is that the stress mechanism seems to be operating twenty-four hours a day. And that’s not how it’s supposed to work.
But there’s more to the stress response than our adrenal glands. Recent research has identified another hormone that’s closely connected to the stress reaction and it originates in our bones. It’s called osteocalcin and it seems to suppress the body’s natural ability to turn down stress. Even when the adrenal glands have been removed, animals still exhibit high levels of stress when exposed to danger. Clearly, we need to develop our understanding of these fascinating aspects of our ancient survival responses. It might also be useful to understand why we allow stress, fear and anxiety to dominate our thoughts and feelings in the first place.
Calmness is the cradle of power
- Josiah Gilbert Holland
Much of our behaviour is based on conditioned reflexes, emotional responses that we learned to incorporate into our personality profile during early childhood. We learned to respond automatically to a wide range of stimuli, laughing at certain events and displaying fear or anxiety in the face of others. These behaviours become fully integrated into the way we see and react to the world. We unconsciously refer to this early conditioning and appear to react instinctively to everything that happens, both in terms of the events around us - as well as the thoughts that arise in our conscious minds.
Once we appreciate that our emotional responses are the product of our early conditioning – and that usually comes as a major surprise to most of us – we can begin to ask ourselves whether these reactions are helping us - or whether they’re getting in the way of our quest for a happier and more fulfilling life. I know. These are major questions to ponder. But if our fears and anxieties are being triggered by mechanisms that are concealed in our subconscious, can you imagine how different your life could be if you could take control of the process and free yourself from the old habits of stress?
Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organise your life around it.
—Brian Tracy
There’s always a moment between any external event and your reaction that can be harnessed to help you decide how you would prefer to react. It’s a wonderful skill to cultivate. A momentary pause that breaks the flow of the old patterns of emotional reaction and allows you the space to consider your response more carefully. This is a superb way to challenge your old behavioural conditioning. You pause, you breathe more deeply and you let your rational mind override your emotional instincts. You become more aware of the choices that are available to you. You can choose to remain calm, for example. You can choose not to react at all. The change can be profound and deeply revealing. It’s a well-recognised technique for developing greater control over your thoughts and feelings. Now, you are free to select the reactions that best serve your health and happiness and wellbeing.
Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff.
Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.
— Robert Eliot
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Most of the time, we overreact. We send our blood pressure soaring. We damage our bodies with prolonged bouts of stress and anxiety. We compromise our health, switch off our creativity and stifle our drive and determination. When you think about it, there do not appear to be any advantages to being constantly stressed. It’s time we recognised that our reactions are out of all proportion to the events we’re witnessing. It’s time to slow down, breathe deeply, unclench our jaws and shoulders and take better control of ourselves.
In older traditions than our own, we can find a recurring theme that reminds us that the way we see the world and everyone we encounter is a reflection of how we see ourselves. It’s a reminder that the world is effectively a mirror in which we see ourselves reflected.
Perhaps this is the simplest explanation for the way that certain individuals can trigger negative anger, irritation or even hostility in our hearts and minds. Perhaps they remind us of something within ourselves that we really don’t like.
But this is also a very useful clue about those aspects of ourselves that are in most need of our attention. Learning to identify the qualities in others that make us feel uncomfortable can shed light on our own deficiencies. It’s an invitation to break free from the conditioned reflexes that have controlled our behaviour for too long.
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
—William James.
The stress response evolved as a powerful series of reactions that were intended to help us survive in a dangerous and often threatening environment. Today, we live with stress as a permanent feature of our daily lives. This is not natural. This is not the best way for humans to flourish and prosper.
It’s time to recognise the origins of your own reactions and learn to tame the exaggerated stress responses that are inhibiting your potential for a much happier and healthier life. You owe it to yourself.
The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.
—James Allen
Are you ready right now for a completely fresh approach to life’s great adventure? Get in touch with us today for a free session to discover how the growing global movement for personal growth, success, change and empowerment can enhance your life!
Greg Parry designed and built the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.
If you enjoy these blogs, you can imagine how much fun it is to have Greg in the room as an inspirational and highly perceptive speaker. It’s a fabulous way to enhance your communication and boost productivity. It’s a fabulous way to put wellbeing front and centre in your organisation. Courses run from a half-day to a full week. If you’d like to invite Greg to talk to your company, organisation or event, feel free to get in touch.
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