Better At Stress: Mindfully Supporting The Body’s Wisdom

What if our beliefs about stress are all wrong? What if we can diminish the harm stress causes by understanding that the symptoms of stress are the body’s natural way of preparing us to act? Research shows that reframing our attitudes about stress actually changes our biological reality—the body produces more beneficial hormones that help us thrive under stress, ultimately enhancing performance, improving health, and facilitating growth.

Transcript

Welcome. This is Allison with Mindful Pause Center and I'm so glad to bring you this practice today. What if our beliefs about stress are all wrong? What if we can diminish the harm stress causes by understanding that the symptoms of stress are the body's natural way of preparing to act? Research shows that reframing our attitudes about stress actually changes our biological reality. The body produces more beneficial hormones that help us thrive under stress, Ultimately enhancing performance, Improving health, And facilitating growth. In this practice, You will bring to mind a specific stressor that you've recently encountered or one that you expect to encounter in the near future. Choose one that is challenging but not overwhelming. To begin, Find a posture that can support you for the next 10 to 15 minutes. This can be seated, Standing, Or lying down. Just notice first, What's it like to be in this posture? Where do you feel the weight of gravity tugging? Where do you feel points of contact between you and that which is supporting you? And if it's available, See if you can let go and let the support hold you. In this first part of the practice, We'll explore three different home bases that you can use whenever your attention is pulled away by thoughts, Perhaps memories or emotions, Or if in doing the practice around stress, Your nervous system becomes really agitated or you feel like you're numbing out. In those cases, You can bring your attention back to your home base, Ignoring whatever it is that I'm saying. You can even open your eyes to pause or end the practice. So here in the body, You might have a sense of the whole body. And perhaps this body, Under the weight of gravity, Is enough of an anchor. But you can also explore focusing on a part of the body, Perhaps the hands or the feet or the belly. And bring your awareness inside that part of the body. And notice how your awareness is changing. Notice any subtle sensations, Tingling, Pulsing, Pressure, Temperature. Notice what kind of support this anchor or home base offers. And if this feels good, You can stay here. You can also bring your attention now to the felt sense of the body breathing. How do you know you're breathing? What sensations are here? You can bring your awareness around the belly or the lungs and the ribcage, Or even notice the air coming in through the nose and hitting the back of the throat. Just resting your attention on the inhalation and the exhalation, This rhythm between receiving and letting go. How much support do you feel like your attention has to stabilize here? And if this feels good, You can stay here. You can also open your attention to sounds that are in the room with you, That are drifting into the room from outside. And you might notice that you have preference for some of these sounds over others. But the ears, They don't care. To them, Sound is sound. So as simply as you can, Receiving the sounds of the room, This life that is continuing, And it's dynamic, Even as we take our seat in the midst of it. How much support does this anchor or home base offer your attention? So choosing now an anchor for this practice, Perhaps it will be obvious to you which one offers more support. Or perhaps you simply have to choose. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just knowing where you will bring your attention back can be very helpful. So bringing your awareness to your anchor now, And stabilizing your attention there. Noticing sensations, The body breathing, Or hearing sounds. So bringing to mind now, This stressor that you've already experienced or that is to come, And making it as vivid as you can. So you might be able to experience it something like a movie, Or you may have to narrate it to yourself in your thoughts, More like reading a novel. Noticing in this stressor, Where are you? What is here in the space with you? What is the quality of light? What objects are around? What's your posture and your relationship to the space? Are you active? Or are you seated? Or still? Who else is in the room with you? Or are you alone? Is there a time of day? Is there a season? What can you hear? Are there any smells or tastes associated with this stressor? So imagine now, You're getting ready to take on the challenge that is producing the stress. Noticing or reminding yourself, What does it feel like in the body? Where in the body are you noticing symptoms of stress? Physiologically, Here are some of the things that could be happening. The sympathetic nervous system is directing your whole body to mobilize energy. Your liver is dumping fat and sugar into the bloodstream for fuel. Your breathing deepens so that more oxygen is delivered to your heart. And your heart rate speeds up to deliver the oxygen, Fat, And sugar to your muscles and brain. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol help your muscles and brain take in and use that energy more efficiently. Oxytocin helps you reach out for support or look for ways to connect. And it will be there after the experience to heal your heart muscles. In all these ways, Your stress response gets you ready to face whatever challenges are in front of you. Taking a moment to see how knowing this might change the way you're holding the body's experience of stress. Even if it continues to be unpleasant, The racing heart, The cramped gut, The flushed cheeks. Can you appreciate the body and its wisdom as it prepares you to act? Can you sense that the body is in some way on your side? And taking a moment then to imagine how knowing this might change how you go through the stressor. What might still feel the same? What might begin to feel different? How might you feel different? You might also imagine how after the stressor is complete, You are on the other side of it. How you might look back on any discomfort you experienced and put it in a larger context. Letting the exercise go, Bring your attention back to the home base. Really let yourself appreciate the sensations, The rhythm of the breath or the sounds. Here in the present moment, Just resting our attention. And then as you're ready, Starting to move the body in a way that feels good. This can start small and eventually become bigger, Stretching out any kinks you might have gotten in the posture. And as your eyes open or your gaze lifts, Take time to look around the space. Noticing a form or a color or the quality of light directly communicating to your nervous system that the practice is complete. Thank you for your practice. Did you feel supported by this practice? Leave a short word or phrase in the comments to let me know. I'd love to be connected. Until next time, Take good care.