How have you nourished yourself today? How do your body and mind feel? What do they need?
What would bring in energy and focus for you to do all of the things that you need to do for your job, for your loved ones, for your community and for yourself?
I just came back from a holiday and I need a good rest now. Having time off for me doesn’t usually mean hanging out in the back garden with a good book. It means crossing borders, hauling luggage, good organisation, promptness, expeditiousness.. Yes, it is a change of scenery. Yes, it is replenishing and invigorating to see people I love. But, oh my, it can be stressful at times. Do I feel nourished? Well..
Every second our bodies physiologically are adapting to our environment. There are physiological changes happening in us all the time as we are interacting, engaging, resting or even thinking. We are all busy, too busy. Not having enough time, not having enough security in what’s to come tomorrow, juggling tasks.. going on a holiday even can be stressful. And it all acumulates.
The stress axis and cortisol
So, some basic knowledge about are bodies.
We have a hypothalamus in our brain that is the control centre responsible to keep all processes balanced. We have the pituitary gland in the brain again that secretes hormones to control other organs and vital body functions with the main aim of maintaining that same balance. And then we have our adrenal glands above our kidneys that produce hormones to help regulate our metabolism, immune system, blood pressure and other essential functions. Cortisol, the hormone of stress, is produced by the adrenal glands.
Hypothalamus – pituitary gland – adrenals, it’s called HPA axis for short. Or the stress axis.
What we know is that under long periods of stress our bodies respond with cortisol to prepare us
physiologically for survival. Glucose is dumped into the bloodstream. Blood vessels narrow to get the blood pressure up. The hormones norepinephrine and adrenaline get mixed in there. If this goes on for too long, and we know it often does, it create good conditions for diabetes, heart attacks, anxiety or depression.
The chronic cumulative stressors are actually what chip away at our health even more than the big events in our lives.
The good news
We all have resources to cope and we can look for support internally and externally. A lot of things can be resources without us even noticing. Activities that we enjoy can be a resource – gardening, spending time in nature, walking, taking a long quiet bath. Any routine, stability, a hobby. Any good relationship means support from partners, friends, family, but also coworkers and people we share interests with.
And internal resources – for example experience we already have, how have I coped before? If, for example, I have developed some resilience skills. I am aware that actually I got through previous stressful experiences so I know I can do it again. That is a huge resource. It’s about learning to trust ourselves, developing inner strength.
The two perspectives
So we can look at this from two perspectives.
One is, what can I do right now? What can I really do in the moment to make sure my stress level is decreased? Some breathing, taking a walk, time for myself, a friend to talk to? No matter what is happening, I can always reconnect to myself and notice how I feel right now, slow down, let the moment pass without immediately reacting.
And the second one is, more long term, what are the patterns, what triggers my stress response. That’s really what can change our general strategies and our general ways in how we go through life.
So, for the time being, I am back to my very nourishing yoga practice. I am going to sing with my choir. I am barefoot in the kitchen, feeling the support of the Earth, while I am preparing my food and I am glad I am back home.
In the long run, looking at the pattern, should I think about how to make my holidays less of a HPA axis event? 🙂
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