Understanding Stress and Your Bodies Protective Role
Our bodies are incredible protectors. They are constantly working overtime to protect us even while we are completely unaware. I mentioned this concept to a friend the other day and she gave me quite the look, as she responded, “protect me?! My body hurts all the time, I am constantly in pain, how is that protecting me?”
The Fight-Flight-Freeze Response
Even though it doesn’t always feel like it, our bodies actually have an automatic embedded system that is constantly working to detect and respond to threats (for anyone curious, it’s called the sympathetic nervous system). This system is always there ready to help us react quickly in urgent situations. You may have heard this being referred to as fight-flight-freeze. When the power of this system is turned on, an ordinary person can suddenly climb up a tree to avoid danger or lift a car to save a loved one stuck underneath. While we would be in quite a precarious situation without this system to support us, we also hope that when the danger passes our bodies should revert back to our resting state – the function of the other half of our automatic nervous system (aka the parasympathetic nervous system).
Recognizing When It’s Time to Reset
Unfortunately, however, we don’t always have a fluid flow between our two systems and our protective response may get ‘stuck’ or start working overtime unnecessarily. Instead of resetting, our bodies stay on high alert, even when there’s no immediate danger. Emotionally, this can show up as anxiety, constant worry, or panic. Physically, it may manifest as sweaty palms, a racing heart, stomach aches, or unexplained muscle pain. If ongoing, these symptoms are a sign for us that we need to consciously engage our calming system by actively telling our body it is okay to turn off the high alert switch. It’s a sign that the sympathetic system needs to be manually switched off - yes, our automatic nervous system has a manual switch.
The Mind-Body Connection
The mind-body connection has been recognized for centuries in Eastern medicine but has only become widely discussed in Western science in the last number of years. We have now come to a clear understanding that there is a direct link between our thoughts, emotions, and physical health. Our mindset can influence our bodies' well-being and our body can calm our mind. Below are some ways you can utilize the power of your body to bring you back to a state of calm and equilibrium, when you find your system is on protective overdrive. Fortunately, we can use our bodies to influence our mental state and bring ourselves back to balance.
Practical Ways to Reset Your Protective System
1. Body Awareness
One way to engage this manual switch is to become more aware of our tension and where it is resting in our body. If you slowly bring your focus from your toes up to your head, where do you notice a tightness in your muscles or a discomfort? Are there any other sensations that you feel in your body? Try to notice this and acknowledge the areas where tension is being stored. You can can then actively encourage those places to let go of their hold. Reminding these spaces in your body that it is okay to relax now.
2. Breathe-work
Another way we can restore our balance is by using our breath to take us there. No one likes to be told to take a deep breathe when they are upset or stressed out, but the fact is that it is one of the most effective ways to signal our body to shift into a calm state. By regulating our breathe, meaning intentionally breathing slowly and rhythmically, it mimics the type of breathing we would do within our parasympathetic or calm state. So next time you're feeling triggered, upset or stressed try this...
Breathe in for a count of 4
Hold your breathe for a count of 4
Breathe out for a count of 4
And wait for a count of 4.
Repeat this breathing cycle 4 times, it takes less than a minute. This is just one of many breathing exercises you can do, its my personal favorite but you can search breathing exercises on google and find your favorite instead.
3. Movement Exercises
Movement exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi, or stretching are another way we can use bodies to get out of stress mode. If you’re feeling stuck in a heightened state, try shaking out your arms and legs or moving through slow, deliberate stretches while focusing on your breath. This physical movement releases some of the stored energy present when our body is in the stress mode. Along side some calming statements this technique can help us reset.
Reassuring Your Body
Verbally giving your body the message that you can relax now is a great way to complement all of these techniques that are sending our physical self the same message. Try saying something like, “I see that you (my body) are working to protect me from threats, I appreciate your quick responses and everything you are doing to help me. I am okay now, it was not an immediate physical threat. I can return to a resting state.” Utilizing both our mental capacities with a reassuring statement such as this alongside the physical techniques above take the two-tiered mind-body approach, thereby utilizing all our capacities to support a reconnection to self and to a more grounded state.
Building a Habit of Noticing and Resetting
It may take us some practice before we can comfortably go through this process, notice when we are holding tension, engage in a technique to reduce tension, and give ourselves permission to return to a calm resting state. We can start with small steps. Next time you notice that fast heart rate, sweating, or muscle tension, try to use one of the techniques mentioned above. Pay attention to your body’s reaction and work towards noticing if it gets stuck in an automatic protective state of high alertness.
So, to answer my friend’s question—yes, your body is protecting you, even when it doesn’t feel that way. The discomfort you feel is a sign that your system is working hard to keep you safe, but sometimes, it needs a little help to reset. By learning to recognize these signals and intentionally guiding your body back to a state of ease, you can work with your body rather than feeling at odds with it.
Want to learn more about our bodies protective responses or support in utilizing these techniques?
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