Written by: Susan Watson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Stress — what it is, and can we catch it.
You may notice that stress seems to sometimes run in families, groups, workplaces, and anywhere where there is more than one person. There is a reason for this. Stress is a term we use for negative emotions like worry, anxiety, and frustration, and it is contagious. You can “catch” it from other people, and it can leave you feeling emotionally drained exhausted.
To further explain, look at stress as energy.
We all need energy to function well, be motivated, move and live a healthy life. However, when we have too much energy (stress), our body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin into our bloodstream. Our fight, flight, or freeze response is activated. Now, we have moved into a survival mode, and our body reacts as if we are under attack and threat.
In normal life, we move back and forth between our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. That is, between fight, flight, and freeze, rest and digest systems which is normal and expected as we all have times of high-stress level. This is perfectly normal and healthy.
The problem can be when we start living our lives in constant sympathetic nervous system mode. Our bodies are pumped full of stress hormones daily. What you experience at this time is that you may find you are living with anxiety, constantly stressed, worry, negative thinking, brain fog, and anger. Eventually, you start to have physical symptoms and experience burnout and fatigue.
At this point, I want to say that all those symptoms mentioned are just some that you may experience with high constant stress levels or toxic stress. They are all normal and expected. They are the way your body is biologically designed to react when you are living in sympathetic nervous system dominance. Your body is reacting as if you are under constant threat and danger. It is reacting this way to give you the energy to survive. However, living in this state constantly is not a healthy way to live.
Now that we know what stress is and how it impacts our bodies let's consider why it is contagious.
Simply watching someone else tense up with stress can trigger the release of the stress hormone cortisol in our own bodies. We all have mirror neurons which are brain cells that fire up and activate when we do something or observe someone doing the same thing. So, when we are around emotional or stressed people, we start to react the same way. We literally have a shared response.
Therefore, if there is a stressed person in a household, others may also feel stressed. It is no one’s fault. We are made this way. All mammals have this ability. Think about a herd of cows in a field. One cow becomes spooked and runs away. The other cows follow. That is motor neurons at work.
The good news is you can make the changes. You need to reduce the stress levels and step out of toxic stress. It is not difficult, but you must do this regularly. The hard bit is actually remembering to do it often. The benefits are great for everyone. Just as motor neurons pick up stress, they pick up peace and calm too.
There are methods and exercises that you can do throughout the day everyday that can help you achieve a calmer life. When you do them regularly, you will pull yourself out of the toxic stress zone and feel better, and think clearer. I recommend that families should do this together and make it fun.
Here are a couple of easy methods that you can start right away:
1. Full Muscle Body Relaxation
Squeeze your fists and toes, tight so tight your arms legs are tensed, hold for 5 seconds, release and flop – do this every chance you get throughout the day. Every time you do this, you step out of toxic stress and hold for 10 seconds your thinking brain comes back online.
2. Colour Scan
Visualize a lovely shade of blue or lilac, a nice calming and relaxing color. Then, as you scan from your head to your toes, count slowly from 10 – 1, and as you do this, the color of your choice fills up your who body. Relaxing and calming. Colour changes emotions and feelings. Use this in bed at night if you have problems sleeping too.
3. Breathing
Place your hands behind your head, push your elbows back. Feel your ribs open and breathe lovely deep breaths – just a few of those breathes take you out of toxic stress.
There are 3 amazingly simple exercises that can greatly improve your peace and calm in your life. Simple, but they only work if you use them often. The results are well worth the effort.
I work with children and adults who have experienced stress, anxiety, trauma, and much using many methods best suited to each person. I fully recommend to everyone that if a young person has stress and anxiety, it is always a good idea to take the exercises and learning into the home. All family members or caregivers can use them too.
As lockdown is relaxing here in the UK and after a year of seclusion at different levels, stress is heightened for many, particularly for returning to school and the workplace. The good news here is that feeling this way is a normal reaction, and it can be helped and managed. If you find yourself in this position, please know you are not alone and that support and a helping hand is available. If you have any questions, I am happy to help.
Susan Watson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan Watson specializes in working worldwide with all ages experiencing Anxiety, Emotions, and Trauma in a content freestyle, so that no talking really needs to occur unless wanted. Working with feelings and emotions within the body, Susan releases the emotional connection of past experiences. She teaches self-help tools to help others live their best life, the life that is deserved. Susan supports individuals, groups, and the workplace with her Be Your Own Empowered Hero workshops, which were introduced as a measure to reduce the risk of future issues with mental and emotional health.
