Stress and the Paraphernalia
Have you ever heard of one's own body mechanisms going against them? The mechanisms that are built into protect our body are going against us? Perhaps, let's see how. Our body has a fight-or-flight response, which provides the body with a burst of energy to face the perceived threat in a stressful situation. The body's fight-or-flight response causes reactions in multiple parts of the body, like dilation of the pupil, an increase in heart rate, an increase in blood pressure and breathing, tense muscles, slow digestion, release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones for continued alertness. When we are under threat, the fight-or-flight response prepares the body to either fight or flee. This situation can be triggered by both real and imaginary threats..oops!! Did we ever ponder that most of our threats could be imaginary? Today, the fight-or-flight response is more likely to be triggered by emotions like fear, anxiety, aggression, and anger. Or you have the choice of contending that "No, we are in a real war-like situation while dealing with everyday challenges." Let us not be further muddled about the fact that our modern-day stressors are more situational and that they do not challenge our survival. We do not need to get into a fight-or-flight mode every time. Do you know why? Because a prolonged state of fight or flight over-taxes our nervous system and leads to chronic stress. Let’s not argue here that we have no control over it, and the reaction is automatic. Yes, we do have a control mechanism, and it is underused. Remember, we are built to handle acute stress, which is short-lived, but not chronic stress, which is steady over a long period of time. Then what is the solution.? Breathing exercises, meditation, and mindfulness techniques relax our bodies and induce the relaxation response. We feel calm and a sense of mental and physical well-being when we make these techniques a part of our daily routine. Let us save our stress response for the things that really matter and are a bona fide threat to our lives, and manage our responses towards them.