Recognizing and Transforming Your Stress Responses - Ground, Orient and Balance

Have you ever observed a dog, after hearing a loud noise or fireworks, take cover and then shake when emerging? Possibly, you have encountered a deer in nature and witnessed it standing still (freezing) and then running off to safety. What are these animals doing? They are activating a stress response due to a perceived or actual threat; additionally, once they realize they are safe, they shake or run to release their stored energy and return their body to homeostasis.

We as humans, experience a great amount of stress and many times, unlike our animal friends, we do not take the extra step of releasing it once the stressor is over, thus keeping our nervous system activated. Often, we may not even realize we have absorbed this stress until we start to feel physically sick. Irritability, fatigue, lack of clarity or focus can all be indicators that we are still in survival mode. Learning how to recognize our stressors, the way in which we respond to them (i.e., fight-flight or freeze) and tools to release them is beneficial to regaining balance and stability.

With conscious awareness and practice, we can mitigate the way stress affects us internally, even when the external world may seem overwhelming.

• Grounding is a useful tool that can help us feel rooted, resourced and able to handle what comes our way. A simple grounding practice is to cross your arms in front of your body and gently squeeze the opposite arm with your hand. Slowly move your hands up your arms to your shoulders, squeezing gently along the way. Notice if anything shifts within you as you connect physically with your body. This can also be extended to be a compassionate exercise when you are feeling lonely or disconnected. 
• Orienting is another tool that can be practiced to anchor us in the present moment when we may be overly focused on future worries or past concerns. With orienting, we tap into our five senses to bring us into the here and now. One orienting technique is a 5-senses meditation: 5 things you can see around you, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. 

Please join us for an in-person workshop "Navigating Re-Emergence: Recognizing and Transforming the Stress Response in our Body, Heart and Mind" where we will learn more about our stress responses and practice tools to regulate our body, heart and mind.

With gratitude,
Carolyn