Life can be a rollercoaster, and sometimes it feels like we’re just holding on for a release that doesn’t come. Stressful situations, arguments, unexpected events – they all have a way of hijacking our nervous system. But learning to manage my emotional response has been one of my most empowering life lessons. Not only that, it’s also made me a physically healthier person.
In this week’s Cloud Dojo video, I share my journey (still in progress!) to a more calm approach to emotional triggers.
If you want a bit more background and some neuroscience-y stuff to geek out on, read on!
Emotional regulation is one of the most vital skills we can learn for our present and longterm health. When we’re constantly bombarded with stress hormones like cortisol, our immune system weakens, leaving us more susceptible to illness. Studies by the American Psychological Association show a clear link between chronic stress and a variety of health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and even cancer. The good news is that there are steps we can take to rewrite the conditioned patterns in our brains to interpret and manage stressful situations with more calm and promote overall wellness.
One of the best tools I’ve found for this work is Somatic Experiencing (SE). Developed by psychotherapist Peter Levine, SE involves focusing on bodily sensations to process emotions, helping us break free from the cycle of stress and reactivity. My life is blessed with the presence of many dear friends studying this work and inspiring my own journey. One of these lovely people is Courtney Fincher, who has a private SE practice. She describes how emotionally disturbing experiences can trigger the sympathetic nervous system, throwing us into survival mode. In this state, our options narrow to fight, flight, freeze, or fawn – hardly a recipe for well-being!
Being in this sympathetic state is great when we actually need to survive a situation, but we can also end up getting stuck in survival mode when the traumatic situation is over. Courtney explains this happens because our brains learn and form connections from past experiences to predict future ones.
Through somatic practices, we can teach the brain to respond differently over time. Dr. Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor and neuroscience geek who emphasizes the brain’s remarkable ability to change (neuroplasticity) argues that by consciously altering our thoughts and emotions, we can literally rewire our brains for a calmer state. In this week’s video, I share some of the techniques I use that have really helped me form calmer responses and return more easily to a peaceful state of mind, and body.
If you want to jump more into this work, I highly recommend an upcoming workshop led by Courtney and another amazing SE practitioner friend, Luna Ray on Collective Healing