Argh, you've cut your finger! So you drop the green scrubbing pad and the paring knife you were cleaning into the sink, turn off the faucet with an elbow... the rest of the dishes will have to wait. Now where did you stash those Band Aids? We get scraped and dinged constantly, and our bodies just keep right on putting us back together. At least, most of the time. Why do some hurts heal up, while others seem to linger?
Stress, our archnemesis?
In the action movie of your life, stress can seem like your archnemesis, the master villain hellbent on destroying the universe. In Dr. Lissa Rankin’s fascinating article on stress and healing, she explains that we need to be relaxed to heal. Day in and day out, you might be focused on many other foes — keeping the house clean, managing your boss — but research shows that how you address your stress could be the most important factor in our recovery. The sooner we get our stress under control, the sooner we’ll get better.
Which system is active right now?
Our nervous system has two major modes — the sympathetic and parasympathetic. In everyday terms, we call them the fight-or-flight mode, and the rest-and-digest mode. Throughout the day, ask yourself “which mode am I in right now?” Fight-or-flight, or rest-and-digest. As you might guess, it’s much harder for your body to heal when it’s primed to fight or run away.
Dr. Rankin points out that many of us are living our whole lives in an over-stimulated, fight-or-flight state. Our culture can be competitive, and we can become habitual problem-solvers, from morning until night. Seeing everything as a problem to be solved and a battle to be won, we can lose the ability to cultivate the calm that’s necessary for healing.
“Every stressful thought, feeling or belief — we average more than 50 such responses every day — disables the body’s ability to repair itself.”
Any negative stimulation can be thought of as a stressor — but of course, not all stimulation has a negative impact on us. We all need some physical, mental, and emotional stimulation — the key is getting the right kind. Over time we can build a life that provides us with the right kind, and the right amount, of stimulation. And it’s interesting to know that you can teach yourself to view your stress response as excitement instead of anxiety.
In her memorable TED Talk, Jane McGonigal talks about the sweet spot that game developers aim for — the amount of challenge that engages, inspires, and motivates us to level up. The amount of challenge that unlocks our capacity for joy, happiness, peace, calm, relaxation — and healing.
“Maybe to finally get well, you need to quit your soul-sucking job or escape a toxic relationship. Maybe you need to meditate more, or move to the country. Maybe you need to find your calling and do your part to save the world. Maybe you need to paint.”
By changing our focus from trying to level up in the external world, to trying to level up in our internal world, we can reconfigure our relationship to stress and become more resilient and better at healing ourselves.
Come visit us at Parkside
You can do a lot to manage your own stress, but our bodies sometimes require expert care to treat injuries and chronic tension. Come see our expert team at Parkside Clinic where we tailor our care to your specific condition and tap into your body’s natural healing ability. Make an appointment, or if you have any questions, contact us.