The Stress Response: From Ancient Memories to Modern Life

We all experience stress in various aspects of our lives. It can arise from our work 💼, studies, daily commutes 🚗, deadlines, parenting responsibilities 👪, never-ending household tasks, financial obligations 💸, and more. Stress seems to be an inevitable part of being human, and we cannot entirely escape it. In fact, stress is a natural instinct that helps us stay safe and protected, so we cannot completely avoid it—nor should we.

Have you ever wondered why we have this stress response, though? Where did it arise?

It all begins with a tale of ancient memories…🧬

What do we mean by that? Let’s explore the brain 🧠 a bit to find out!

The Reptilian Brain

Just as humans have evolved over the millennia, so too has the brain 🧠. Prehistoric humans had a greater need to develop a life-saving stress response as they faced real danger on a regular basis: of being hunted 🐅, of starving, of freezing 🥶, etc. The ‘memories’ of those threats to our livelihood are still stored in the most ancient portion of the brain known as the reptilian 🦎 brain. Because of these inherited memories—stored in the amygdala—the reptilian brain is programmed to automatically respond to threats for our survival—-whether real or perceived. You may know this response as ‘fight-or-flight’—the body’s ability to quickly produce the energy needed to either fight off 🤺 a threat—or flee from it. This speedy, subconscious reaction was beneficial for the survival of our early ancestors but is not as crucial in modern times simply due to the fact that we don’t face nearly as many actual threats to our lives.

The reptilian brain, however, is reactive rather than cognitive and can’t discern between feeling threatened by a hungry predator 🦁 or feeling anxiety over a looming deadline 🗓️. The body should only move into this ‘fight-or-flight’ stress mode when we’re in real, actual danger but, because the ancient stress response is automatic, any time the reptilian 🦎 brain senses that we’re tensing up over any stressor—whether a potentially life-threatening animal attack 🦏 or an imagined threat such as a screaming child 😭—it responds the same. And because we’re constantly being bombarded with these imagined threats in modern day life, we are kept in a state of chronic stress that can wreak havoc on our health. After all, stress is one of the leading causes of a host of conditions such as heart disease ❤️, anxiety, diabetes, GI issues and even premature aging!

Never Fear! 🦹

So, what can we do to address this subconscious reaction that may potentially be negatively impacting our health? If it’s automatic 🔂 and we have no control over when it happens, how do we address it? The trick is not to stop the reaction from happening; it’s to notice 👀 when it’s happening so that we can consciously tap into the cognitive brain 🧠and decide whether the stressor is truly life-threatening or not. More often than not, it is merely a nuisance or an inconvenience rather than an actual threat to our lives. Once you’ve determined that to be the case, you can consciously move your body out of this alert 🚨 state through various techniques proven to assist in nervous system regulation.

How?

Let me count the ways! 🔢 Or, better yet, let me show you 🤗! Join me at: What is Nervous System Regulation? (healthisharmony.com) as we learn about various effective techniques for nervous system regulation. See you there!

To put some of these techniques into practice, check out:

Sound Healing: Soothe your Spirit with Sound Healing (healthisharmony.com)

Breathing Technique: Om is Not the Only Answer--Paths to Nervous System Regulation (healthisharmony.com)

For more inspiration: 5 Ways to Self-Soothe (Nervous System Regulation) (healthisharmony.com)