Jul 31st, 2008
Manage Your Stress
A selection from Ilchi L’s Book
The ability to manage stress is the holy grail of brain management. Every other attempt to develop and use your brain well can be thwarted if you do not gain some level of control over your stress response. Unmanaged, habitual stress reactions interrupt the learning process, contribute dramatically to brain aging, and are at the root of numerous chronic disease conditions.
First of all, though, you should know that stress is not all bad. It is this process that allows us to respond quickly and effectively in emergency situations. When managed appropriately, the stress response helps stimulate the brain, improving mood and encouraging creative problem solving. Researchers have found that minor amounts of stress, such as that experienced during basic life and occupational challenges, actually improve immune function, while extreme or prolonged stress has the opposite effect.
Continual, prolonged stress response is highly destructive to the brain as well as other organs of the body. The main stress-response hormone, cortisol, can and does kill brain cells, especially in the hippocampus, which is involved in learning and memory formation. Many serious brain-related problems, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s have been clearly linked to the destructive nature of prolonged exposure to stress hormones.
The stress response is created in the sympathetic nervous system, which sends messages from the brain to the rest of the body, alerting it to the presence of danger. Essentially, it is designed to redirect all energy toward the crisis at hand. Under the influence of stress hormones, the performance of many organs throughout the body is diminished while heart rate increases and blood flow is redirected to the muscles for a rapid fight-or-flight response.
Fortunately, the brain wants to find a state of homeo-stasis, to achieve balance between excitement and tranquility. This is where the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in. The parasympathetic nervous system returns the organs to their original functionality, slows the heart rate, and returns blood circulation to normal.
But what if the stressors never diminish and you find yourself in a constant state of stress? You will likely end up with one of the many stress-related physical and psychological problems that are epidemic to our society.
So it is in your best interest to do everything you can to reduce your stress response. in Dahn Y How can you do this? Read on. In the remainder of this chapter, you will find information and exercises that will help you break the vicious cycle of stress response in your life.