I want to share a great blog called Addicted to Stress. The title of this blog immediately caught my attention both because I see this every day in my naturopathic practice but also because I too can get addicted to stress!
“Every idea that we have about life, every thought and emotion we feel has a chemical reaction in the mind and body.” I sometimes feel like a broken record explaining this idea to patients, but it is so true! Every thought and emotion you have sets off a cascade of neurotransmitters and hormones that quite literally change the way your body functions via your immune system, digestive system, hormonal balance, and many other systems.
“When we’re used to being or reacting in certain ways, we experience a chemical addiction to those ways of being.” When you form thoughts, you create a neural pathway, and the more you use it, the stronger it becomes until you have entire neural networks that are like well-worn paths in your brain. And the themes of those networks become very influential in your thinking! We like the familiar. It is easier to do what we are used to because it requires less effort. And therefore we become “addicted” to certain thought patterns, sometimes just because they are familiar and easy.
“No matter how many stressors there are in your life, you can still be present, authentic, calm and loving.” Do you believe this? I think many people would like to, but they also have a lot of excuses why NOT. Remember, you have the power of choice! No matter what happened yesterday, today you are still making choices every second and you are not stuck in your pattern.
“We literally change the chemistry in our mind into a more harmonious environment.” Remember that practice makes perfect. The more you change your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, the easier it becomes.
No comments yet.