People tell you to watch your stress, but this is no easy task.
I've actually heard people go so far as to say ", I'm ok; it's the rest of the world that gets me stressed."
The amygdala 101 and what you really need to know. The amygdala can be referred to as your emotional tripwire. They're two little almond shaped bundles of nerves tucked deep in the back of your skull. There's no doubt that they're essential to all emotional actions and reactions. The problem is that they are constantly on the look out for the things that get you stressed.
I've actually heard people go so far as to say ", I'm ok; it's the rest of the world that gets me stressed."
The amygdala 101 and what you really need to know. The amygdala can be referred to as your emotional tripwire. They're two little almond shaped bundles of nerves tucked deep in the back of your skull. There's no doubt that they're essential to all emotional actions and reactions. The problem is that they are constantly on the look out for the things that get you stressed.
It loosely works like this; your amygdala is the storehouse of all things that charge you up emotionally. If anything even remotely resembles something that got you upset in the past, your amygdala will provoke an emotional response. Think of it as your emotional memory recorder. It's best to remember things that get you upset so you don't have to experience them for the first time over and over again. This will all happen before your higher brain can take in all the information and provide a more rational reaction.
Believe it or not, your emotions take precedence over logic. Your emotional brain in fact has a little quick track to your adrenal glands that make you release adrenalin to get you even more fired up before your more logical brain has even had a chance to decipher what's going on.
It's not difficult for us to conclude that such extreme responses are of little or no value today. Let's face it; some of our reactions to certain stresses often seem a little overly dramatic.
Here're a few suggestions for what you can do to dampen those emotional avalanches that can be so disruptive to your happiness.
Remember I mentioned earlier, that there's an emotional surge before your rational brain has a chance to interpret what is going on? Well, that's your only window of opportunity to take control. In the fractions of a second that it takes for the amygdala to rev you up, your higher brain does clue in. We've all felt it. That moment of thought before we fly off the handle. The great logical brain tells you that what you're about to do is wrong, but the anger or insult is powerful, but if you don't cut it out immediately; that moment is all it takes to allow the wave of emotional upheaval to take us over.
Be aware of the things that make you stressed. Denying them will cause you to react to them in the moment of occurrence. If you spend some time trying to understand why these things stress you, you will already have given your greater brain a role in its involvement. It will be easier for the rational brain to dampen the amygdalas signal.
No one in this world is alike. Everyone is going about their lives and sometimes we don't show one another the respect that's deserved. We are all guilty of thinking others should behave more in accordance with what we think is right. If stress is something you're trying to limit in your life, that's your choice. Not everyone is on board with you. Focus on your stress relief goals and let other people go about their business. It's possible you may get in their way. Let them go and appreciate the silence without them.
I found it very helpful to discover that there are features present in our bodies that can facilitate specific behaviour. Knowing the sequence of events that lead up to negative reactions provides us the knowledge to work with our body and not bow down to innate response that are reminiscent of a time that warranted such reactions. Our modern world, however, has no place for hair trigger emotional reactions that often result in physical violence, total disrespect to fellow citizens, and hurtful outbursts toward the ones we love. Yes, it's difficult to let things go that cause us anger. The problem is, that anger and stress cause us a great deal of unhappiness and we would all be clearly better off for reducing it's presence in our lives.
Stress reduction is a huge undertaking that has no quick fix. It requires us to really listen to our voice of reason, especially in the times that it's hardest to hear.
Believe it or not, your emotions take precedence over logic. Your emotional brain in fact has a little quick track to your adrenal glands that make you release adrenalin to get you even more fired up before your more logical brain has even had a chance to decipher what's going on.
It's not difficult for us to conclude that such extreme responses are of little or no value today. Let's face it; some of our reactions to certain stresses often seem a little overly dramatic.
Here're a few suggestions for what you can do to dampen those emotional avalanches that can be so disruptive to your happiness.
Remember I mentioned earlier, that there's an emotional surge before your rational brain has a chance to interpret what is going on? Well, that's your only window of opportunity to take control. In the fractions of a second that it takes for the amygdala to rev you up, your higher brain does clue in. We've all felt it. That moment of thought before we fly off the handle. The great logical brain tells you that what you're about to do is wrong, but the anger or insult is powerful, but if you don't cut it out immediately; that moment is all it takes to allow the wave of emotional upheaval to take us over.
Be aware of the things that make you stressed. Denying them will cause you to react to them in the moment of occurrence. If you spend some time trying to understand why these things stress you, you will already have given your greater brain a role in its involvement. It will be easier for the rational brain to dampen the amygdalas signal.
No one in this world is alike. Everyone is going about their lives and sometimes we don't show one another the respect that's deserved. We are all guilty of thinking others should behave more in accordance with what we think is right. If stress is something you're trying to limit in your life, that's your choice. Not everyone is on board with you. Focus on your stress relief goals and let other people go about their business. It's possible you may get in their way. Let them go and appreciate the silence without them.
I found it very helpful to discover that there are features present in our bodies that can facilitate specific behaviour. Knowing the sequence of events that lead up to negative reactions provides us the knowledge to work with our body and not bow down to innate response that are reminiscent of a time that warranted such reactions. Our modern world, however, has no place for hair trigger emotional reactions that often result in physical violence, total disrespect to fellow citizens, and hurtful outbursts toward the ones we love. Yes, it's difficult to let things go that cause us anger. The problem is, that anger and stress cause us a great deal of unhappiness and we would all be clearly better off for reducing it's presence in our lives.
Stress reduction is a huge undertaking that has no quick fix. It requires us to really listen to our voice of reason, especially in the times that it's hardest to hear.
