This week I explain what is happening in your body when you are in prolonged survival mode, and share my five to thrive tips.
What is happening when we are in survival mode
HPA axis activates our appropriate stress response, juggling family life, being a boss at work and having an awesome social life – big fat turmoil of failure and stress. The problem is that we are feeling like this increasingly often and it’s putting our bodies and our emotions under pressure, it can feel debilitating and prevents you from making good decisions. And can lead to hormonal imbalances.
Our survival modes are fight or flight, freeze, where you feel unable to make a decision, and the fawn mode where you move into people pleasing mode. All these are survival mechanisms, our most basic of reactions that are part of our heritage.
What is happening in our body?
Enhanced blood flow to the brain (reduced to the gut) enhanced vision. These are meant to help us survive and should be short lived. But what happens when they are active, at even a low level, constantly. That’s when we end up in a stressy mess of turmoil. This impacts our wellbeing and overall health.
Cortisol is the hormone at play when we are stressed, and it is nick-named the wear and tear hormone. This is all associated with worse health outcomes. It increases inflammation in the body and ultimately affects our wellbeing.
Are you in crisis fatigue?
Crisis fatigue is response to prolonged stress (war, economic depression, pandemic, unwashed PE kits) it puts pressure on the HPA axis. We are uniquely able to create our own stress by simply worrying about these things.
We eat more sugar, binge on alcohol, watch TV, don’t sleep well, don’t have time to exercise. This is all associated with crisis fatigue. This is not a medical term, but it is a recognised issue. Fatigue, sleep issues, body aches, over/under eating, immune issues, exacerbation of existing conditions, emotional exhaustion, palpitations, not socialising, anger, poor motivation.
This can affect our ability to do our job and this might be something you have previously loved – this was true for me.
Activating the PNS
We need to spend more time in our parasympathetic mode, by activating our vagus nerve and activating our calming hormones. This will allow our body to rebalance and then heal.
This is our resilience mode, you will start to feel less anxiety, calmer, more enthusiasm, less illnesses. It is vital to reset our mind, mood, and biorhythm. It is our restorative mode.
What can we do to thrive?
This doesn’t come by accident, it does take a little bit of work, but the first thing is to recognise the signs, and then create your own little toolbox of practises. The key is that you should choose some that you do regularly, and then a few that you need to use when in times of crisis.
- Pause more often This is something that I often add for my 1-1 clients as their movement. Find something simple and small. Coffee break time.
- Breathe – yes I know you breathe all the time, but taking a few deep breaths activates the vagus nerve, do this before your meals, always. And if you are about to have a stressful situation breathing before and after can be really supportive.
- Essential oils – can be calming, uplifting, motivating. I am a huge fan of doTERRA, but also use Neals Yard and Neom. If you are a newbie, then buy blends with appropriate names. Lavender is calming, Rosemary is good for brain fog, Citrus Oils will wake you up and help with concentration.
- Prioritise Sleep – don’t tell me you need a few hours to yourself after the kids go to bed, you need to get some sleep. Would you rather watch Netflix or be healthy in your old age?
- Move regularly – get outside in the morning, move regularly throughout the day. It’s restorative and helps keep blood flow and toxins moving.
Remember that self-care is not selfish, it self-preservation and future proofing your health. If you have someone who relies on you and you are putting their wellbeing before yours, who will look after them when you are ill?
Nourish with real food
Not part of my thrive five, as I think it deserves its own section! Cutting out the junk and sugary processed foods is the easiest way to nourish your body.
Look for colourful vegetables and fruits, filled with phytonutrients to really heal and provide energy. Make sure you eat protein with every meal, and finally, nuts and seeds are powerhouses of nutrients.
My links
What do you have in your toolbox to help you thrive?