Could you be an addict and not even know it?

This is of course not something any of us want to be, an addict. But, did you know our bodies literally get ADDICTED to the chemicals our brains release during stress?

That cocktail of cortisol and adrenaline that helped us stay safe thousands of years ago when saber-tooth tigers hunted us, still gets released during any perceived danger/threat. Real or imagined!

Just thinking about a difficult client, boss at work or a mother-in-law or any challenging person or issue… (like a long to-do-list!) will cause this stress response.

Thus, if we are continuously in fight-or-flight mode, it becomes the new 'normal' for our physical body. And when we happen to feel a little bit calmer or less stressed the body experiences withdrawal symptoms, and it starts to ASK the brain for these chemicals by sending it signals. Thank you Vagus nerve! Signals like “hey, what is wrong with you being so calm? Where is our normal dose of cortisol and adrenaline?”

It is nonsense that ‘a little stress’ is healthy. That’s like saying “a little bit of flu is healthy” when in fact you can only function your best being 100% healthy! But the body gets quite accustomed to these stress hormones and we all know how threatened we feel when we are challenged to change, even if we know we should.

I say it again - The feeling of being rushed, driven, chased, has become the new NORMAL but creating havoc in the nervous system!

Fortunately there are tools to help us change this. But because this is new for the nervous system it is initially challenging during visualization/meditation/mindfulness practices to introduce our bodies to new chemicals (serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin) that make us feel elevated, peaceful, focused and calm. Expect the body to object in the beginning by twitching, or sending impulses of impatience.

Believe me, the body gets really creative to try to convince you to give up so it can return to its familiar stressful state. The body is under the direct command of the subconscious and we meditate to allow the subconscious and the busy mind to come into harmony. The great thing is that we DO NOT NEED AN EXTERNAL experience/substance to release these beneficial hormones. When we “lose” ourselves during meditation, all these beneficial hormones and chemicals are there waiting to flood our system.

Here is a free 8 minute introduction meditation that can help you on the way there.