This moment in humanity is a perfect breeding ground for the reign of distress to be stronger than ever with high percentages of trauma, fear and depression at an alarming historical peak.
It accompanies us almost all the time, it surrounds us and it has an almost permanent presence to the point that we have become accustomed to living with it. We hardly notice when it intensifies and we carry it so automatically that we suffer it without opposing its influence.
The inseparable companion of this fast-paced Western world, our daily stress sneaks in silently and stealthily until it destroys our mental and physical health.
When this happens, neuroscience experts call it by another name: distress. When the condition is chronic, it encompasses emotions, takes control of our lives and affects the entire immunoendocrine system to the point of making us sick.
“Stress that was adaptive and healthy becomes harmful to our health because it starts to generate imbalances at the endocrine level and, therefore, activates our defense system in the face of what is perceived as a situation that cannot be resolved and is dangerous. The challenge becomes a disease and becomes chronic, it demands extra resources from our entire biological system to be able to continue and that is when we start to become inflamed ,” explains Dr. Cecilia Schwartz, a graduate in psychology, master’s degree in neuropsychology, specialist in psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology, in stress sciences and in neuroscience at the Yomu Institute.
Anxiety and depression, pathologies with an inflammatory basis such as Alzheimer’s or autoimmune diseases, are based on this excess of heat , of fire that is generated systemically in the body and makes us sick, generated by a situation of uncertainty that has not been able to be adequately resolved.
Evidently, this moment in humanity is a perfect breeding ground for the reign of distress to be stronger than ever with high percentages of trauma, fear and depression at an alarming historical peak.
“The levels of irritability we are experiencing are higher than usual, and our rest and quality of sleep are affected because both our physical body and our mind have not been able to relax enough to produce the neurohormones that we need to consume during the day, during waking hours. All the hormones begin to change and therefore the balance of our body, which is the endocrine system, is broken ,” explains the neuroscience expert.
Children are the ones who suffer the most from these impacts on their emotional and physical systems, showing altered behaviors, tics and obsessive behaviors , motor manifestations such as nail biting, sweating, apparently distracted, and adults caught in the same restlessness cannot see it, that is why Dr. Schwartz affirms that
“children are transparent and adults have to be open to being able to listen.”
Cabin Depressurization
We already know the context, we live it, we are conscious of it. Now we have to enter the territory of solutions and answers so that we are not consumed by desolation , guilt and complaints, permanently victimizing us.
Therefore, the paths of mindfulness are wonderful for inoculating the antidote urgently and immediately first in ourselves and then being able to help others.
To understand this, I always use the image of the airplane when the stewardess explains that if the cabin depressurizes, I have to put oxygen on myself first and then help the passenger next to me. If I am short of breath, I cannot contribute anything to others; if I am exhausted and full of cracks, it is very difficult to give something positive to those around me . It is time to activate mindfulness techniques, return to the body, understand that we are an unlimited source of creative and transformative resources, and fill ourselves with oxygen to make a transformation in others to counteract the moment of urgency that we are experiencing.
“ The first thing I recommend is to get informed, understand what is happening, educate yourself on what is happening because the more information there is, the less uncertainty there is . Information is the light and uncertainty is the darkness and from this accurate information we can help our children, for example, or anyone around us. Start recording emotions, what each of the things we are experiencing generates and when we have the education and this emotional record we can begin to apply solutions,” Schwartz explains.
To recharge your oxygen, two recommendations from the mindfulness system: Yomu and its Mindful Home program .
- Sing, jump, run, fly, let out your emotions and shake it all while dancing to the rhythm of the song Shake It All (you can find it on all digital platforms). This song is designed so that each part of your being relaxes, renews the blood, activates the heart rate, releases unnecessary tension and activates the present moment from joy. Practicing this song at least once a day activates the intelligence of your three brains: the one in your head, the one in your heart and the one in your intestines, achieving a balanced and calm emotional response to any situation.
- Before going to sleep, to balance sleep and deep rest, as well as activate the melatonin hormone so that the entire neurological system is properly recharged, incorporate the guided meditation “ A Walk in the Air .” Simply relax and let the voice guide you through a full body scan and a journey through the sky full of essential components to produce a restful sleep. It is suitable for all ages and is ideal to do at night or when stress levels during the day are very high.
Originally posted: May 16, 2021 – https://la-lista.com/opinion/las-claves-de-la-calma