Select Page

Can you turn off a stress response?

Blog Forums Stress Can you turn off a stress response?

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #12049
    christy
    Participant

    I have dealt with anxiety for the last several years and I think one of my obvious stress responses is really hot burning ears and weird head pressure. It used to totally freak me out but I read that it’s the walls of the blood vessels relaxing which allows more blood flow which causes the hot ears. This is due to a release of noradrenaline. Now, is there any way to SHUT THAT OFF once it’s started? I feel like I’ve tried everything. I drink more, I drink less, I eat salt, I eat sugar, take magnesium….nothing seems to shut it down. I also could use some advice on how to prevent it. It seems to occur very randomly throughout the day. Sometimes I wake up with warm ears but mostly it happens in the afternoon and evening. I’ve been trying to eat every couple hours and lately I’ve been not shying away from sugar and I have never been afraid of salt. Love that stuff! I do still struggle with wanting to gulp a lot of water and not sleeping that well…still working on those, so maybe that will help. I don’t know. I’ve rambled enough now. Thanks for listening!

    Christy

    #12071
    The Real Amy
    Moderator

    Meditation might be able to help you, but more from the perspective of stopping the stress before it begins. It sounds like the condition is stressing you out, which might be making it worse. You may want to try just giving in to it and not getting worried about it, because that alone can sometimes stop a stress response from happening.

    There’s a book called “Hope and Help for Your Nerves” by Claire Weekes that is amazing and might help you. It’s from the 1960s and is really old school. It really is wonderfully effective, though. The whole premise is giving into the anxiety and stress responses and riding them out instead of fighting them. Works like a charm.

    #12120
    SBC037
    Participant

    Amy and Christy,
    I downloaded that book last night and have been listening to it this morning. I agree, Amy, it is a great book. Thanks.
    Jude

    #12133
    christy
    Participant

    Thanks Amy! I have actually come a long way in just riding out the symptoms. It used to scare the crap out of me before I knew what it was! Now it’s just annoying and it bothers me that it’s going on at all. I don’t want all those hormones surging when I don’t need them. I will check out that book. Thank you!

    #12409
    Lianda
    Moderator

    Christy,
    Everyone has stress. But when you think about, you’ll realize that stress is really a reaction to an imagined negative result.
    Consider this: Worried about losing a job? Then your mind is in the future, stressing about what bad possible outcomes can occur.

    Although there are stressors that bother everyone, it’s your MINDSET that makes all the difference. If you tell yourself, “this is temporary”, “I CAN deal with this”…. it can make all the difference in your re-action (see that’s a word that tells you it’s a habitual response) to something that you feel is stressful.

    Best methods to deal with stress: Positive attitude; focusing on gratitude; mindful eating: it nurtures you; and mindful slow yoga. And here’s a great TED talk that explains the science behind stress: http://www.heartfelt-stress-relief.com/mindset-
    You can do it!

    • This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Lianda.
    • This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Lianda.
    #12980
    NYC1234
    Participant

    Sometimes anxiety is not caused by imagined negative results. Sometimes it is caused by imbalances in the body. A suppressed metabolism could be the cause of anxiety.

    For me personally I discovered that allowing myself to remain hungry for too long triggers anxiety. The anxiety has nothing to do with thinking about food. It has to do with the particular hormones my body releases when my body detects insufficient food intake. Having a huge meal makes this anxiety go away quickly.

    If you are eating insufficient calories for a long period of time you may end up with elevated cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol levels can make you feel anxious and make your mind race. In this case it is your body giving your mind negative thoughts not your mind causing anxiety.

    You must figure out the root cause of anxiety before you can fix it. It is a chicken/egg problem for sure.

    Meditation will only fix anxiety caused by the mind. It will not fix anxiety caused by the body.

    #17954
    Milinda18
    Participant

    One of my friends suggested me a book “The source”. But , I don’t get a chance to read this. She told me that this will help us to nurture a positive approach towards life.

    #17956
    Lianda
    Moderator

    Do you mean The Source, by James Michener?
    There are many effective ways to deal with stress. But the most important thing is to practice stress relief daily to build resilience. You don’t have to do the same kind of stress relief all the time. Do what you enjoy, and then you are more likely to continue to do the practice.
    Of course, the most common method is meditation, focusing on your breath. Realize that your mind is going to wander- and then be gentle with yourself, and bring your attention back to your breath.
    I teach “cardio-contemplation” using the focus on positive feelings in the area of your heart. I also use EFT tapping. But other practices are taking a walk in nature- YOGA! (gentle) and focusing mindfully on being present. Mindful eating is a wonderful stress reliever! Try to cut back on watching the news, being attached to your phone and technology… Really enjoy and be in the moment of what you are doing.
    Multi-tasking, checking your phone all the time, rushing, not giving yourself enough time… all these can be truly stressful.
    The best thing is to figure out what are your stress triggers, and work on them. That’s how you build your muscles to lower your stress response.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.