The Fear Factor

It’s very difficult not to be affected by the fear that the media instils in us about the uncertainty of our country and the world around us. But these fearful thoughts may as well be real in terms of the effect they have on our bodies as they activate what’s called the ‘fight or flight’ response:

Designed to prepare us for imminent physical danger, stress hormones are pumped in the bloodstream to give us courage to fight, and blood is diverted from the inner organs to our muscles to give us strength to flee.

This is all very well if we have time to recover, which activates the ‘rest and digest’ response, but that often isn’t the case as we are constantly under some level of stress whether it be about money, work, family or our health.

But did you know that stress is caused by our thoughts about these things, not the actual things themselves?

That is the impact of our thoughts. It is our thoughts that cause our pain, but is it also our thoughts that create our happiness.

So how can we change our thoughts? By becoming aware of them.

This is where Yoga and Mindfulnesscome into play. Not only do they activate the ‘rest and digest’ response, allowing our bodies to physically recover from stress, but they teach us how to observe our thoughts.

With practice, we learn to tame our minds and think better thoughts. When we think better thoughts, we change how we feel, which helps us to feel more safe and secure in a world that’s going crazy around us. Self care is not only an investment in yourself, but for your loved ones as your feelings and attitudes affect everyone and everything around you.