Most people agree that too much stress can cause harm to our bodies. Stress can cause knots in our shoulders, difficulty eating and sleeping, profuse sweating, increased blood pressure, headaches, and even holding our breath. Most people are aware that stress is something our minds experience, and that our bodies then respond to. But fewer know that is not always the order of events. It can start in our body, with an uncomfortable sensation.

When our body experiences certain sensations, our minds try to interpret those sensations and come up with an explanation. For example, if we are a person that tends to carry our stress in our stomach, regularly getting nauseous when we are nervous, afraid, or angry, when we get an upset stomach- maybe from overeating or getting bad food, our mind may misinterpret that as being caused by stress or some other negative emotion. Our mind comes up with a story to explain the sensation, regardless of whether it’s true.

For me, learning about stress and the mind/body connection started when I was unable to work due to pain, depression, and anxiety. I was five years out from a car accident that left me with 7 herniated discs in my neck and low back. I needed information, skills, and support to recreate my life. A counselor introduced me to a process called Somatic Experiencing® (SE), and she integrated it into all of our sessions. I have learned to use SE and other neuro-adaptive practices so effectively, I have been able to work full-time for years, and now help others to learn the same skills to recreate their lives, moving through difficult memories, letting go of pain and stress.

In workshops and one-on-one sessions, people learn to use these skills to grow their body awareness and see how their body is informing them of how they think and feel in situations, and to become aware that they may be misinterpreting body sensations.

By learning how to connect to the body, we can put this information to good use, and can help the body to re-interpret some stimulus in more productive ways. We can even learn to shift unpleasant sensations to become more tolerable, and can find more comfortable places in our bodies. Finding these comfortable places gives our attention a place to rest when we become aware we are in uncomfortable (stressful) situations.

People who have worked with me have been able to realize that their stress is leading them to lean on habits like comfort eating, drinking alcohol, or smoking, and to see an alternative way to soothe their mind/body when cravings surface.

Others have been able to lower pain in areas where they have had residual pain post-surgery, like a rotator cuff or colon.

While others have used the techniques to manage through the stress of major job trouble or serious health set backs like TIA (transient ischemic attack).

No matter how severe the stresses or addictions are in your life, you can learn to use these techniques to build the skills of self-regulation and self-mastery.

Hear more in my TEDxWilmingtonWomen talk delivered in 2018.

Dale Carnegie Certified Trainer