Shifting from Stress to Flow

/ Heather Tesch, LLC/

Living in a world where we have obligations and always seem to be "doing" more than we are just 'being", we will invariably have some amount of stress. Our physical bodies take a toll when we are under significant amounts of stress, and too much stress can lead to a host of illnesses, and is often the catalyst to most autoimmune diseases.  

When you're stressed, your adrenal glands release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to prime your body for fight or flight by raise your heart rate, increasing your blood pressure, and can cause adverse reactions such as blood clots, damage to your brain's memory center, leaky gut, as well as increased belly fat storage. This is all in the name of survival - after all your body’s primary purpose is to keep you alive! 

Our bodies haven’t evolved much since our caveman days and unfortunately, they don’t know the difference between being hunted by a Tiger or experiencing chronic mental/emotional “threats” from modern day life. Stress whether it’s from an argument with your spouse, or from ongoing demands at work, or even from consistent negative thought patterns, all create the same biochemical reactions in the body. 

These biochemical reactions include:

  • Increased heart rate

  • Increased blood sugar

  • Increased cholesterol

  • Increased cortisol 

  • Decreased digestive secretions

  • Decreased thyroid functioning

  • Decreased reproductive hormones

  • And more!

The body’s normal response is that once an acute threat has passed, the body returns to normal. However, when the body is exposed to long-term, chronic stress, negative health effects can occur as a result. When the stress response becomes constant, the adrenal glands remain active. Think of it like a stuck gas pedal that constantly revs the engine in your car, flooding it with a steady stream of gas (cortisol). Over time, this can lead to a dysfunctional HPA axis—and that can result in severe adrenal exhaustion. Conditions related to HPA axis dysfunction include cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, obesity, skin rashes, asthma, arthritis, and depression.

The good news is, there are things we can do to help manage our stress to keep our bodies and minds healthy and strong.

Shifting from Stress and Fear

There are two ways we can function in this world. We can navigate using the spirit, or using the mind. The spirit will put us into contact with soul expression, creativity, and flow while the mind will put us into contact with schemes and strategies. Taking it one step further, living through the mind is fear-based while living through the spirit is based on trust and love.

When we plan and organize every step to make sure we've covered all bases, the core of these actions is fear. We try to control because we’re fearful of the outcome we don’t want to happen. The more we try to control, the more worry, anxiety, and stress we experience. True fear comes from wanting to protect ourselves instead of wanting to let go and trust that we’re always guided to the outcome we’re needing for our own soul expansion.

When we release our angst and stop striving, pleading, worrying and doing "as much as we can" that we tap into our pure flow. Pure flow comes from our spirit, from love, from creativity, from trusting, allowing and receiving. Nature does not hurry, strive or worry, yet everything happens in due time. When we’re in this pure flow state, stress hormones decrease and our bodies are able to recover and heal. This is also the space where we lose track of time and truly enjoy life.

I’m not saying we don’t ever want or need to use our minds. The mind is very powerful. When you set your mind on something, you can achieve anything - even healing!. However, once you set your intention, and surrender the final outcome to the universe, you will achieve miraculous results with ease and flow. Life becomes easier and more fun when we balance the being and the achieving!

Accessing Your Flow

1.Nutrition

One way to decrease stress hormones and access flow is through your nutrition. Refined sugars and processed foods quite literally increase stress hormones in the body. They also increase our need for more nutrients to clear them out of the body. Practicing clean eating allows you to balance your blood sugar, restore hormonal balance, and combat stress's damaging impact.  Implementing clean eating into your lifestyle, and eliminating inflammation producing foods such as caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugars, allows your body to remain balanced and your mind to remain even-keeled when things get hectic.  

Additionally, stress increases our needs for more nutrients such as B vitamins. A diet that’s low in essential nutrients can increase the stress response and leave the body depleted of critical nutrients to function and flow properly. 

2. Identify what is causing your stress

We all know that stress can come in the form of mental, emotional and even spiritual stress. However, stress can also be physiological. Food sensitivities, nutrient deficiencies, resonating toxins and infections can all affect your brain and stress levels.

To learn if your daily tasks are impeding your flow, each moment, ask yourself if you’re coming from a place of love or fear? If you feel excited, happy or hopeful about something, you are functioning on love. If you feel dread, worry or resistance towards something, you are functioning on fear. If you’re in a fear based mentality, try taking a different perspective to shift you into love. If you can’t shift your perspective, what can you change about the situation? This mentality will put you in touch with the flow of life.

3. Breathe

Seems like a "no brainer", but we often hurry through our day either holding our breath, or taking shallow, anxious breaths.  Taking time to pause and come to your breath, taking five deep belly breaths with a four-second inhale, and an eight-second exhale will allow you to reset.  Oxygen is also the essence of life and is critical for energy production. If you want to flow, just breathe!

I also recommend taking an honest, loving look at your current life and consider where you might be pushing and forcing where you don’t need to be. Where in your life isn’t flowing as easily as you’d like? Where can you get help? Are there areas that can be adjusted, modified and adapted to create more space and love in your day?

4. Mindset

Our bodies follow our minds. Have you ever watched a suspenseful or thrilling movie and found yourself holding your breath, your heart beginning to race, and your muscles tightening? Even though that movie scene wasn’t playing out in real life, your brain perceived it as so and sent messages to your body to prepare for survival. Your thoughts have the exact same effect! Changing your thoughts to those that are inspiring, positive, uplifting, and loving will rewire your brain and nourish your cells. For instance, practicing gratitude every day has proven to decrease stress hormones and turn on the reward center of your brain — hello flow!! 

5. Sleep

Lack of sleep increases stress hormones. Prioritize your sleep - seriously - make this the #1 thing you do for YOU and shoot for eight hours a night.   

6. Play & Create

Children are experts at playing and unfortunately it’s something most of us adults lose sight of as responsibilities and adulthood kicks in. IMHO, play is critical for not only stress relief but happiness. When we’re stuck in left brain mode - work, work, work, responsibility after responsibility, task after task, burn out happens quickly. Ignite the creative side, the fun side, the silly and playful side of you to avoid burnout and create a joyful life!

The bottom line

Stress is a natural and critical bodily reaction, however, chronic stress can negatively affect health and lead to or exacerbate more serious health conditions related to a suppressed immune system and chronic inflammation. Stress management techniques and coping mechanisms such as therapy, exercise, meditation, a healthy diet, sleep, play, community, laughter, creativity, and participating in hobbies can help reduce stress levels and get your flow on.

I recommend reflecting on these questions to help you identify the role you have in your experience of stress and in what ways you can support your body and life system in healing. 

  • Where is there an opportunity to make different choices in order to change your body’s reaction? 

  • Where you cannot control circumstances, can you change your perspective? Your expectations? 

  • Can you choose to let go of old grievances or guilt? 

  • Can you choose to change your future?

To learn more about stress and it’s effects on us, sign up for my free Creating Vibrancy eCourse!