You’ve been told 'you’re stressed, you just need to relax more'
– but what if you don’t know what feeling relaxed is, or how to get there?
Do you want to:
- Approach life with less anxiety
- Gain more clarity
- Have more energy to do the things you need AND want to do
- Enjoy a restful sleep
- Move more freely in your body
- Let go of chronic aches and pains
- Feel more available and present
- Be supported & improve your mindset during stressful events
- Receive help with recovery from physical and/or emotional trauma
Some of the many conditions/issues associated with stress:
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HOW I HELP YOU LET GO OF STRESS
Finding a way to manage stress every day - not just for a couple of hours or days - does not need to be complex, your body is orientated to health and balance.
Occasionally your body needs is a reminder of what balance is because for some people they are not sure what feeling “normal, balanced or pain free” feels like and need assistance to 'remember'.
The support I provide focuses on how you are feeling physically, how you feel in your body and how this relates to your mind, and help you to learn how to understand its boundaries – I help you to strengthen the connection between your mind and body.
I draw on over 24 years experience & education in mainstream and alternative health care - and the treatment I provide works well with other types of care.
Your consultation includes:
- A health & well-being assessment
- Health facilitation & education
- Hands on Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) (click here to read more about BCST)
- Simple techniques, tailored to you, to continue to manage your stress yourself
Occasionally your body needs is a reminder of what balance is because for some people they are not sure what feeling “normal, balanced or pain free” feels like and need assistance to 'remember'.
The support I provide focuses on how you are feeling physically, how you feel in your body and how this relates to your mind, and help you to learn how to understand its boundaries – I help you to strengthen the connection between your mind and body.
I draw on over 24 years experience & education in mainstream and alternative health care - and the treatment I provide works well with other types of care.
Your consultation includes:
- A health & well-being assessment
- Health facilitation & education
- Hands on Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) (click here to read more about BCST)
- Simple techniques, tailored to you, to continue to manage your stress yourself
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In my sessions I provide a space to help you to come back into balance as well as identify how stress shows itself in your body,
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WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress or the stress response (SR) is a primal, biological response in the body for a call to action. The SR can be triggered by something physical/external (illness, infection, injury, being chased by a bear ;) ) and it may also be triggered by our thoughts/mind (argument with your partner, job interview, worrying, was that a burglar or a tree branch tapping at the window).
The call to action is manifested as: ‘fight’ (angry, agitated), ‘run away’ (dissociate, withdraw/retreat), or you may find yourself in ‘freeze’. Most people have heard of the first 2 responses but not many are aware that ‘freezing’ is also a way that the stress response is expressed and equally valid – being unable to take action, move or speak, for example.
For many of us our mind has a primary responsibility in triggering the response. Your thoughts may not just affect the initial response, they can and often do, prolong the symptoms of the SR with what I ‘should could or didn’t’ do otherwise known as worrying. The situation may not be happening right then, but your body doesn’t know that!
The call to action is manifested as: ‘fight’ (angry, agitated), ‘run away’ (dissociate, withdraw/retreat), or you may find yourself in ‘freeze’. Most people have heard of the first 2 responses but not many are aware that ‘freezing’ is also a way that the stress response is expressed and equally valid – being unable to take action, move or speak, for example.
For many of us our mind has a primary responsibility in triggering the response. Your thoughts may not just affect the initial response, they can and often do, prolong the symptoms of the SR with what I ‘should could or didn’t’ do otherwise known as worrying. The situation may not be happening right then, but your body doesn’t know that!
Understanding the role of your mind is very important in understanding why you may be experiencing stress and how to develop a new relationship.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR BODY DURING THE STRESS RESPONSE?
The stress response (SR) in simplest terms is an activation of the nervous system, which in turn triggers a release of hormones. The initial hormone released is adrenaline, causing your heart to beat faster, increasing your pulse and blood pressure, and stimulating a release of glucose and fats to provide energy. If your mind continues to interpret the situation as requiring action, cortisol is released to enhance your brains function – you feel more awake.
During the response there is a reduction of blood flow to ‘non-essential’ systems like the immune, hormonal, and digestive systems, also your mood will be affected. Once the conditions are interpreted as stable or safe, your nervous system comes back into balance, as do the other systems. If conditions are considered unstable, or more triggers present the body continues in alert mode (I talk more about this below).
Interesting to note, whilst the SR is usually associated with a negative experience, recent research shows that the biological response is the same whether we are exposed to a negative or positive situation however, the recovery from a perceived ‘positive’ situation is much quicker. This is most likely due to the psychological associations we attach to the event/s.
During the response there is a reduction of blood flow to ‘non-essential’ systems like the immune, hormonal, and digestive systems, also your mood will be affected. Once the conditions are interpreted as stable or safe, your nervous system comes back into balance, as do the other systems. If conditions are considered unstable, or more triggers present the body continues in alert mode (I talk more about this below).
Interesting to note, whilst the SR is usually associated with a negative experience, recent research shows that the biological response is the same whether we are exposed to a negative or positive situation however, the recovery from a perceived ‘positive’ situation is much quicker. This is most likely due to the psychological associations we attach to the event/s.
Much of your day to day activity will trigger your stress response.
I am sure you can think of a number of ‘negative’ triggers.
‘Positive’ triggers may be: working on a project/s, sex, a party, playing sport, a first date, a new baby etc.
How many of those would you or could you give up?
WHAT CAUSES THE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS I AM FEELING?
During the SR there is a reduction in function of systems considered non-essential (as described above). Therefore, a prolonged activation – staying ‘switched on’ – can disrupt and fatigue almost all your body's systems and processes. This impacts significantly on your well-being and puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems.
We know that the deepest healing and our body systems work most efficiently when your nervous system is able to return to a state of equilibrium. When this happens, some describe this as ‘feeling healthy’, ‘feeling balanced’, and/or ‘feeling present’.
Frustratingly, although in your mind you know it’s not a great place for your body to be, your nervous system – which is primal and just wants everything to always be the same – adopts the position of continued-activation as the new normal.
With continued activation or stress, and particularly in cases of trauma, it can be difficult for you to come back into balance on your own, or just with psychological coaching and the reality is that many forms of body work although relaxing at the time, don't last - unlike BCST and the techniques I teach.
We know that the deepest healing and our body systems work most efficiently when your nervous system is able to return to a state of equilibrium. When this happens, some describe this as ‘feeling healthy’, ‘feeling balanced’, and/or ‘feeling present’.
Frustratingly, although in your mind you know it’s not a great place for your body to be, your nervous system – which is primal and just wants everything to always be the same – adopts the position of continued-activation as the new normal.
With continued activation or stress, and particularly in cases of trauma, it can be difficult for you to come back into balance on your own, or just with psychological coaching and the reality is that many forms of body work although relaxing at the time, don't last - unlike BCST and the techniques I teach.
