Lucid as always. Many cogent observations about the stress reaction and it's adverse impact on cortisol secretion, and how we can convert the stress REACTION into a more conscious stress RESPONSE.
I like that you concisely summarized a selection of antidotes. I'm also hoping that you'll expand on each one. One in particular is the role not only of journaling as a form of self dialog, but that of GRATITUDE and KINDNESS journaling. Reflecting on these regularly alters our mindset in a good way, bringing it into a state of loving kindness. And as we know from Herb Bensons's work on the Relaxation Response and his research with Buddhist monks, there's nothing quite like loving kindness to quell the raging fires of anger and fear.
p.s. I wish you had taught this to me in my first year of med school.
I really like your description of hypercortisolemia! I've talked to students a lot of over the years about heightened stress response and how our bodies aren't meant to stay in fight/flight/freeze for long periods of time-- what you present here is just a really clear description of that.
Related to this series about "levers" that you're doing I found myself thinking about the idea of on my run today. I've not been running and doing yoga as much the last couple weeks and instead prioritizing sleep a bit more. It's interesting to think about the concept of levers that are all important-- but can be adjusted to higher or lower levels as we stay in touch with what we need. Not sure if that's exactly what you intended with the phrasing- but it was helpful to me!
Lucid as always. Many cogent observations about the stress reaction and it's adverse impact on cortisol secretion, and how we can convert the stress REACTION into a more conscious stress RESPONSE.
I like that you concisely summarized a selection of antidotes. I'm also hoping that you'll expand on each one. One in particular is the role not only of journaling as a form of self dialog, but that of GRATITUDE and KINDNESS journaling. Reflecting on these regularly alters our mindset in a good way, bringing it into a state of loving kindness. And as we know from Herb Bensons's work on the Relaxation Response and his research with Buddhist monks, there's nothing quite like loving kindness to quell the raging fires of anger and fear.
p.s. I wish you had taught this to me in my first year of med school.
Thank you, Dr. Manion! Very well put. Definitely looking to dive deeper into all of these topics in the future.
I will certainly look into Benson’s work in putting together future articles on mental and emotional health.
I really like your description of hypercortisolemia! I've talked to students a lot of over the years about heightened stress response and how our bodies aren't meant to stay in fight/flight/freeze for long periods of time-- what you present here is just a really clear description of that.
Related to this series about "levers" that you're doing I found myself thinking about the idea of on my run today. I've not been running and doing yoga as much the last couple weeks and instead prioritizing sleep a bit more. It's interesting to think about the concept of levers that are all important-- but can be adjusted to higher or lower levels as we stay in touch with what we need. Not sure if that's exactly what you intended with the phrasing- but it was helpful to me!
Being in sync with our bodies, as you’ve described, is in my opinion one of the most important intangible aspects of wellness.
I love hearing that this has been helpful to you. Thanks Mary Chris!