Stress, Stop the Madness part 1/ 2
Stress. Distress. Something we all know way too well. Stress is a toxin. Fast paced society, disconnected living, we are inundated with toxins flooding our bodies at an alarming rate - shaping the mind's unbearable ability to handle stress; which is leading to anxiety, depression, among a myriad of problems. Distress can topple you. It can destroy your vessel, your mind and your soul if you do not equip yourself with tools to handle it. We all have bad shit in life at times. And we all have the ability, within, to manage it.
Humans are using vices of modern society today ie. (sugar, drugs, alcohol, all sorts of other addictive habits for escapism or avoidance), including over comforts, which is driving people into deep fears. Making our own lives smaller therefore deepening the feeling of helplessness, and despair. It is no wonder the bad stresses add to decreased health of humans today. And yet, humans wonder why they remain in sympathetic nervous system activation, thereby causing consistent increased cortisol levels, which in turn leads to inability to rest. The vessel has difficulty accessing the vagal tone activation. Where does the madness stop? How many of you recognize these behaviours?
Almost everyone has poor quality sleep habits. Circadian Rhythm is off, and waking up in the middle of night, that pesky 2-3AM wake up due to cortisol misfire, or the tired body, with aches and pains, indicating you didn’t fully recover during sleep. Which is the expected time of rest and recovery time for humans.
Does this sound familiar? You are not alone, and it is not normal. Just because an alarming amount of people have similar patterns, does not make for common poor pattern acceptability. Phew. I have been there. I speak from my personal experience.
The fast paced world is not meant for our Paleolithic DNA. It is like our DNA has paused in time, while the world is getting busy with technology, where everyone is over consumed with gadgets in their hands 24/7. Humans have lost what it is to be present.
Humans resort to over protecting their bodies, while over stressing our minds. With less exposure to outdoors, nature, sunshine, movement, and sedentarism is at an all time high. This in turn is causing metabolic dysfunction - which is the #1 disease today. (so many illnesses are actually linked to this issue). It is a lifestyle illness caused by ourselves. AND… great news, you can change this! We will get to the internal systems in the upcoming blogs, but for the next two blogs, we are discussing stress. You are asking, “what does any of this have to do with contrast therapy?” A f*ck ton. Understanding the “bad” stress is necessary so you can use “good” stress to reduce the discomforts you have.
This isn;t rocket science. It is basic science. With mountains of proven science out there, and as a Certified Thermalist ®, bringing you some understanding, so you can be properly tooled for a better quality life.
There is another stress that when we constantly over strive in our health goals, over attempting to do way too much in the run of a day. Over thinking, over planning and over worrying about the two hour gym time, or that 5th hot yoga per week in how it makes you more tired. That striving for “perfection” which will only render us more stressed. What about the incessant need to count every damn calorie? This stress is just as attacking to the vessel and nervous system. So, even with the purest intention of doing “good” can result in “bad”. This high level of cortisol stimulation is driving people to push harder, not smarter.
The opposite of distress is eustress. The good kind of stress humans require. This is a beautiful challenging stress we place on ourselves so we can handle and adapt to bad stress much easier without damaging our being. However, it is the smart, the wise use of hormetic stress that is crucial. And it is crucial to understand it for yourself, so as not to compete with others. Observing others executing “good” stress (hormetic stress) won't necessarily be wise us., we are all different. Learn about your needs first, then be smart in how you use “Good” stress.
Now that we learned to stop giving away control of our health, (Loss of control is another form of distress), let us talk about “good” stress,( eustress.)/ (Hormesis). How does all this tie into contrast therapy you ask? Hang tight. You first have to learn to walk before you run.
Bad shit will never go away. But, learning how to handle distress and how it attaches to your body, mind and soul, is easier than you may believe. Over time humans have become way over comforted with chosen lifestyles. They are guarded by the “ease” of life, such as fast foods, quick promises to fixes that do not work, and being stuck in the head. Body receives the toxin attachments by overloading from the disconnection and disuse of the physical self. As humans age today, “believing” that inflammation, body aches and pains, and lack of mobility and structural changes are normal. Not the real truth.
Humans also believe that sensitivity to cold and heat is normal. Not to be normalized, please. This normalization is only true to those who allow it and thus do nothing to prevent the downward trajectory. Stop this madness. Stop making aches, pains, cold extremities, and sensitivities to extreme temps and weather, a normal unnecessary conundrum. And this whole business of Raynaud's syndrome… yet another excuse to not do the work. ( this is vascular weakness… more on this in an upcoming blog).
Humans are mammals. Mammals are exceptional creatures, but will perish far too quickly when the stresses and toxin loading outway the basic necessities to live hardy fulfilling lives. For me, Eustress,(good stress) is what called me back to self, time after time. I use the five hormetic stress components regularly.
Eustress is placing our bodies in the right kind of pressure that provides exceptional benefits. This is called Hormetic Stress. There are five crucial types we humans (mammals) require. They can be in combination for certain health benefits, and or practiced alone or tandem: based upon your needs. This is largely what I do as a Certified Thermalist ®. I have a great understanding of Hormetic stress with emphasis on #1, 3 and #4 in my practice. Even though they sound easy, they most certainly are not. Because it is HOW you use them that makes the difference. Especially if one or more of these are new to you.
FIVE states of Hormesis:
Breathing - Breathwork, and regular breathing - most people do poorly.
2.Resistance Training - movement beyond NEAT ( Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) - like daily duties, gardening, fidgeting, walks - The human body needs strength training.
3.Contrast Therapy - moving the body between cold/ heat - The word “SAUNA” includes cold. Just ask any Finnish person who is connected to roots.
4.COLD Therapy - Thermogenesis (we will discuss this soon enough)
5. Fasting
These are the staples. You may be reading this list saying, “No big deal” I’ll just do these… The problem is that too much of a great thing can turn bad very quickly. And not understanding when or how to use these Hormetic Stressors when you are not in connection to your being is the issue. Which in turn can hurt you and your Nervous System. HOW to use Hormesis will depend on YOU. What is your starting point, and the right consistency is key.
Next week…. We will dive deeper into Hormesis - most especially contrast therapy, breathing and cold therapy. I will break down a scenario for you, to help you gain understanding of stress. As I have shared, understanding the vessel and the mind is crucial to the best defense system, to bring you on your way to a healthier, balanced (homeostatic) “you”.
See you next Thursday.
Thank you
In Good Health,
Denise Tompkins
Certified Thermalist ®
Element Outdoor Sauna
