For the stress response to be initiated, your mind must perceive something as a threat. That doesn’t mean that you consciously know there is a threat; in fact, it usually happens subconsciously. Maybe your boss walks into your office without notice, or you are subconsciously aware of a scary man hanging around you at the mall, or maybe things are just hectic and you can’t get it all done on time.
You can use the mind-body connection to turn off your stress response at least some of the time. That’s what some relaxation techniques, like meditation and visualization, do. They convince your mind that there is no threat, and your mind tells the hypothalamus to stop sending out CRF so the response stops. When you know how the mind body connection works, you can use it to decrease and manage your stress.
Your adrenals don’t mount a proportional response, either. It’s an all-or-nothing fight to the death. Your adrenals flood your body with adrenaline, so your heart rate and blood pressure go up, you’re hyper alert–ready to fight off the threat or run from it. Your adrenal glands also secrete cortisol, which helps your body use its energy stores to meet the emergency.
More info on stress
You can use the mind-body connection to turn off your stress response at least some of the time. That’s what some relaxation techniques, like meditation and visualization, do. They convince your mind that there is no threat, and your mind tells the hypothalamus to stop sending out CRF so the response stops. When you know how the mind body connection works, you can use it to decrease and manage your stress.
Your adrenals don’t mount a proportional response, either. It’s an all-or-nothing fight to the death. Your adrenals flood your body with adrenaline, so your heart rate and blood pressure go up, you’re hyper alert–ready to fight off the threat or run from it. Your adrenal glands also secrete cortisol, which helps your body use its energy stores to meet the emergency.
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