There are only two weeks left before Election Day on November 8th, and for most people that day cannot come soon enough. According to the American Psychological Association, half of Americans report that the 2016 election has been a source of SIGNIFICANT stress. This is the current reality that most of us are dealing with regardless of which side of the aisle you are supporting.
What can we do about Election stress, or any stress that we encounter?
Luckily for us, the human body is designed to deal with stressors, big or small. Within our bodies, there is an Automatic Operating System (aOS). The sole purpose of the aOS is to organize our systems (i.e. digestive, cardiovascular, and immune) to combat and adapt to stresses that we encounter on a day to day basis.
As an (extreme) example, if you find yourself suddenly locked in a room with a hungry lion, how would your body react in that moment?
Your heart rate would increase, the blood in your body would be directed to your limbs, and your brain would be focused on an escape (flight) or a way to fend off (fight) this hungry threat! Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, would flood your system. This is the flight or fight response of your aOS. When we encounter stress, this system kicks into gear to varying degrees depending on the level of stress that we are under.
Taking care of your aOS, will improve your body’s ability to handle stress. Beyond that, studies show that a higher functioning aOS is linked to increased positive emotions. In other words, your capacity to adapt to stress dictates your capacity to be happy.
What is something you can do today to help you with Election Stress Disorder or any other stresses in your life?
One of the easiest ways to stimulate your aOS is mindful meditation. Meditation balances out the fight or flight responses in the body and promotes rest and healing. You can learn more at our Introduction to meditation class on November 1st. Click here to find out more.
In our office, we offer NeuroStructural Corrections that remove structural obstructions to the aOS. This is often the missing piece of the puzzle in our body’s ability to adapt to stress. With the latest methods of analysis and detection, we can help your body adapt to any season, even Election season.
