Monday Motivation: CORTISOL IS CRUSHING YOU!!!
As we read about judges being intimated, cities being occupied and a growing movement of chaos all around the world there is something happening within us that we are not even aware of. The truth about reading about the end of all things is that we get a delightful bit of adrenaline. When you spend an hour watching angry minorities kicking and punching people and you feel that tension in your chest your brain is releasing a chemical cocktail into your body to help you deal with what you are seeing and maybe even prepare to fight it off!
Cortisol is designed to help you deal with threats and danger stress. It is part of our response to threats and it also helps metabolize glucose. It is released from the adrenal glands and to be frank, we are addicted to it.
This key hormone in the fight or flight response is responsible for our survival over the eons! We cannot just isolate it and call it a “bad” hormone.
THE PREPPER PROBLEM
While most of society is over stressed preppers in particular have a handle on all the terrors of our world and even the rarest potential terrors. You are lying to yourself if you think this doesn’t effect you. The truth is, we are all over stressed by the burden of better understanding the end of the world.
Stress comes from many sources in our life.
- Open your phone
- Think about work
- Fight with your spouse
- The daily thought process
- Watching a movie or tv
- Money
- Family
- and so on…
It all induces cortisol and adrenaline release. We have become addicted to it and use it to power us through the day. Angry thoughts about those who have done us wrong can be used to get through a tough morning. The problem is we were designed to take a hit from the well of cortisol to deal with a Smilidon and then move on with our day letting our bodies recover.
In this modern age of hyper engagement we never let our systems rest. We can lay in bed and stare into our phones inducing a chemical panic.
Most people are losing sleep and feeling the effects of over stress due to what is happening in our nation.
MITIGATING CORTISOL LEVELS
Cortisol devastates hormone production. In men it can affect things like testosterone production and in women it wrecks the hormonal balance, too! The good news is we don’t want to eliminate cortisol we just need to better manage ourselves to only use it when its needed.
Exercise
Don’t overdue it but understand that reasonable exercise on a regular basis will help balance cortisol.
Command Your Thinking
Be very careful about your internal dialogue. What you say to yourself each day dictates your frame of mind. Most of us exist in a negative space. We argue our motivations and the motivations of others. “why did he do that.” “That’s not how I would have done that.”
You must be more positive in your internal dialogue or even try to just be quiet internally. You don’t need to spend every hour thinking about things.
Really Relax
Put the phone down, turn the tv off and just relax in the sun, in a hammock or in bed. Don’t discount a nap. We rarely relax and rarely sleep well.
Have Fun!
Do something just for fun. No strings attached.
Care for Someone or Something
Kids or pets are excellent for decreasing cortisol. The act of caring decreases cortisol levels naturally.
Eat Healthy
- Green Tea
- Fruits
- Probiotics
- Water
Get them all into your diet. They make a huge difference.
Tend to your Spirit
No matter where you go to bolster spirituality you will find big benefits. I have been coping with the enhanced stress of 2020 through meditation and Buddhism. It really helps with detachment from the existential threat and constant attack.
While the outside world can be very entertaining and stimulating. It seems like the thing you need to pay all your attention to. Your internal system needs more of your focus. You are preparing yourself to go through something historic starting this Fall. Find your balance.
