Hannah Rasmussen, NTP

Our brain takes the path of least resistance

What do I mean by that exactly? ⁣⁣
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Well, in short, it means our brain as learned responses and will default to those if we don’t purposefully change them. ⁣⁣
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However we have responded to a situation or stressor (physically, emotionally, hormonally) in the past will quickly become the default way we continue to respond in the future unless we interrupt that pattern and press reset! ⁣⁣
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🚗 Let’s take a classic example of sitting in traffic...since, be honest, it raises everyone’s BP a little. ⁣⁣
- you take the same main road to work every morning and most of us have it timed down to the minute of typical commute time, but sometimes there’s more traffic than usual. You need to be to work like 𝐍𝐎𝗪 and you’re barely moving... What happens then? ⁣⁣
‼️ Our blood pressure starts to increase ⁣⁣
‼️ Our brain triggers cortisol (stress hormone) release to deal with the flight or fight mode our emotions are putting us in⁣⁣
‼️ We start to worry, have anxiety, feel rushed or other similar feelings ⁣⁣
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- 𝘕𝘖𝘞 we take that SAME road on our day off, maybe on a grocery run, and there is traffic. You don’t have a time constraint per say, but you’re still stuck in traffic... what happens this time? ⁣⁣
⁣🧘🏼‍♀️ 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺, not a big deal, we can stay calm right?! ⁣⁣
⁣❌ Wrong! The response on this road to traffic is the response your brain knows. The path of least resistance. ⁣⁣
- So now you’re stressed, anxious, possibly angry and flooded with cortisol when it really isn’t necessary. ⁣⁣
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We were never meant to stay in a continuous loop of stress! Your body doesn’t like being flooded with stress hormones constantly... 𝘱𝘴𝘴𝘵: 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 👵🏼 ⁣⁣
⁣So what can we do? ⁣⁣
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Let’s go back to the traffic example... I can promise you your heated glares, possible cuss words, and heightened anxiety is NOT going to make the cars move any faster! 😤 ⁣⁣
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So, one idea that is a better use of your efforts in this situation or any other stress inducing scenario, is to practice deep breathing techniques. These slow down your breath and help calm the body’s hormonal stress response activated by your emotions.

Life is such a fast-paced, stress-inducing, whirlwind attempt at getting ahead and achieving X, Y, & Z; it’s no wonder our health problems are so rampant! ⁣
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We have turned all aspects of our lives into a series of transactions where each part of our day can be reduced to checklist accomplishments. ⁣
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Go to work ✅ ⁣
Eat lunch ✅ ⁣
⁣⁣⁣Pick up kids ✅ ⁣
Fix dinner ✅ ⁣
Go to bed ✅ ⁣
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The problem in this “just get through the day”, “get through the checklist”. Rinse. Repeat. lifestyle we have: preoccupation with accomplishing the goals outweighs healthy perspective. ⁣
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🚫 Spending time with your family shouldn’t be something on your checklist. ⁣
🚫 Going to the gym shouldn’t be something on your checklist. ⁣
🚫 Eating a meal shouldn’t be something on your checklist. ⁣
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Why? 🤔 ⁣
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Because then there’s no purposeful thought, feelings, or emotions in these things. It’s purely a task to check off. ⁣
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🍲 Eating a meal should involve thoughtful preparation, gratitude for the food, & a parasympathetic state of being to properly prepare the digestive system for the food. ⁣
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🏋🏽‍♂️ Going to the gym should involve knowing what workouts are good for your body’s personal needs, not your neighbors. Excitement & gratefulness for your body’s abilities. Knowing if a rest day is needed versus just going through the motions, and variety. ⁣
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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Spending time with family should involve spontaneity, joy, servitude, humility and purposefully being present in the moment. ⁣
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This is so important because in putting accomplishments and completion of tasks on a pedestal, we have created a constant state of internal stress keeping our bodies in a sympathetic state more than they were ever intended. So many of our health problems stem from this very fact alone! ⁣
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Stop treating life like a serious of transactions or tasks and become more conscious of yourself when going through the day. This also helps us know when it’s time for a little self-care & makes it easier to give ourselves permission to pause. ⁣
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