Are we tuning in ?
When we drive long distances listening to the same radio station there is a point where you may need to re-tune the radio to get the frequency again. The sound may become crackly and disrupted pushing you to re-tune the station. Due to the paradigm shift over the past few months in our society, things have changed adjusting to new restrictions and lifting of restrictions, however, are we adjusting to find our own frequency again? Not unlike the re-adjusting of the radio, humans need to re-adjust also. When the car radio goes out of frequency its audible, its hard to listen to and may annoy you slightly. Our emotions don’t have this luxury, stress in particular may not even be noticed until there is a behavioral change or maybe even an outlash. Having the ability to stop and understand how stress affects you can be very beneficial towards your mental health.
A study conducted in 1992 in America, whereby half of sixty-three recently unemployed managers were asked to keep a journal of their deepest feelings and emotions in relation to their recent unemployment. The journal was focused on their emotions and reflections on what they were going through, they were asked to do this for twenty minutes a day. The outcome of the study was that those who kept journals, overall, found a new job faster than those who did not keep a journal.
What this study specifically found was that those who tuned into their stress, were quicker to bounce back, pick themselves up and go again. Having this type of resilience is contributed by an understanding of self, taking ownership, and moving on from the point. Those who may not check in with themselves may be more prone to subtle, but very controlling, stress like symptoms and its features.
Stress has three distinct characteristics, which is Fight, Flight or Freeze, these are evolutionary, and can be predominantly found in our body, our physiology. If we take a step into the animal kingdom for a minute, we will see a gazelle eating grass and all of sudden, they may smell or hear a predator close by. Surprising the Gazella a lion will spring up and give chase to the gazelle, the gazelle will go into flight mode. Heart rate increasing, lungs opening to allow them to breath effectively while they run away from the danger, a type of tunnel vision occurs also allowing decisions to be quick and fast acting.
If the gazelle is unlucky and the lion catches him, the gazelle will have to enter fight mode, where they will kick and use any means necessary to escape the grip of the lion, the same physical responses are similar to the flight mode as the same reactions are required such as ,increased heartrate, tunnel vision and quick thinking . If this tactic is unsuccessful the gazelle may act like it has given up, or go limp, this is the freeze state. If you observe a mouse after being caught by a cat, they may very well do the same thing, they may freeze and when the chance arises, they will try escape.
These responses limit our ability to think clearly and logically, they are a survival instinct and by design impulsive, unconscious, and quick acting.
Relative to us and our current environment, we will have a watered-down version of these stress responses in our daily life. Once we are stressed, we are not going to go limp, or just run out of the office, or fist fight a colleague who may be causing us stress. It does affect us differently, for instance if someone has ever asked you something in a meeting and you froze for a period of time, unable to communicate , this is your freeze response. If your boss has given you a deadline which is unrealistic, this could make you stressed, you could act in an aggressive manner and may start giving out about him/her, fight response. Alternatively, you may start looking for another job, flight mode. A technique used widely in psychotherapy to release people from the fight, flight or freeze response is to get them to tune into their body. Once people are in the freeze mode, they cannot feel their body, if you get the client to tune into their feet, hands, or stomach it releases them. After a while this can get them to think clearly again, in other words, they tune in.
Tuning in is a vital part of wellbeing, whether it is a therapist asking their client to tune into their body to bring them back from re-experiencing a trauma, or a new manager after losing their job. Whatever the frequency, tuning in offers vital observation and knowledge which can be found with just taking note of how you are acting, behaving and what your body is doing. Observing your mindset is a key skill to maintain positive mental health and can benefit in producing productive behaviour.
Within the new world we live in, life is continuously changing with an ever-changing landscape laid out in front of us. What can get lost is a sense of self, a sense of who we are and how we manage. We only really know who we are when we tune in and listen. We might hear that crackling in the radio that needs adjusting again, we do not know. But what is for certain, is when one is lost, the first step is to find their current location this will allow the person to navigate to your chosen destination. Tuning into how stress affects you is the first step in navigating yourself to a happier and more content destination.
Stay safe