Stress Response System
Every animal has an automatic stress response system that provides for its survival. These nervous systems provide the necessary responses to danger and meet basic needs.
Humans have one of the most advanced nervous systems in the animal kingdom. We can consciously and unconsciously manage our stress responses, allowing us to solve problems and connect with other humans and animals effectively.
Managing our body’s natural response to stress can improve physical and emotional health.
There are two main parts to our nervous system: parasympathetic and sympathetic.
When we feel safe and connected, we are in our parasympathetic nervous state. We can learn and connect with others.
Our sympathetic state is activated whenever we receive danger signals from the environment—think flight, fight, or freeze. We enter this state whenever we are in danger, or there is a threat of disconnection from other humans.
Passed down through evolution, the engagement of the sympathetic nervous system primarily comes from being in intense hostile environments—think hunting and combat. Though it still serves in those capacities, it can also be activated within more commonplace contexts. Stressful social situations, hard conversations, conflict within close relationships, and slip-ups at work activate this very real physiological response.
The good news is that we can manage and mitigate those responses, so they aren’t so erratic or frightening. Mindfulness and meditative practices are the most effective strategies to learn how to lean into those intense sensations and signal our brains/bodies to a safe, connected state.
