 We’re driving home from the school bus. My son is eleven. Suddenly, a grisly, hairy, huntsman spider dashes onto the dash. They do that, spiders. Dash. Out of nowhere. Suddenly. Son, who has a serious spider phobia, squeals, shrieks and squirms. “Oh for heavens sake” I mutter, calm cool mum. “It’s only a spider”. There's lots of them around here, it’s bushland. Of an evening they spread their hand-sized bodies on window or wall, fleuro green night-eyes glowing like sci-fi jewels. ACTION STATIONS Here we are, the car and the wriggling, squealing son. The nonchalant mother. As far as huntsmen go, it was quite a small one. I wasn’t too concerned. Until… until! All of a sudden the spider sprints over to my end of the dash. It races down the upholstery towards the steering wheel ... crikey, soon its furry crawly body will be all over my hands! I slam on the brakes, thud to a stop, jump out the door screaming “abandon ship!” Agghhhhhhhh! To this day, my grown son calls the story (amid his hilarity), ‘abandon ship’. RUN AWAY! The story is a good example of the “flight” side of the autonomic nervous system. Flight to escape. Flight as opposed to ‘fight’. (Fight, for goodness sake, who’s about to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a ginormous spider!) 'Fight or Flight' go hand-in-hand in discussions of the stress response. "Flight" in this instance was automatic, instantaneous. And appropriate. I didn’t have to think too much about it; it just happened. APPROPRIATE? But ‘flight’ is not always appropriate. Thing is, in our post-stone age world, the knee-jerk 'flight' aspect of the nervous system is often ... err, stone age. Great for escaping spiders … but look how it carries over to humdrum situations, reaching into our body and keeping our system on high alert. FLIGHT SITUATIONS Less appropriate flight is when we're:
Flight is when we flit into a doorway to avoid the difficult person approaching down the street. It’s in action when kids gaze out the window to escape a boring school lesson. It's when we can't concentrate. It's physically compelling. Flight is not abstract. It reaches deep into our body, sparking electric sensations, confusion, restlessness. Flight is escape. It’s the desperate, undeniable need to run away, leave the premises, whether that premises is an external place or somewhere in our heart and feelings. LEARN TO NOTICE FLIGHT We can teach our self to recognise the sensations of flight. Start to notice how it feels in the body. How it trips the mind. Just noticing, as it's happening, gives you the power to intervene. To chose your response rather than be dumped in it. Learning how to calm the nervous system is helpful. ZIPZAP BRAIN SNAP The new picture book, ZipZap Brain Snap, gives a set of strategies. Implementing strategies when we're triggered avoids getting stuck in urgency long after it’s appropriate. Coz we do: our bodies get stuck in urgency; the nervous system keeps pressing the panic button. We feel continually unsettled. Little hits of flight repeatedly through the day, the week, the years, take a toll. Continued arousal affects our sleep, digestion, thought patterns, self esteem, metabolism. ZIPZAP BRAIN SNAP: MEET THE AMYGDALA A picture book for all age by Shakti A. Burke Find more details here Watch a reading on YouTube here
0 Comments
 I knew it all along. Meditation is the best thing ever (hear, hear!) Travel journalist Brigid Delaney tells us why in her fun-packed travel tome, Wellmania.  pic by Eric Ward, Unsplash
|
| Get inspired to live the good life through the power of rest! Overwork can leave little room for tasting the joy of life. Wouldn't it be great to find a magic bullet for striking the balance between effort, exhaustion and living the life you want? The author/illustrator's effervescent verse and images tease you through the colourful pages, in a picture book for adults teeming with joy, warmth and humour. The perfect gift for the workaholic in your life! |
Categories
All
Anger Management
Circular Thoughts
Home Yoga Practice
Letting Go
Nervous System
NVC
Prolonged Sitting
Self-empathy
Setting Intention
Sleep Well
Standing Desk
Values & Goals
Categories
All
Anger Management
Circular Thoughts
Home Yoga Practice
Letting Go
Nervous System
NVC
Prolonged Sitting
Self-empathy
Setting Intention
Sleep Well
Standing Desk
Values & Goals
RSS Feed