School of Simplicity

1. What is resilience
2. What is stress
3. What happens in our bodies when we get stressed
4. Strategic benefits of practicing relaxation regularly
5. What is illness

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What is resilience

Modern perspective define resilience as a dynamic process of positive adaptation, moving beyond previous ideas that it is simply a fixed trait or the absence of psychopathology. It is a continuous process, developed and shaped by the interaction of your internal state and environment.
While complex in definition, resilience is commonly described as the ability to ‘recover quickly from difficult conditions’ or ‘bounce back’ or ‘maintain positive adaptation in the face of significant stress, trauma and adversity’. This involves maintaining physiological and psychological homeostasis – a dynamic yet stable internal state and individuals employing effective coping strategies, taking actions and seeking support.

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What is stress

Stress is usually thought of as a negative and destructive force in our lives, which can eventually lead to our physical or mental breakdown. The word is itself ambiguous as it is neither bad nor good. We need it for our normal daily activity, but if stress or the stress response becomes prolonged, real problems can occur. We all react to stress in different ways. Some people have mental, physical, emotional or behavioural symptoms or a combination of these.

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What happens in our bodies when we get stressed

Fight/flight mode – stress

Rest and digest – relaxed

Sympathetic nervous system dominance Heart rate increases Mouth dries up Forehead tenses Eyes strain Jaws and teeth are clenched Distresses facial complexion Anger/hostility Perspiration increases Breathing becomes shallow and fast Blood vessels close Skin tightens Increased white blood cells Blood sugar increases Blood pressure increases Bladder relaxes Stomach butterflies/digestive system suspended If you stay in this state for a prolonged period it will lead to exhaustion and depression.

Parasympathetic nervous system dominance Heart rates decreases Breathing deepens and slows Salivation returns to normal Facial muscles relax Pupils return to normal Muscles relax Blood vessels return to normal Blood pressure reduces Blood sugar reduces Production of white blood cells inhibited Sweat glands close Digestion returns to normal Bladder contracts Restful and calm feelings

The stress response is healthy in itself. A completely stress-free life would be mind-numbing and tedious. Too little stress is unhealthy, but too much stress is very bad for our physical and psychological health. The key issue is to learn the difference between the healthy pressure of a challenge, and excessive stress which causes distress and eventually, disease. Everyone’s stress level is different – what is challenging and motivating for one might be overwhelming for another.

You can learn to be aware of your own stress response and then to neutralise it.
Through Autogenic Training, you can learn to reduce the intensity of the body’s stress response,
and replace it with a calmer physiological state in which self- healing naturally begins to occur.

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Strategic benefits of regular relaxation practice

Consistent relaxation practice doesn’t just provide a temporary ‘break’. It actively recalibrates all the systems including the nervous system, leading to profound shifts in how you function.

• Enhanced cognitive clarity and problem solving
  During the practice we enter a state of consciousness – somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness – where we are able to decode the messages of our subconscious mind. By practising regularly, we are able to create our own harmonious internal and external environment. This leaves us more receptive to internal and external signals; allowing unexpected solutions, creative insights, pictures, memories to appear
• Optimised focus
  By decreasing mental ‘noise’, your cognitive functions develop, allowing you to navigate complex tasks and decisions with ease
• Physiological resilience and recovery
  Shifting the body into a restorative state has a profound impact on your physical health. Helping our body and mind achieve a more balanced state also means that our immune system is strengthened, so that when we get ill, we can recover more quickly. Other stress-based conditions such as high blood pressure, digestive and sleeping problems will also improve
• Emergency regulation
  A relaxed mind and body will lead to the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. This is particularly helpful in the case of panic attacks, when being able to control your stress response can mean the difference between coping and being incapacitated
• Being productive
  Practicing relaxation regularly can help you discover that many tasks require significantly less nervous energy that you previously invested; you get more done in less time. A regulated system allows you to remain calm and objective during high-pressure situations, preserving your professional reputation and your health.

Email or phone me for your free 15-minute stress management consultation.

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What is illness

While modern medicine has progressed at an astonishing speed in the 21st Century, we often feel a gap between clinical data and our lived experience. Many physical symptoms are not just a disruption of physiological and psychological homeostasis, but an expression of internal conflict. In this sense, the body acts as a mirror, reflecting the internal state of the mind through physical signals.

Health is the congruence of mind and body. When this systemic harmony is disrupted at the information level, the body carries that message forward as a symptom, calling for our attention. When we feel unwell, we should pause and ask two fundamental questions: What do I need? And what is misaligned? The mind of an overwhelmed person is always searching for specific resources.

Rather than viewing our symptom as an enemy to be supressed or destroyed,
we can view it as a partner – a signal calling for attention, forcing us to be honest,
helping us identify what we truly need to return to balance.