Posturegenics

Dr Garde’s 10 Essentials for Optimal life: Gratitude
Number 6 Thankfulness / Gratitude = Stress Reduction

We are all under an almost intolerable stress load. The state of the global economy, the global climate change, what they are doing in Washington, London or – well you pick it – gives a macro background to the more immediate in-your-face stressors in our daily everyday life; economic pressures, relationship challenges, what’s going on at work, job cuts, downsizing, housing, concern for the kids or the parents. The perception of stress causes bio-chemical changes in our body. It creates mental tension. It reduces physical strength and flexibility and causes pain.
There is so much stress that its perception alters our health and wellbeing. There is not a pill, powder, potion or lotion that will get rid of stress. Although people try for relief of stress in unhealthy ways (Alcohol, drugs, self-destructive behavior) it’s all an attempt to feel better by reducing the effects of stress.
Stress just is. It is a fact of life. There are always going to be situations that we perceive as stressful. The fascinating thing is that we can all experience different levels of stress during the same or similar events. When there is physical danger responses are much the same. Our bodies evolved to handle immediate stress challenges to our safety. Stress can be a good thing. We have to be alert and move quickly when there was immediate danger.
Stress gets murky and unhealthy when the stressor is not direct immediate physical damager. An event that might paralyze one person may be the joy-filled life dream of another – speaking in public for example. Stress that continues to affect us over weeks months or years is detrimental and harms more than it helps.
Stress comes from an internal perceived notion that sees specific situations, actions or events past or present and judges them to be good or bad now. Actually, the event just is (or was) and how we feel about it is an internal judgment. It could be a wedding or a funeral; the body experiences the stress and the mind judges it to be good or bad. The mind gets into trouble when it has a difficult time letting go of past stresses, collects them and relives them over and over - a very damaging hobby - take up stamp collecting, it is not so self-destructive.
There are many ways to relieve stress. We can reduce the bio-chemical changes in our bodies with drugs; a better way is with nutrition. Exercise – action – also is a fantastic stress reliever. Take a walk. Sing. Dance. There are numerous imagery and perception techniques available to reduce mental stress.
So there are many ways that are effective in modulating or relieving stress. The most impressive is not a technique at all. It is a way of living. It is finding in your heart the attitude of gratitude.
All spiritual paths practice and observe the connectedness of a good spirit with wholeness (holiness). There are many sources of insightful and inspirational literature and links that speak to this central concept of the power of attitude and perception. It comes from within and it is an essential ingredient to a person’s experience. Without it we can get most other things ‘right’ but we will not be whole.
Prayer, meditation, introspective thought – whatever you want to call it resets the nervous system from Fight or Flight to Restorative mode. (catabolic to anabolic for you physiologists) from tear-down alert vigilance to build-up relaxed repair mode. There is definite physiologic reason to say ‘Grace’ before meals. It resets your digestive system to receive food and absorb it. (Sympathetic nervous system inhibition and para-sympathetic nervous system activation for you physiology geeks.) When you are in an agitated state digestion is shut down and whatever food nutritive value can be garnered from what you gulped down is halved – at best.
Blessing food or whatever is in your life is not an empty gesture, but an aligning process to focus awareness on attracting more of the same energy into your experience. Most people do it unconsciously with unconscious results. It is better to understand and practice this essential element to optimal health.
Several years ago Bret Treadwell taught me a simple yet elegant way to express this attitude (it came from the Huna tradition) I start every day with this thought.
“I am grateful for what I have and I am given what I bless.”