
What does stress feel like to you?
Tense
Wired
Drained
Overwhelmed
Stress can be felt in many ways. But what you feel isn’t the whole story, in fact, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
The way you experience a stress response was set upon birth. Were you welcomed with love, warm arms and breast to feed on, and in a tranquil setting? Or was it more traumatic than that? Because if it was the latter and you didn’t get the warm embrace and hug you needed, your nervous system immediately downloads danger, going into survival mode. And so this is now your baseline to which you return from any further experience (think constant fight or flight). There is a body structure called the Schizoid that relates to a child born into an unwelcome/volatile environment. This body type uproots themselves, contracting from the core up into their heads so they are always on high alert. Afraid when there is nothing to be afraid of. Of never really feeling welcome.
So when your baseline is registered in a fight or flight response, at what level do you think your systems are functioning? High alert, maybe?
And the thing with being at high alert as your constant baseline level, you become numb to the small triggers that let you know you need to stop, rest and say no. You lose touch with yourself because you can’t feel yourself. With your stress response set high, all other systems are deemed unimportant which then upsets digestion and more importantly the menstrual health of a woman. The body will always put stress before reproduction and so steals the hormones associated with it (oestrogen, progesterone and many more). With these hormones out of town, you then set the stage for PMS symptoms and issues such as PCOS. These symptoms aren’t normal my darling women, especially the feelings that go with them. These emotions are trying to tell you to take more care of yourself. But that can be difficult to appreciate when you believe you don’t have time for yourself, or that you’re not worth it.
Understanding where your out of date, limiting habits come from gives you the opportunity to choose a different approach. I have seen countless women arrive at my door overwhelmed, drained, angry and confused at themselves for the choices that were made for them in their childhood. By using the many tools I have attained over the years, I support women to physically move into their power through my unique approach of movement and menstrual cycle awareness.
We cannot change the past, but we can rewrite the way we wear it on our minds, bodies and emotions.
If you would like to reclaim your power, feel confident in your body and learn how to alleviate menstrual cycle issues, join me and other great women on the next Prøject Wøman course starting on 20th October by clicking here: https://abiadams.co.uk/courses/transforming-your-relationship-with-exercise/. Or contact me on abi@abiadams.co.uk for 1:1 sessions.
Abi Adams
Prøject Wøman
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