Day 159: When the Nervous System Mistakes Change for Danger
I've noticed that the feeling of safety has been coming up a lot the last few days.
Our nervous system needs to feel safe to stop pumping cortisol and other stress hormones, thinking we are in fight or flight when we really aren't.
Our mind has to feel safe for us to be able to think calmly and reasonably instead of reacting to things that may or may not be true for us.
Our body needs to feel safe for us to be able to relax and get a good night's sleep.
To allow for the ebb and flow of our ever-changing world and the shifts in our lives, we need to feel some degree of safety.
Moving the motorhome to the other side of the park, it feels different.
I'm more apprehensive and I'm not sure why.
My intuition is telling me to lock the door. It could be because I don't know my surroundings over here.
There's a lady with a big dog that barks behind me and 2 big scary dogs in front of me.
Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm worried about the safety of my two small dogs.
When we have a nebulous feeling of something not being quite right, it heightens our awareness for a good reason.
We need to pay attention and keep asking ourselves where this is coming from.
Is it a current danger or does this trigger something from the past.
If it's current, we need to be aware. If it's something from the past, once we recognize it for what it is, we'll know if it's still valid or if we can lay that one down.
In 2002 I was walking my two Yorkies when we were attacked by two loose Australian Shepherds.
We were walking on the scenic path right across the street from my house that we walked at least twice a day.
It happened so fast, in a blink of an eye. My baby boy almost died from his injuries. The vet said it was a miracle he was alive.
It traumatized me and still influences my level of awareness every time I am outside with my dogs today.
That's physical safety. And that is one of the base emotions we need to satisfy before we are able to really move up the line to better feeling emotions.
Our nervous system deals with our physical and mental safety.
Our thoughts are what feed our nervous system.
This morning I read a quote from Louise Hay that says, "I feel safe in the rhythm and flow of ever-changing life.
And that really struck me because constant change is something we feel mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Because I go back and forth from the motorhome to the condo, the first night back in either place I can wake up at some point and while my eyes are still closed think I am in one place, only to open my eyes and realize I'm in the other.
It's disorienting at first because it's unexpected.
And my mind initially alerts my body, "something isn't right here."
And then I fully wake up and everything is fine.
Little things like this happen all day long and we aren't aware of them.
Part of the job of our minds is to keep us safe at all times.
That's why it wants to keep everything the same, known and familiar.
And that's the problem, because life doesn't work that way.
Very few people live in the same house their whole life, doing the same work, with the same life partner, doing the same activities, eating the same food, hanging out with the same people.
Life is change.
We can learn to feel safe enough internally to allow change without interpreting every unfamiliar feeling as danger.
Today's Gentle Practice
Pay attention today to any moment where your body or mind reacts as if something is unsafe.
Before immediately believing the feeling, gently pause and ask yourself:
"Is this a current danger, or is this an old pattern being activated?"
Not every feeling of discomfort means something is wrong.
Sometimes your nervous system is simply reacting to unfamiliarity, change, or uncertainty because it's trying to keep you safe.
Take a breath and ground yourself in the present moment.
Remind yourself that unfamiliar does not automatically mean unsafe.
The more emotionally safe we become within ourselves, the more gracefully we can move through change.
With you,
Lynn
