No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on August 10, 2020

We, as homo sapiens, cannot live in fight or flight for long periods of time without it taking a toll on our physical and mental health.

We are learning more and more the mind/body connection. The stress of the mind translates to stress response in the body. 

The stress response can be broken down into three parts, the alarm or the demand on the body (physical or mental), the resistance or the response to the demand by mobilizing resources to solve the problem or issue, and exhaustion when the solution does not work or the solution is not in our power. 

We can cycle fast through this or we can get stuck in a loop. The longer we have to deal with the stress, the more we are taxing our bodies.

The feeling of helplessness doesn’t help in this situation when we have no control over what is happening around us. 

I feel like I am in a permanent crouch waiting for the next shoe to drop and praying it doesn’t drop on top of me and mine.

This is not my first time at this rodeo. After Peter had his stroke, I felt the same way. It is gets better over time, but I still have that niggling dread that something is going to happen to him again. Rationally I know he has a team of doctors making sure he is fine, and he is working hard to stay well. But irrationally I worry.

Right now, the world had battle fatigue. We have been dealing with the virus for almost six months and there does not seem to be an end in sight.

We are collectively tired and angry at the same time.

This past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster of ups and downs. 

The passing of Susan Ellison was a blow. It is hard to even fathom. 

There were some nice things that happen. 

I did get a project to the point I can do something else and not feel guilty. 

But there are still bits and bobs I need to attend to so those are in the back of my head. 

My mind is a whirl. I do have ways to get it to slow down and focus. But if I don’t need to focus, I let it go to work out problems and issues.

I look forward when I don’t feel like I am living in a crouched position trying to decide fight or flight.

But for now I keep saying, “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

I am grateful for those moments of happiness in my life.

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