Change

"Change is good".....have you heard that said time and again?  Not all people agree.  My hubby hears the word "change" and really hopes I'm talking about the coins in my pocket.  Usually I am not.  I love change.  But with change brings stress.  Even if the "change" is a good one and we are able to rephrase "stress" to call it "excitement" it still has a very similar response in our nervous system.  When we are excited and when we are nervous our brain sends messages to our adrenals to release adrenaline.  Our brain also sends messages to our adrenal cortex telling it to release cortisol.  All of these nervous system responses really come in handy when we are running away from lions, which I am sure you are all doing on a daily basis (they are lovingly called children in my household).  These responses are called our fight-or-flight reaction, or sympathetic nervous system, and they are useful in stressful situations because they tell our body to stop wasting time with things like digestion and sexual arousal.  My point is not to just give you a neurological reason as to why your children are ruining your sex lives (darn little lions),  my point is that even if you are happy and excited about changes that are happening in your life it is still important to be aware that the neurological reaction is very similar to "stress" and "stress" takes a toll on our bodies.

We can counteract this flight-or-fight nervous system response by taking some time to sit quietly, slow down, breathe, smile.  This weekend I went to visit my sister and I was there watching as she experienced a very exciting "change" in her life....moving in with her boyfriend.  It was so fun to see them so happy and full of new beginnings.  It was also a change for me and I noticed a little tension in my body as I fought back the feelings of losing her a little.  "Change is good," but, "Change is hard."  I took a seat, took a breath, and did some art and reminded myself that our sister bond is so strong and I am truly not losing but gaining a happier sister and a wonderful new friend.

So I hope that when you are experiencing change, good or bad, that you take the time to nurture yourself and that you find a healthy outlet to get your emotions out and find your breath.  Be Well.