How to cultivate control
Our body has its own defence system called the immune system, which has shown its effectiveness by you being able to read this now. This concept is summarised in scientific circles by the phrase, “It is the strength of the host, and the virulence of the pathogen that determine the severity of infection”. Meaning that while, yes, some infections behave differently and can be easier to pick up or transmit differently, that is only half of the picture.
The other half – “the strength of the host” – that’s the part we have control over. So what can you do to help your mind and body cultivate control and help the world at the same time? Focus on your own immune system.
Stress hormones decrease your immune system function, so much so that they are used therapeutically by doctors to suppress inflammation, i.e. after transplants and in autoimmune conditions. By regulating your stress pathway (HPA-axis), you are doing one of the single most important things for your immune system.
I know what you’re thinking, and no, I’m not just going to tell you to “stress less”. I’m going to show you how you can alter the messages to your brain through physical, chemical and emotional triggers, and ultimately enable your brain to cultivate control and allow your immune system to flourish. It’s all about controlling these triggers...
Physical triggers: We often think of this in terms of just exercise and movement, and while these are absolutely crucial from a brain and hormone level, there is also something else you may not be aware of: posture. When we see someone sitting slouched, as opposed to someone sitting upright and tall, we know the person who is more likely to be feeling better, happier and healthier is the upright person. But why is this?
It has to do with the activation of a part of your brain called the prefrontal cortex. This part of your brain is an absolute gem because it calms down the anxious and fearful part of your brain that triggers your stress response (the Amygdala). So a couple of easy things you can do to improve your posture and activate the good part of your brain are:
Lay on some rolled up towels or full-length foam roller to open up your posture
Avoid push-ups and instead try this alternative
Bonus: Chiropractic adjustments activate the prefrontal cortex – that’s why you can notice changes other than increased range of motion and decreased pain.
Chemical triggers: There is no wonder our food choices and chemicals around us affect our immune system. When we’ve been eating unhealthy food, we tend to get sick more readily. All vitamins and minerals are important for our immune system function, and when we’re talking about food to boost your immune system there is loads of information... What I want you to focus on is removing inflammatory foods that put unnecessary load on and cause dysregulation of your immune system. No surprise that the key players to avoid are wheat, processed sugars and dairy products.
Sometimes we can over complicate our food, so the best thing to do is to go back to basics – make sure you’re getting plenty of variety in colour, fruits and vegetables, some protein and a more natural fats. The aim is for balanced blood sugars because these affect our immune system and create a well-fed microbiome (good bugs in our gut).
Emotional triggers: We are definitely not short of these at the moment. To start with, if you notice you’re being triggered by the news or social media, simply turn it off. You have the remote control, so you have the power to turn it off. If it’s emotional triggers, like still needing to get work done while the kids fight for your attention, your finances have taken a big hit, or something else that is out of your immediate control, I want you to try two things:
Make small goals – like tiny. On your list of goals, write something you have already completed – this is a nice trick to get the momentum going. This could include calling the bank, making the bed, replying to that email stuck in your inbox or getting out and playing with the kids.
Practice compassion for others and yourself. Compassion activates the pre-frontal cortex of the brain and suppresses the stress response. I started to practice compassion by integrating this one thought into my life last year, and as a person that likes to get things done, I can tell you it has helped my relationship with myself and others: “Did I [they], do the best I [they] could, with the tools, environment and knowledge I [they] had?”
We all want life to get back to normal, but the fact of the matter is no one knows when that will be. All we can do is keep calm and control the controllable… which, by now, is more than you think.
By Anthea Todd DC