Category: Uncategorized

Let’s talk about stress.

Over the past half decade or so, stress has gotten a majorly bad rap.  Levels of anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and general stress are higher now than they have been since 2020 when lockdown happened. I recently heard a news broadcast in which the announcer was saying that of thousands of Americans that were polled on the importance of this last week’s election, 87% believed they would suffer serious post traumatic stress if their candidate did not win. Only 10% of those participants said that they were not worried. I’ve seen and spoken to many that are worried and heartbroken and some that are elated that Trump won, but whichever side of the political arena you happen to have voted, the unpleasantness and misinformation displayed by both parties over the last months – and the extremity of media coverage – has been difficult for most.  

Americans are also contending with a rapidly increasing cost of living, leading to a decrease in quality of life.  This is compounded by an overall decrease in health with diseases such as autoimmune disorders, diabetes, infertility, and cancer on the rise.  Then there are environmental toxins and stressors such as pollution, depleted minerals in our soil and chlorine and fluoride in our water.  Added to that we have the “typical American diet” which consists of an overabundance of sugar and highly refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and oils, and chemicals that should never be in our foods in the first place.  

It’s no wonder that many of us feel overwhelmed and burnt out.  

When the body is in a state of elevated stress or “fight or flight”, a number of hormones are released into the bloodstream:

• Adrenaline(epinephrine)/norepinephrine:  Both increase heart rate and blood pressure, expediting the release of energy from the cells. 

• Cortisol –  affects nearly every organ and tissue in the body.  It is vital for regulating the body’s stress response, regulating blood sugar and blood pressure, influences the metabolism and immune function as well as the way the body uses fats, proteins and carbohydrates.  

• Growth hormone(HGH) increases glucose and free fatty acids in the bloodstream.  

• Thyroid hormones – increase heart and basal metabolic rate.

Every mammal produces these necessary chemicals; vital for survival in the wild.  This evolutionary design is optimal for short, occasional bursts of these hormones – for those times that we may have been chased by a hungry predator, or when we needed to make rapid decisions for the good of the tribe.   In the wild, as soon as an animal is safe after a fight or flight episode, the basal rate of these hormones drop to pre-emergency levels. 

In the short term, stress can also help us achieve greater success in our lives from the boardroom or the bedroom.  In “normal” conditions and doses, hormones such as adrenaline, norepinephrine and the secondary “stress” neurochemical, dopamine, help us to:

• move faster
• increase energy
• think more clearly
• focus longer 
• increases metabolic and immune function, and even temporarily, sexual function
• focus intensely and seemingly “slow” time

If we harness the power of these neurotransmitters well, stress can help us to start that business, go on an adventure, ask for that raise or that date, complete important deadlines and more.  Adrenaline and cortisol can also get us through emergency situations.

Most of us have had at least one emergency situation in our lives where we experienced greater focus and cognition or speed and strength as a result of this mechanism, allowing us to get through that situation better than we might have thought possible.  I’ve had several throughout my life, but a couple of years back, I had one such situation that perfectly illustrates this phenomenon:

I was driving in the carpool lane through the Tacoma area of Washington at night.  It was raining and traffic was heavy, but everyone was moving smoothly around 70 mph.  I experienced that “prickling” sensation that something was wrong right before I realized there was a tow truck parked at a complete stop with no lights on, in the middle of the lane ahead of me. I was driving right around 70mph and less than 100 feet away when I saw it.  I had only seconds to calculate an opening in nearly bumper to bumper traffic of the next lane, big enough for a full-sized sedan in heavy traffic.  As my system flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, I had the sense of everything slowing down and my focus narrowing as I slid over into the next lane with what felt like just inches between a full sized truck in front and a motorcycle behind.  If I had been just seconds slower, I would have died horribly, likely along with many others on the freeway that night.  So thank goodness that we have such powerful neurochemicals and hormones at our disposal when we need them. 

As mentioned earlier, in occasional doses, stress can be a valuable and powerful ally.  But in our modern society, we often have a near-constant drip of these chemicals as stress becomes prolonged or chronic.  When this happens, the very hormones that can be a medicine in the body and brain become a poison.  Dr. Tara Swart, (@drtaraswart) a neuroscientist and senior lecturer at MIT, describes cortisol as an especially corrosive agent to nearly every aspect of the body.  In chronic exposure and excessive quantities, cortisol has a host of terrible effects in the body and brain:

• Is highly inflammatory 
• degrades immune function
• causes weight gain; especially around the belly.  
• lowers blood supply to the brain, causing impairment of higher neurological function and reasoning processes, creativity and flexible thinking.  This also impairs our ability to access our intuition/heart-gut-brain axis and override pre-set cognitive bias.  
• leaches essential magnesium from the body, impairing the nervous system.  This can cause tremors, muscle weakness, low energy, eye twitching and body odor. 

Over time, these elevated levels of stress hormones and inflammatory markers can turn on genetic predispositions for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and age-related disease such as dementia.   When we turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as pornography, alcohol or drugs, the excess of neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the system can actually lead to significantly lower levels of dopamine and serotonin in the system, leaving us feeling depressed and unmotivated. 

What all of this means is that it is more important than ever to learn to harness “good” stress and learn ways to reframe and decrease our perceived stressors, anxiety and unhappiness.  We need to increase our “ happiness baseline” to live longer, healthier, more satisfying lives.  

There’s not much we can do about environmental pollutants, but most of us know the basics of self care for the body –  limit alcohol and cigarettes, drink clean water and eat a clean diet (to the best of our ability) and get enough sleep each night (7-8 hours is so important. This is when the body and brain heals) and exercise each week to keep our bodies in good condition. 

But if we take our self-care a little further to really mitigate long-term detriment, improve our overall quality of life and even extend our life span, there are a few basic habits we can incorporate into our daily or weekly lives to minimize chronic levels of stress hormones.  

Acceptance: Noticing negative thought patterns such as “what’s wrong with me/them/the world” and allowing whatever is, just to be.  

Gratitude:  Gratitude is an amazing neurochemical reset.  Just feeling fully thankful for five small things each morning and/or evening before bed can create what seems like truly magical change in our stress levels and day-to-day mindset.  According to Harvard Medical School, gratitude not only is strongly associated with greater happiness but also improves health, our ability to deal with adversity and build better relationships.  

Mindfulness.  Spending even five minutes each day being fully present in the moment and the body can induce improved well-being, reduce reactivity and improve behavior regulation.  

Meditation: learning to quiet the mind has too many benefits to list, but reducing stress and anxiety, increasing compassion, adaptability and self-awareness are just a few of the amazing rewards of regular practice.  

Breathing:  Deep breathing triggers the bodies’ relaxation response.  When feeling overwhelmed, doing a breath work “reset” :  One long breath followed by one short breath through the nose, hold for four seconds and exhale for 8.  Repeat 3-4 times.  Deep breathing as a daily practice increases oxygen and blood to the brain, increases energy, lowers blood pressure, and can lengthen life span.  Yoga is my favorite way to combine exercise, breath work and mindfulness in a “moving meditation”, but just spending a few minutes each day practicing deep, mindful breathing can dramatically improve health and emotional well-being. 

Exercise: Dr. Andrew Huberman; neuroscientist, Stanford lab researcher and podcaster @hubermanlab speaks often of the positive value of exercise – the most recent studies show that humans need a minimum of 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular exercise to maintain good health.  

Spending time outdoors.  Spending that time in nature is especially beneficial for our physical and emotional health as we absorb vitality-increasing negative ions from the earth, trees, plants and water.  Exposure to the sun is vitally important, too.   We should get at least twenty minutes of direct sunlight on our eyes and skin each day.  The UV and vitamin D that we get from sunshine increases immune function, regulates blood pressure, improves mood and energy levels and can significantly improve cognitive function. 

Hot baths: Calms the nervous system.  Can improve sleep.  Increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure.  A 20-year study of over 30,000 people in Japan found that those who bathed daily were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and have a stroke.  Bathing also relieves muscle soreness, and even moreso when we replenish lost magnesium during times of increased stress with a soak in magnesium flakes or salts. We absorb magnesium better through our skin than we do when taken internally.  An hour in 104 degree water can also burn calories and lower blood sugar, much like the benefits of a sauna.  

Cold exposure.  Brief (1-5 minutes) cold plunges/showers increases levels of dopamine in the system for up to six hours after. (!). That’s big benefit for brief discomfort. 

Vagus nerve exercises: (nerves in sides of neck that control parasympathetic nervous system) Sing, chant, hum, laugh- vocal cords connect to the vagus nerve.  Neck and shoulder massages.  Rubbing both sides of neck in downward motion flushes lymphatic system and stimulates the vagus nerve at the same time.

Aromatherapy:  one study published in the national Institute of health clearly states that “Olafaction can affect emotions, higher functions, in the autonomic nervous system”.   Lavender, chamomile, rosemary, peppermint, jasmine and citrus have all been shown to calm the nervous system, but many of us have certain scents that just make us feel good or trigger happy memories.  For me, the smell of coffee is one of them – not only do I love good coffee, but as a child and young adult, my grandmother’s house almost always smelled of coffee and baked goods so that positive association greatly adds to my level of pleasure and happiness each time I brew a cup.

Self-care is highly personal, of course.  To some, spending time with friends or family feels deeply affirming, to others, quiet time on their own is the best form of self-care.  I like to have a balance of both, but whatever fills your cup and helps you to center, do that.  Along with a few of the aforementioned stress relieving, nervous-system regulating items above, perhaps.😌

To learn more on how confronting and harnessing stress can lead to greater levels of success and overall satisfaction with life, read my blog “Into the Chaos”.  

If you are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, stress, or are experiencing self-sabotage in your life, NLP and Hypnotherapy are current, proven, cutting-edge technologies that can help you pinpoint pre-set neurological programs and patterns of behavior that may be keeping you in a state of despair or chronic overwhelm.  Through proven techniques and regular practice, we can re-code outdated and unhelpful programs and provide usable tools to regulate and re-balance the nervous system, creating a happier, healthier life of self-creation.  

For more information on any of the modalities mentioned in this blog, to participate in a three-day online re-creation workshop, or to arrange a private, one on one online or in-person hypnotic healing consultation, drop an email to terahrose.catalyst@gmail.com or feel free to look me up on social media at https://www.instagram.com/blessedisthissacredlife 

Big love.💖

• Terah

You are not a victim.   

This is so important I’ll say it again.

YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM.  

You are here to be an empowered creator in this time space reality.  

We all have the choice and ability to be reactive to any circumstance or to respond to any circumstance.  This begins with acknowledgment of our personal power in this world, and follows with a willingness to take responsibility for whether we respond or react to those events, circumstances, and people that may feel challenging or difficult.

With all that is happening here in the states and in the world beyond, it can be easy to forget this.  Sometimes, situations in our environment may seem so vast and unchangeable that we feel we don’t have any control – and that can be a frightening thing.  The amygdala; a primitive part of the brain responsible for identifying threats and processing emotion – particularly negative emotions such as fear or anger – tells us that we need safety, and safety equals familiarity.  Control.  

But this need for safety tends to create a strong confirmation bias, rather than an ability to see facts through the lens of rationality and heart-based understanding.  It can become easy to ruminate on these difficult circumstances to the point of anxiety and overwhelm.  We can become so accustomed to this state of being that we literally become addicted to the constant flow of hard-hitting neurochemicals such as cortisol and adrenaline that are produced by this negative state of mind. 

This constant state of survival and “fight or flight” cuts us off from the coherence available to us when we have access to the synergy of the brain/heart/gut axis. Our heart and gut has neurons just as the brain does, and it is only when we are calm and in our center that we can gain access the wisdom that can be found in the free flow of information between these three thinking and feeling centers.  But when we are stuck in the brain, we unwittingly allow ourselves to become a victim of our primitive brain. 

But we don’t have to stay there.  

Responsibility = the ability to respond with reason.  When we take responsibility for how we respond to the world around us, we empower ourselves to live from a place of greater wisdom and self-creation.  You are not a victim to any circumstance in your life.  Not your financial situation, your relationships, your employment, your health, the current political situation or anything else you can dream up – but sometimes, we need a little reminder and help to override our anxiety and overwhelm and get back to coherence and alignment with who we truly are.  

I like to follow a “4-R” rule when I am beginning to feel overwhelmed or anxious about things beyond my control:  

1. Reset.  I do a quick breathing exercise to reset my parasympathetic nervous system.  One long breath in, followed by a short breath to completely fill my lungs and diaphragm.  I hold for a slow count of four followed by a slow exhale; usually with a count to eight.  Repeat two more times.  This combination of nervous system override and mindfulness on the count takes us back to our baseline of centeredness and calm.  

2. Reflect.  Is there anything I can do right now to change my circumstance?  If yes, forward to #4: I take action.  If no, let it go.  Another important question to ask is this: If I knew the situation would not change in my near future, what would I need to do to find a sense of safety and peace within the space of my current reality?  Is there a way I can find greater compassion/empathy/understanding/kindness for the person/people or situation?  Do I need to give myself more of the same to be at peace? 

This leads right into the third “R” –

3. Reframe.  Is there a lesson within this difficult situation that can help me grow?   What is the good I can find in this situation?  How can I be grateful for some aspect of my current circumstance?  There are many studies on how powerfully learning to reframe our lives can increase the quality of our lives and overall level of happiness.  

And finally, back to the most empowering thing we can do for ourselves and our lives:

4. Responsibility.  What action can I take to make a positive impact on my situation and life?  We don’t need to take big action – small, daily changes can have huge long-term impact.  Maybe it’s better self-care, or doing something that helps others.  A daily meditation and/or gratitude practice, even five minutes when you wake and before bed, can be life-changing.  Sometimes we need to find greater grace and forgiveness for ourselves or others – I’d highly recommend checking out my earlier post on Ho’oponopono; the Hawaiian practice of forgiveness.  It’s a gorgeous way to let go of past hurts and heal.  Believe me, it works. 🥰

If you are struggling with all that seems wrong in the world today, I feel this deeply, too.  But though things may seem bleak, life is still just as wonderful as ever, if you can just look away from the train wreck that is happening in certain arenas of life to notice the beauty beyond the distraction.  You may not be able to alter the course of history, but you have authority and power over how you view, create, and live your own life.  I hope the “4-R” technique I developed to keep me in my own place of authority and calm may help a little in your own remembrance of who you are and your ability to shape a life according to what brings you joy.  

F#ck the fear and disempowerment that seems to be being taught in the media and political world, In dysfunctional relationships and those that still live from a place of fear or devaluation. 😤. You deserve so much better.  Believe it.✨

Big love.💖

• Terah 

I came across a video this morning in which a preacher was talking about those seasons in our lives that we feel isolated, removed from much of life.  He said it was in those times that God has separated us in order to give us time without distraction to learn to listen better, to grow more, and to put us on our best path. 

I resonated with the overall idea of the message. We all have seasons where we need to step back, reassess, and learn to redirect our energies to better reflect a new, hopefully healthier way of being.

Tbh, the religious aspect of the message was harder to swallow. The typically religious idea of God being a male entity who sits in the heavens judging people, ready to bring about the end of the world in fire and brimstone any day now.  Humans create that bullsh#t. 

My belief is that whatever the higher intelligence that we humans call “God” is something so much more vast than we could possibly conceive of – the vastness of the unified field . In quantum physics, the Unified Field is the non-visible field of information of All That Is and every dancing molecule can connect. The fabric of reality, if you will; A cosmic force; an intelligence that is in every single atom of existence. The direct experience of this connecting force is available to us every moment, if we just slow down enough to listen.

The problem is, we more often choose to see ourselves as separate.  We don’t take the time to tune in to the highest part of ourselves; the part of our Self that is always connected to all the wisdom, the magic, and the love of All That Is. The governments and ultra wealthy of the world that hold power tend to perpetuate this idea so that we remain passive, suppressed and repressing our personal power.  As a result, we live in a state confusion, of dis-ease, of un-healing and resign ourselves to a life where we feel powerless and distracted, a victim of our circumstance rather than a deliberate creator.😞. 

This is where the idea of the Hermit – being deliberately removed and/or isolated from all that distraction – comes in.  Did you know that when a caterpillar builds his cocoon, he doesn’t just sprout wings and fly away as a butterfly?  He (or she) completely dissolves into a dark miasma of DNA slime, and rebuilds itself DNA strand by strand, to become the gorgeous (and apt) symbol of transformation that most of us love.  

Sometimes, if we are lucky, the Universe conspires to give us just such an opportunity; to remove us from those distractions, external voices and influences that keep us from breaking down those old, unhealthy parts of ourselves to heal from hurts and wounds from the past that we may have been using distractions or coping mechanisms to mask. 

Like the caterpillar, we have to take ourselves out of our current environments in order to heal. To better connect to and receive the wisdom of our higher Self and the Field. When we have connected with All That Is, we are better able to co-create this reality. We learn to discover our own magic and shape this reality to a creation that makes us happy and satisfied.

Whether it is by deliberate choice or by circumstance, we are given the opportunity to learn to become quiet to listen.  To become still, to better hear the wisdom that was always there, just waiting for us to tune in.  This process can feel difficult and lonely at times, but the more we learn to value and appreciate ourselves, the more we enjoy the experience of our own company – and that of Source.  

When we finally do emerge from what may have felt like exile, we just might be unrecognizable from the person we were when we went entered.  As a result, we might lose people that we have known for ages, if we no longer resonate in the same frequency that they have remained in.  But eventually we draw those folks who are more aligned with this healed and upgraded version of ourselves.

On the other side of our isolation is also peace.  Better health.  Greater energy, creativity, intuition, emotional intelligence, and an ability to step out of the “victim” mentality to  take accountability for every aspect of our lives, enabling us to self-create a life tha draws to us those people and circumstances that more accurately reflect who we have become.  

And that can only be a good thing, right?  

Big love.💖

• Terah

This one may be a hard pill to swallow.  If you find yourself reacting to these words, there just might be a reason for your response- but please read to the end to understand the full concept.💙

We break ourselves.

We want to believe, as we get older and begin to give up on the idea of happiness, of abundance, of wholeness, that we have gotten to this point of embitterment because “life” has made us this way.  We blame our exes, our environment, our childhood, our career – or anything else except ourselves – that we have lost faith in life.  Lost hope in the idea of happiness.  Of love.  

But the truth is, the idea of “fault” is a lie.  

There is no fault in any aspect of our lives; only programs and belief systems that began before most of us can even remember.   As children, most of us are in some way exposed to people or environments that teach us that we will be disappointed with life.  

Our parents don’t know how to show us unconditional love, because they weren’t taught, themselves. So we grow up not knowing or understanding how to love others – or ourselves, well. 

 Our well-meaning grandparents teach us to “stay in our lane”; to be a plumber instead of an astronaut, a receptionist instead of a ballerina, a doctor or lawyer instead of a creative genius who invents, or paints, or builds worlds in video games for a living.  

We feel the disapproval of the adults in our lives when we try to explore beyond the boundaries of the world that is safe and familiar to those around us, so we stop exploring and stop expecting amazing things to happen for us.  

Or perhaps our parents had “lack” mentality, so we grow up with a poverty mindset;  spending every dime and farthing we get because some part of us believes there will never be enough.  

We carry these programmed beliefs systems; this neurological wiring, into adulthood.  Our primitive brain, the amygdala, takes this wiring and creates a map for us to follow; conceivably until we die.

We get the degree or the job/career our families expect and replace simulation with safety.  

We marry the “easy” partner, and replace passion, authenticity, and adventure with approval and comfort.  It seems  better to have the perceived acceptance of our families and our society than take the chance on those things that feel unfamiliar.  

Or, if we have abandonment issues because we had emotionally unavailable caregivers as children, we repeat those neurological programs that tell us that we will always be disappointed with those we care for.   

We spend our entire lives attracting to us those people and experiences that will enforce ourlearned “truths”.  We find personal relationships with others that have similar wounds and play out the cycle again and again, until we finally figure it out and begin to allow ourselves to be in safe relationships where we can find real intimacy and vulnerability.  

Or we don’t.  And we wonder why depression and anxiety are rampant…

The problem is, often these unhealthy and even harmful behaviors lead us to hold depression and shame because we can’t “get it right”; fill in the blank for whatever “it” seems appropriate for you. 

The shame keeps us from acknowledging the very programs that we could rewire, if only we were willing to take a deep dive into the root of those subconscious processes. This shame gets “triggered” by what we might perceive as someone else’s disapproval or judgement and we go right back into those self-sabotaging behaviors and beliefs.  And so the cycle continues, perpetuating itself, Ad infinitim.  

But it is when we begin to have curiosity about and take radical responsibility for every behavior, decision and action that may be inhibiting our growth or happiness that we are able to actually start to create a life of personal authenticity and happiness; a life based upon who we are as individuals rather than what our childhood taught us to believe about ourselves, reality, and what is truly possible.  

Artist: Yusupova Jema

I’ve said it before because it’s true – the process can be incredibly difficult; even painful.  It’s deciding to take the red pill.   Sometimes we have to tear apart a life that is unsatisfactory in order to build a foundation based upon a healthier belief system.  It can get messy. We may lose people, careers, and lifestyles either for a little while – or forever –  because we become unfamiliar to those past realities.  We no longer have the similar behaviors and beliefs that kept you connected.  People will often fear or resent your growth.  It can get lonely, for a bit.

But those that truly want us to be happy will support you on your journey, and we begin to attract others who more accurately reflect your newfound authenticity.  Perhaps just as importantly, you will begin to enjoy your own company.  As you unearth lost parts of yourself, you might even begin to fall in love with those parts of your identity that you had forgotten.🥰

Growth can be frightening.  Your primitive, survival-based brain will literally produce hormones – neurochemicals – that will make you fearful, frustrated, and uncomfortable when you begin to move out of old, outdated ways of thinking and being.  Most will never even start the process.  It’s “easier” to live a life of survival or complacency.

But if you are still reading this, there must be some part of you that dreams bigger.  That wants to live a life that feels like living rather than waiting until death finds you.  Maybe you have already begun thinking of the possibility of happiness; of creating a life of connection and fulfillment.  If you are, beautiful one, I hope you can believe that you deserve it.  Truly.  We all do. 

 If you have begun or are ready to confront the “monsters under the bed” of your outdated or faulty subconscious processes, I am so proud of you.  It might feel frightening or discouraging at times, but you will get the other side with a greater capacity for growth and creation than perhaps you would have imagined.  I wish you the greatest joy and a life that feels on-purpose – and I hope I will be there with you as you take that journey into the unknown.  

Big love.💖

• Terah