From survival to creation

There’s a theme that I’m finding in people who are transitioning out of a permanent stress response.

There are many scientific (and not) ways to describe this, like:

Moving from survival mode into the present - or the point of creation.

Healing adrenal hyperfunction.

Or healing their nervous system.

Some of us learn to live in a haze of stress and urgency,

putting out fire after fire, and often forget the joy of simply being and sharing that joy with others.

Thence, once you transition out of using negative emotions as your main motivators,

and cortisol as your main source of fuel…

You can notice these two themes.

1. You will feel exhausted.

Your body is craving more peace and anabolism.

It’s been breaking itself down, trying to protect you for a long time.

Now, it’s beginning to feel safe, and it’s going to take the time it requires to rejuvenate and rebuild itself.

You could expect to feel tired early in the evening, craving early nights and a synchronisation with the sun's rhythm.

9+ hours of sleep are ideal.

You will notice that the more you give it what it requires, the more it will reward you with more energy, a better mood and the joy of missing out on what is not truly serving you.

2. Your appetite will increase.

This is particularly true for those who have been chronically dieting ineffectively.

As without being conscious of it, they burn themselves out.

But this can also be true in any of the abovementioned cases.

The body will get its chance to replace the crucial nutrients that have been depleted in survival mode.

And if this is accurate for you, you can expect to gain some weight.

It’s natural and healthier than being attached to an image or approaching nutrition from a mathematical perspective (although there’s a place for that, too).

I’ve had overweight clients who, although on a calorie deficit, could not lose weight.

So clearly, the problem was not there.

Through reading this, you can connect the dots and spot where work had to be done.

Once they did the work to begin signalling safety, and the right amount of nutrients were present, though still at caloric maintenance/deficit, their body did not automatically drop the weight, and in some cases, they gained some.

But then, all of a sudden, almost overnight, they began losing weight rapidly.

Only after their overall well-being index increased.

This is the joy of addressing the root of things.

In conclusion, transitioning from a state of chronic stress to one of well-being and presence is a transformative journey that encompasses both physical and emotional healing.

As we learn to move away from negative emotions and reliance on cortisol, our bodies begin to crave rest and nourishment,

signalling a return to balance through increased fatigue and appetite.

This process is not just about physical recovery but also about rediscovering the joy of being present in the moment and engaging with life in a more meaningful and fulfilling way.

We create dysfunction by following what we think we should do or the narrative that we’ve been told by society and the hustle culture.

I’m not the one to tell you whether this works for you or not; your body and state of being will reflect that to you very accurately.

My best,

Aris