When we experience traumatic experiences our nervous systems make a big deal about them for years after even though the danger is long past. Here is an example of my own life.
In my time of being chronically ill, there was one day when I was getting blood drawn. Something got really messy with my heartrate which ended in the tech with urgent authority saying, “we need to get you to the ER." My head was bobbing, and I was loosing feeling in my limbs from my heartrate being dangerously high. And so began the host of tests on this new part of my body that decided to act up. The feelings of that experience were imprinted into my nervous system. After that day i struggled and struggled to get bloodwork done.
Every time I walked back into that place, my subconscious mind was thinking we were walking into that same story happening again. It would try hard to protect me by firing up all that adrenaline in my body so I would be able to flee and run to safety. This would result in extreme anxiety. I felt helpless, and afraid when the original trauma happened. Before that happening, I would bravely watch them take blood and not have an ounce of anxiety. Now that there was new information that this can be scary, my nervous system figured it needed to be able to protect me from that ever happening again by doing anxiety. We would be prepared next time. When in reality, having anxiety doesn’t even help you be prepared but from a nervous system level, it is activating the fight or flight response to give us what we need to run to safety.
Over time, with God's help I have rewired this story. Slowly I showed my nervous system I didn’t need to be protected from a scenario that happened in a previous book of my life.
Until we are able to see what is really going on and have the resources to show our nervous systems we are safe now, it is such a cycle of avoidance, and fear. These might be real stories that have happened but there is no need to keep on reading the same story again and again.
No I still don’t enjoy bloodwork and who knows if I ever will. Who does right? But I now can do it with little to no anxiety. I go by myself and don’t need all sorts of distractions.
While riding my bike home from there today I felt really grateful that healing happens. That we don’t need to be stuck year after year in those challenging times. Life can get better and it can be good. It can get so much better that we can come out on top and THRIVE!
Are you feeling stuck in your fear and anxieties? Are they controlling what you do or don't do? Have you tried every supplement and drink only to settle for mediocre?
Our brains like to stay stuck on repeat. Same chapter again and again, long after the danger is past. With NSR, you will learn how to work with stopping this cycle and step towards a better chapter in your life. A chapter where anxiety isn't holding you back. Take the leap today!
love hp
