Stress, Health & Your Brain: Limbic Looping
Create more health and wellbeing now, by disrupting toxic habits of the mind…
The limbic system is the primitive or reptilian brain in humans, often called the ‘emotional brain.’ It controls emotions, memories, arousal, and behavioral responses, especially survival responses. It makes up the sympathetic nervous system, which activates the fight, flight, or freeze response to any perceived threat.
It motivates the body to defend, through an intricate process that creates a rush of adrenaline and cortisol, among other chemical processes, to support a spring to action/protection. In aid of this intention, the rest, digest, heal function of the nervous system is disabled. Now consider how much time you spend stressed. What does that mean in terms of your well being, your sleep, digestion, and general immune system function?
The human experience is often stressful, that’s just part of the deal. From a global and personal perspective, life continues to bring unprecedented challenges. There are many ‘threats’ in our world: a stressful job, challenging relationships, finances, body image, busyness, news, media, social issues, global warming, pandemics!
Many (if not most) of us are still carrying the experiences of threat and stress that were imprinted on us in our childhoods, amplifying the experience of current stressors. This creates a limbic system that is hyper-vigilant, trying to protect us by constantly alerting us to potential danger. The problem with a hyper-vigilant limbic system is that if we keep our attention on things that are stressful, we are strengthening the brains propensity to perceive and generate stress. In doing so, we are bathing our bodies in all of the hormones and chemical by-products that generate more stress. We get caught in feeding the beast we are wanting to tame. It’s a vicious cycle. Many of our current health issues are directly related to how much time we spend in a stress response loop. There is no separation between mind, body, and emotion. We cannot heal and be whole without addressing all of the parts of us that generate how we experience life, and how the parts relate to each other.
What is Limbic Looping?
We all do it! Some more than others. We are stuck in a limbic loop when we have the same argument, complaint, or scenario running on repeat in our mind for hours, days, even weeks! Our brain keeps reiterating all of the compelling evidence that something has gone very wrong in ourselves, our lives, or our relationships, and that we are right and justified in our feelings about it, thus intensifying the feelings.
Whether or not these loops are glaringly, obviously true, or a distorted projection of a past negative experience or childhood trauma, (or both!) they are truly toxic to our health. The question to ask yourself here is “Is this worth compromising my health?”
The answer is always “NO!”
What can we do to get out of the Loop?!
Much of the emotion and psychology attached to a limbic loop has its roots in our childhood experiences, traumas, and family relationships. This is not something that can be quick fixed with a protocol or healed overnight. However there are some things you can do right now, anytime, on your own, to disrupt the loop and give yourself a start toward inner peace and deeper healing. I call it the Double D Approach..
Double Down With Disruption and Distraction!
Anything you can do to disrupt the cycle of negative thought patterns is beneficial to your brain, because the more you focus on something, the stronger your brain wiring becomes around it. The beauty is that this works both ways, so the more you focus on things that feel good or neutral, the more you have access to neutral or positive states. It may sound a little fluffy or oversimplified, but it’s actually scientific truth!
Check in again next week for some of my favorite Disruptions and Distractions techniques!
Or set up your free consultation to partner in stopping the Loop…