TALES FROM THE BOBBI LAMA

It’s amazing how the body responds to thoughts in the mind, regardless of the emotion, or if it’s the first experience or just one remembered. Thoughts trigger chemical reactions in the brain which set off a chain of physical reactions. We all know how fear results in an adrenaline response causing the heart to pump harder, sending more blood to the lungs and muscles so we can react with flight or fight to a perceived danger. Fearing life-threatening events can show up long after the event itself, causing the same adrenaline response such as with PTSD. And when the sympathetic nervous system is on alert and the cortisol is increased, the systems that are not called on for flight or fight primarily include digestion and the immune system.

The good news is that the opposite circumstance is true, too. The happy times relax the body (with the response from the parasympathetic nervous system) sending our body back to a normal state. Once the mind is no longer perceiving stress, the digestion and immune systems go back to normal, also. This means that a joyful state is actually a healthier state in the long run. In fact, going one step further, giving ourselves a quiet, peaceful series of relaxing breaths or a ten-minute meditation exercise (from all proven studies using bio-feedback), we can even lower our heart rate as well as our blood pressure, so our health is actually served. The positive endorphins can make us feel like purring cats sleeping in the sun on a warm windowsill. I love the fact that our bodies can’t tell if we’re having a joyful experience in the present moment, or if we are just remembering the feeling.

And let’s not think we haven’t had enough positive moments to remember. We all have had an infinite number of occasions of positive emotions in our lifetimes (happiness, pride, joy, safety, excitement, etc. ) that we can go back to in our minds to enjoy again and again!