Pleasure in these uncertain times is not a luxury, it’s a vital, life saving practice!
When you need protection from imminent danger, cortisol is sent coursing through your body to help you make split decisions, give you super strength, and ultra fast speeds.
That’s fabulous when we’re running for our lives.
But it’s terrible when cortisol is constantly coursing through our veins because of perceived threats that are not actual robbers facing us down in an empty parking lot, or some other fight or flight situation. Threats like COVID-19, the fires that rage through our country, extreme political unrest, and uncertain financial futures are real and true threats, but our responses to them can be managed, unlike imminent danger scenarios.
The New Drug
Cortisol, then, becomes a hormone our bodies rely on, making the problem of addiction to it a very real threat.
Being addicted to cortisol sends us unconsciously looking for the next fix.
Social media alerts, refreshing that news site, looking for a fight with those who disagree with us. The mind begins to sort information to look for more evidence for threats and tells us a story of urgency.
We start looking for that Cortisol fix.
And that fix, just as with all dangerous substances, comes with a price.
Our bodies suffer.
Our minds suffer.
And our relationships suffer.
The Effects of Chronically Elevated Cortisol:Moodiness, an inability to focus, a constant feeling of exhaustion like there’s nothing left to give are all possible symptoms of a cortisol addiction, according to Sara Gottfried, M.D.
The constant exposure to the hormone shrinks the hippocampus, reduces the levels of feel good hormones present in the body, increases fat stores around the torso, and causes blood sugar to rise.
And when our bodies and minds are impacted to this degree on a consistent basis, our relationships inevitably suffer.
Arguments and short tempers leave partners, family members, and colleagues feeling alienated and unwanted.
The Stats:
In the states, we’re known for our high-stress living. And the new stats on cortisol are in.
Our already high cortisol levels are shooting skyward as our physical and political environments seem more unstable than ever, according to the Stress in America™ 2020 survey, with:
- The average reported stress level having increased dramatically for the first time since 2007 from 4.9 to 5.9
- 7 in 10 parents struggling to manage distance/online learning for their kids
- 69% of Americans cite the economy as a significant source of stress (up from 49% in 2019)
The numbers are not surprising. But what is…
You don’t have to be caught in this loop!
These numbers don’t have to affect your body, your mind, and the people you love.
With a little commitment to a few simple strategies, you can lower your cortisol levels in your blood so you can wean yourself off this important but potentially harmful hormone.
Not only will you be happier, but your body will be healthier, your immune system stronger and you will be more emotionally available to those you love.
Try this: Breath in on a count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 4. Exhale for a count of 4. Hold your empty breath for a count of 4. Repeat for a minute or more!
Do this a few times a day, especially when you notice that you’re getting wound up. You’ll be happy you did.
Extra Credit: Take this up a notch and add in a bit of pleasurable self-touch in your primary Erotic Blueprint™. You can also add in touch with your lover while you practice conscious breathing. Now that is a pleasure reset!
If you want to discover a breathing technique that can reset your nervous system with one single breath, cancelling cortisol and adrenaline and replacing them with a cascade of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, click this link and let me coach you through The Breath of Pleasure (or vegas nerve breath)
It takes practice to get this breath, but I call it “The one breath to rule them all” because it is the most effective breath I have ever found to immediately reset the nervous system, drop in and feel really, really good.
Social media companies and news outlets thrive on our primitive brain stem’s fight, flight, fawn and flee responses. Check out a powerful new documentary The Social Dilemma to see how deep this rabbit hole goes.
Lower or quit your use of caffeine (ideally, if you’re trying to rehab from cortisol, getting rid of it altogether is the best option, but any reduction helps). You may think caffeine helps you cope, but caffeine actually increases the cortisol addiction. Opt for spring water or non-caffeinated beverages. Experiment and make a ritual out of preparing them. The ritual in and of itself can help relieve a bit of stress.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with a huge new to do list about managing your stress!
Don’t take this advice as another thing to freak out about.If you simply incorporated practice #1 into your day, 3 to 5 times a day, you’re doing great.
That breathing exercise can help to reset your system and it will take you 1 minute every time you do it.
Do you have 1 minute every day to improve your quality of life?
When you reset your system, you create a ripple effect that helps those around you too.
You are an energetic transmitter.
Your energy literally affects those around you, so if you can change your frequency to one of calm presence and loving connection, you can help those around you to down regulate and lower their stress too.
Break the cortisol addiction!
To say it again, Pleasure in these uncertain times is not a luxury, it’s a vital, life saving practice!
Be well. Stay safe.
And…
Fill your heart with love and your life with pleasure
p.s. Did we mention that this is a great time to discover your orgasmic potential at our live training: Path to Passion?
Master the art of sexual satisfaction, join us for this exclusive Halloween weekend workshop!
