How To STRENGTHEN Your EMOTIONAL MUSCLES So You Can WITHSTAND ANYTHING In Life
- Feb 8, 2022
- 6 min read
Written by: Daniel Vasile, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What do you do when life happens?
Do you believe it happens to you or for you?
In this article, I am going to do my best to give you tools to have in your arsenal so you can always Stay Strong & Healthy when life happens (because it can) Regardless.
I am one of the most Optimistic people in this world when it comes to almost any situation...still… life can happen for us regardless of how optimistic we are.
I am going to tell you a little story J
About 8 years ago, Lucy (I am going to keep her name a secret for her privacy) came to see me help her get healthier and fitter.
Everything went as planned and she got 40 pounds of her body in approximately 4 to 5 months and stable.
She became healthy and energetic as well as confident and she developed a positive attitude.
All of this helped her get a better job, improve friendships, and to make new friends.
After 2 or 3 months (give or take) she said that she wanted to speak to me… (I was a little bit curious)
When we sat down to talk she said it:
I went do see the doctor and I have some news…
In my head, I was thinking (how bad can it be right?)
It was triple-negative breast cancer, a rare and deadly type. It had started to spread. The outlook was poor. The treatment was hard and it would take things from her ”permanently’’ (or at least, that is what the doctors said)
Today, I am happy and proud to say that she is Healthy and stronger than ever before.
My question to you is:
How do you stay positive during a whole process until a not so good situation is resolved?
When life happens for us, “we” tend to focus on the problem because it kind of makes sense in a way if we take things logical.
The bad news is that when you focus on what happens… the brain tends to amplify the situation making it 10x bigger than it already is or than it ever will be.
And you might find yourself saying things like:
Why is this happening to me?
What should I do?
What have I done to deserve this?
Why now?
Why me?
Now, your brain does this for only one reason… to protect you from whatever “threat” it might believe that may be when you think that not losing those last couple of pounds is a “disaster” or that getting stuck in traffic when you are in a hurry for that important meeting…
The entire human Nervous System responds to only two things:
The PICTURES YOU CREATE in your head based on what you believe it is/ should be.
The STORIES YOU TELL YOURSELF based on those pictures.
When an event takes place in your life which you don’t want to have happened… Thru your own beautiful imagination and mental conversation (yes I know you talk to yourself… So do I J) you can stimulate your adrenal glands to produce Cortisol (the stress hormone) because that is how the body has been calibrated to respond and as a result, produce inflammation that can go all the way to cellular level directing your entire body towards DISEASE (long term)
The human body has been provided with an amazing ability to withstand short term stress like: running from predators (not the movie), Jumping, Sprinting, Fighting Hunting and so on… and at the same time, it is not designed for LONG TERM STRESS…things like: Daily long arguments, Parenting, Anxiety, Insomnia and so on.
I call this the calibration of your Adrenals (the glands that sit on top of your kidneys)
In short, I mean that our INSTINCTS DO NOT MATCH OUR LIVES.
Think about it this way!
Let us assume that… about 4/5 million years ago, humans use to live in tribes and hunt for meat so they can have food to eat and go to the river to have water to drink.
(considering there was a river nearby).
Our social construct did not really change during this period time. Humanity has evolved massively in the last 20 years (not to mention the last million)
The thing is that the human brain has 3 parts and these are:
The Thinking brain called the Neocortex (the one that looks like a Walnut)
The Emotional Brain called the Limbic System (feeling brain)
The Instinctual Brain also called the Reptilian brain (survival brain)
These brains evolve at different speeds and the Reptilian brain is the slowest one (because it only lives in the present and learns thru repetition) it’s main responsibility being our innate and automatic self-preserving behavior patterns, which ensure our survival and that of our species.
The Reptilian is in full control of ALL of our 5 SENSES (Touch, Smell, Sound, Sight and Taste) as well as our CNS (central nervous system). The Reptilian, has such a fast reaction to absolutely everything that is in your PHISICAL ENVIRONMENT that you have stopped noticing it a long time ago.
Example: Are you noticing that your heart is beating in this exact moment?... or maybe you do not remember the last time you have blinked (not that I mention it you may just have blinked)
All these systems (and many others) are in full control of your CNS which is in control of your Reptilian brain which you cannot really control….BUT! You can train it (like a pet) to do “almost anything” you want it to do!
Example: Maybe you cannot hold your breath for more than… 1 or 2min but you can do specific breathing exercises so you can extend your lung capacity. (are you with me?)
So how can all of this information help you with you being more in control of your emotions?
It does not!
The information alone is just for you to know how and why things happen the whey that they do…all of this is basically going right in your Neocortex (the thinking brain remember?) and all of human emotions are PHYSICAL and SUNCOUNSCOUS and ONE of the BEST WAYS to tap into that LONG TERM is thru PHYSICAL MOVEMENT…
YES!!! EXERCISE!!!
Physical exercise has TONS OF BENEFITS! But our subject is about Emotional Strength
When you do INTENSE EXERCISES, you stimulate your entire nervous system and your reptilian brain is forced to focus on that particular experience like you were in a fight or a flight. Still with me? Good!
The more intense the exercise is the STRONGER YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM BECOMES.
It is as simple as that. IT IS NOT EASY! It is just simple J
Now, you do not have to do long hours of training or even go to the gym to do this!
The time required for this type of stimulation is…. 5 to 10 MINUTES! Yup…just 5 to 10min.
And the best type of exercise I recommend for this specific stimulation is
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) My favoriteJ
Here is a link for you to get you started JJJ
Please remember to consult with your doctor before you give this a go and always do it on an empty stomach and be well hydrated!
Another great way to keep your stress levels down throughout the day is by taking a COLD SHOWE RIGHT WHEN YOU WAKE UP! This approach, will drop down your heart rate and it will keep it down for at least the first part of the day.
START SMALL with 10 to 15sec and build your way up to only cold showers!
REMEMBER!
Stress = Inflammation = Disease! In the long run.
You deserve to live a Happy – Fit & Healthy life and nature has provided you with everything that you need to do just that!
One step at a time you can do ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT that you have a passion for thru patients – practice and perseverance.
Until next time:
My name is Daniel
Health and Wellness Coach
HAPPY – FIT & HEALTHY ‒ FOREVER
Daniel Vasile, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
"Daniel, is an International Health and Wellness coach specializing in weight loss and Emotional health.
After being 29kg overweight and going thru a severe illness during childhood, Daniel has discovered how to get into the best shape of his life as well as how to recover from illness in record speed.
He has since dedicated his life to helping people get healthy, fit as well as helping people go thru various challenges like: Cancer, Diabetes, Severe Depression, Anxiety and more.
His mission is to get the whole world:
HAPPY ‒ FIT & HEALTHY FOREVER"
