Adaptation is the name of the game. If we stop adapting, we die. Harsh reality, but a fact nonetheless. In the office we talk about the 4T’s. These are overarching stressors that our bodies must continually adapt to. In this 4 part series, we will cover each of the T’s, so you can be aware of them and utilize this knowledge to improve your adaptation skills.

Today we talk about THOUGHTS. Did you know that we have between 12,000-60,000 thoughts per day? And that 85% of them are negative, and 98% of them are recycled from yesterday? Crazy, right?

Each thought we have can help build our body towards a healthier version of self, or it can degrade it. I know that I’m not the only one who has got sucked into the whirlpool of crazy, irrational, nonsensical thinking that seems to spiral on it’s own. When this happens, it leaves our body in a prolonged sympathetic state, ramping up our stress hormones. This ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response shouldn’t be a state that we are in constantly or chronically.

How our thoughts impact the function of our body can seem abstract. I often hear from clients that their pain/symptom just occurred out of the blue, nothing happened to ‘throw their back out’, or ‘they slept wrong’. When I dive a little deeper into what has been happening in their lives, we can usually uncover some emotional or thinking stressor that they have been struggling to process.

It’s not to say that it’s all in their head, but the thoughts and emotions that they have been trying to process have been on repeat. This keeps their system in ‘fight, flight or freeze’ and that is just like pressing the gas pedal down in your car while simultaneously trying to use the break. Burn out in the physical body ensues.

So what can you do? And why does Chiropractic help? Well, taking the time to slow down and be present to your thoughts will help. When you notice what is going on, be curious about why you’re thinking that way, instead of judgemental. Chiropractic care helps because it allows for the parasympathetic (or brake pedal) to be applied so the sympathetic (gas pedal) can take a rest. This allows you to adapt and process the THOUGHTS that are spinning you out.

Peace, Love & Wellness
Dr. Liz