The Stress Dose
Written by: Chris vanBrenk
As a former Green Beret and current Paramedic and athletic coach, even without a global pandemic, I find myself inundated with chaos – I think it is fair to say, in the past 2 years, most of us have felt that chaos more than ever. Chaos in my former and present jobs are beyond my control, as is true with anyone who pushes the limit of their being. By nature, to push our boundaries means to invite chaos into our life.
As a coach, we are trained to harness the stress adaptation of an individual and guide it towards a favorable transformation or change. In the beginning, much of my path was spent trying to manipulate the chaos around me, which at times felt like wrestling a 900lb gorilla; constantly taking on wave after wave of blows of which you are helpless to prevent. Yoga changed my fight forever, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like my 900lb gorilla has a comfortable cage.
Stress Management and The “GAS Model”
In 1936, a Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist by the name of Dr. Hans Selye wrote about something he called the general adaptation syndrome. The "GAS Model" for short outlines the physiological process by which change happens due to external stressors.
A deeper look at this model reveals that the natural human tendency to manage stress is to "control the stressor." Refer back to my metaphor of fighting a 900lb gorilla. While this might be an easy thing to do in a gym (i.e. controlled environment), this isn't an effective strategy to manage the chaos found in life (i.e. uncontrolled environment). After continual losses to the waves of chaos, whether it be overseas in gunfights or at home, with patients dying in my ambulance, the external stress became quickly too much to manage. Thus, relegating me to the only thing I can work on in uncertain situations, myself.
As a coach and former athlete, this model formed the bedrock of my training methodology. In essence, as an athlete, we inundate our bodies with controlled doses of "physical stress" to create an adaptation that we believed to be favorable (i.e., stronger muscles, the ability to run faster etc).
Dr. Selye, in his text, talks about an idea called "homeostasis," or a state of physiological calmness or balance. At this juncture, the ancients chimed in with a solution that has been present in some form or fashion for the last 5,000 years, yoga.
Homeostasis and Yoga
The yoga I am referring to isn't the hot, sweaty yoga of trendy vinyasa flow in upscale boutique studios; yoga is the practice of reducing the "citta vritti" or mental clutter for correct perception. In layman’s terms, to see the world precisely as it is and through mindfulness, create an accurate perception.
This accurate perception allows one to achieve homeostasis despite the stressor. Ultimately, I realized the most effective key to managing stress had little to do with the stressor and more to do with my inability to navigate back to my homeostasis or "come back to myself." My life has been anything but calm, and primarily by choice. Growth is found in chaos; however, to maximize growth, one must never lose their way back.
My Tips on how to Achieve and Maintain Homeostasis
Easier said than done, I hear you say; here are some of the strategies I use to achieve and maintain my homeostasis;
1. Breathe - The fastest way to access your physiology is through your breathing. Pranayama is a limb of yoga that focuses on concentration and regulation of the breath. When you’re feeling overstimulated, find a still position and bring immediate attention to the breath. Try to double the length of your exhales from your inhales (i.e if you inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds then exhale for 8 seconds…). Conscious, regulation of the breath can bring people back from a stimulated sympathetic state into a parasympathetic state (rest and digest).
2. Back-off - Remember that stress is cumulative. Stress builds up throughout your day and your body responds accordingly. Tailor your activity to accommodate your current stress level (i.e. save your hard workouts for days where you aren’t stressed…)
3. Meditate - There are many techniques that are helpful depending on the end goal. More often than not, if you are just starting out, picking an easy technique such as “breath observation” like Anapanasati, is useful. Start by taking a comfortable seat and for 5 minutes at a time, sit and simply observe the breath. Count backward from 10 (on the exhales) down to 0. If you lose the count at any point, start back over from 10. Don’t try and regulate the breath as you would in pranayama, however simply sit and observe.
Managing stress and chaos is absolutely critical in the world we live in today, finding strategies that work for you is my number one tip; try my strategies or research and try your own – either way the sooner you do this, the sooner you will be on your way to managing the chaos around you.
About the Author
Chris vanBrenk currently works as a full-time paramedic in Orange County, NC. Prior to working in EMS, he served 10 years in the United States Army. In the military, he served both stateside and overseas as an Infantry Platoon Leader and Special Forces Detachment Commander (Green Beret). Aside from working in emergency medicine, he is also a certified Yoga Teacher with several regular classes in the Raleigh-Durham area. His hobbies include yoga, jiu-jitsu, rock climbing, guitar, CrossFit, and ultra-marathon running. I currently hold coaching certifications in CrossFit, Olympic Lifting, Mobility as well as an MMA Conditioning specialist through NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). We feel very fortunate that Chris made the time for this contribution – thank you Chris!
