Stress is a natural reaction to perceived threats, both real and imaginary. The body regulates stress by releasing adrenaline into the bloodstream. This, in our early evolution, was a useful hormone that helped us flee from dangerous situations in the wild. In our modern times, stress is a multifunctional process of our day to day activities including working too much, an unhealthy diet, traffic, stressful media, deadlines, childcare, lack of sleep…the list goes on.
Unfortunately, how we have evolved to manage stress is not in balance with the many stressors we face today. Any number of daily stressors can cause the body to become overloaded and our brainwaves to become abnormal. This most commonly occurs as a result of overstimulation and can therefore create dysregulated responses to incoming stimuli moving forward.
Although not all stress is bad, such as the excitement that exists before a big trip or surprise, the buildup of stress long term can begin to affect your digestive, cardiovascular, hormonal, and immune systems. Other symptoms can include headaches, sleep disturbances, agitation, inability to focus, and an overall feeling of exhaustion.
Anxiety is categorized as a psychological problem and is rooted in irregular brain patterns using too much fast speed (beta). This may be due to experiences of daily stressors, PTSD, or any fears associated with past encounters. Intermittent anxiety can exist in all of us depending on certain experiences, but if this happens frequently – or you are in a constant state of worry – the fight, flight, or freeze state can become a behavior, conditioning you to be hyper-aroused and making it difficult to relax naturally. Constant feelings of anxiety can lead to panic attacks, phobias, behavioral and memory issues, sleep disturbances, heart palpitations, labored breathing, and obsessive activity.
Neurofeedback can help to train your brain’s high beta, which is elevated when your brain is used to constant activity. Reducing these high beta speeds allows your brain to work at its optimal performance, so you, in turn, respond to stress appropriately, think at a more relaxed speed, and perform tasks with more focus and clarity.
