I texted a friend, “What are you up to?”
He replied, “Trying to take over the world, Pinky. lol.”… referencing the 1998 animation of Pinky and The Brain.
This got us talking about our favourite childhood cartoons. He commented that he showed an episode of this cartoon to his young daughter and she thought it was “boring”.
It is in my opinion, that with the rise in fast-paced action that we expose young minds to, we are training our children’s nervous systems to operate at a high-level of stimulation. This high-level stimulation is stress - not healthy and not desirable.
Look at the higher-action animation series of Paw Patrol. “Go! Go! Go!” is common language in the show. Not sure many parents actually want to cultivate this kind of energy in their children if they want a calm, peaceful, and stress-free household.
As adults, we know that the “go go go” energy, while occasionally helpful in the short term, is actually stressful. We say we need to “get away” to “shut off”. But what we really need is to reprogram our nervous system from “go go go” to calm.
When you set your kids in front of a screen, cartoons or otherwise, know that their nervous systems are being programmed by what they watch. When you as an adult sit in front of a screen, your nervous system is being programmed by what you watch - the news programs your nervous system with anxiety and fear.
But it isn’t just about screens.
In every moment, you are programming your nervous system. In every moment, you are experiencing an emotion, whether or not you are aware of it. If you spend a lot of moments being anxious, the nervous system gets familiar with that and wants more of it. If you spend a lot of moments being calm, the nervous system gets familiar with that and wants more of it.
You might experience the truth of this when you are feeling anxious and you find it really challenging to sit quietly and not fidget. Or you try to do something slow and meditative like yoga or seated meditation and it is aggravating, internally uncomfortable, or you get easily bored because you are used to “go go go”.
Another way of looking at this concept of programming your nervous system: whatever you practice, you get better at. If you have calm moments, you get better at being calm. If you have anxious moments, you get better at being anxious.
A common suggestion for practicing calm is to walk or sit in nature. Nature has a slower, calmer energy than what we are typically used to. Nature has more “flow” and less “go go go”.
Don’t let that calmness fool you into thinking it isn’t powerful energy.
Today, I encourage you practice calm by reconnecting to nature - to that calm yet powerful energy. The energy that quietly grows tall trees and propels dandelions to push through cracks in concrete.
Sit on the grass, walk in the trees or through a park, or even vividly imagine being in nature. Breathe. Breathe slower. Breathe Deeper.
Practicing calm might feel uncomfortable at first. But that’s okay. It’s a part of the reprogramming process. You aren’t used to feeling calm. Breathe through the discomfort. Stick to it and with time and practice, it gets easier…and your body, mind, and spirit will thank you.
Here’s to conquering stress.
With heart,
Louise
The Stress Experts
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