I saw a post on Facebook the other day. It said, “If you’re overwhelmed, you can’t heal emotionally. Just sayin.”
It’s absolutely true and I am going to break down the science behind why it’s true. In fact, you can also extend this to healing physically, mentally, or in any way.
Any time your brain detects you are overwhelmed (too much information going in), it will automatically quit sending information to your pre-frontal cortex (PFC).
Your PFC is the part of your brain that makes you a human being! Compassion, problem solving, the capacity to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, healing, relaxation, executive functions like planning, and more.
The information is sent to the lower part of your brain instead of your PFC.
This is a smart response because if you’re overwhelmed, your nervous system thinks you’re in danger. The lower parts of your brain are your survival areas. The #1 priority is making sure you survive through the fight-or-flight response.
Your body can only be in
ONE MODE at a time:
survival / fight-or-flight mode
OR
ease / healing mode
That is why if you’re looking to heal, you cannot do it in overwhelm.
Remember to take care of your brain, nervous system, and body today!