ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Travis Cuddington is an Osteopathic Manual Therapist working in Calgary, Alberta. Drawing on his background in Kinesiology, Osteopathy and Yoga, he works with expectant and new parents, infants, children, teens and adults of all ages.
Stress and GAS Part 3
written by:
TRAVIS CUDDINGTON
BSc. Kin, D.O.M.P., D.Sc.O.
Osteopathic Manual Therapist
The Silver Bullet for Stress
Welcome back for part 3. Remember how I said there was a secret hidden in the graph? Don’t beat yourself up if you couldn’t figure out what the secret was. It’s actually inferred by Hans Selye’s writings on the subject.
It has to do with the labeling of the ‘X’ or horizontal axis. Take a look below and see the inferred secret added in red.
Selye, Stress without Distress, 1974
What does this mean?
In performing his experiments, Selye noted that the GAS and all the ‘fun’ side effects occurred when the stress was continued and sustained beyond what the organism could handle. Whether this meant a low level stress happening long term or a high level stress happening over a short period of time, it did not matter.
This is to say we only find ourselves at the end of the graph IF we continue doing things that keep us operating at levels above homeostasis WITHOUT resting.
Now, it is at this point that people invariably bring up the ‘slowing down’ argument.
“What if I decrease my stress load a little? Will that help?”
Honestly, it depends. Each person finds themselves in their own unique situation. But from what I have observed - many of these patterns are deeply engrained. If you are finding yourself in Phase B or C, it’s probably not the first time you’ve been here. Nor is it the first time you’ve found yourself trying to ‘hack’ your performance levels.
The key lies in the “X” axis - “Continued, Sustained Stress.” If the overall stress load is still beyond what we can handle, slowing down still continues the pattern. It may allow you to stay in Phase B longer and put Phase C further away. But, you’ll find yourself at the end all the same.
To get a better handle on it, we may have to rethink the scenario in different terms.
Let’s say you are driving down a rough country road at 80 km/h. POP! Uh oh, this must mean a flat tire… In order to truly address the tire, will slowing down 20 km/h allow you to get out and fix the flat?
No, not likely…
Just like slowing down to a complete rest allows us to change the tire, it is also the same with our bodies…
So, what is the silver bullet?
Phase A is unavoidable. This is life and as the saying goes STUFF HAPPENS…
But as soon as you feel yourself sliding into the resistance phase, you can CHOOSE to slow down enough and rest. This will allow your body to return to homeostasis BEFORE you find yourself in Phase C. This may even mean coming to a complete stop as much as you can.
When should you do this?
A..S..A..P..
The longer you spend in Phase B, the more resources you have burnt through. This means that your body will probably have to spend longer recovering its way to homeostasis.
How can osteopathy help?
As you already know by now, Osteopathic Manual Therapists are trained to assess and treat the entire body and its systems. During Phases A, B or C, our body tends to pick up and hold onto stress and strains in different areas. It is our job to help your body resolve these issues so it can return to its homeostatic baseline sooner with more ease. That way, you can return to taking care of business.
