The Best Way to Unwind From Chronic Stress

In a world where the pursuit of relaxation often leads to more stress, understanding the delicate dance of true rest becomes not just a practice but a necessity.

Respecting the innate intelligence of your nervous system 

In our quest for calm amidst the storm of daily stressors, it's all too common to seek solace in activities that promise relaxation but, paradoxically, may lead to further overstimulation. From high-intensity workouts to the relentless pursuit of self-improvement, these strategies often stem from a well-intentioned desire to combat stress. However, without realizing it, we may inadvertently deepen the tension and imbalance we aim to escape. 

This cycle of seeking immediate relief through potentially overstimulating means highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of how true relaxation and recovery can be achieved. It points to the need for a more nuanced approach to managing stress that respects the body's inherent rhythms and capacities.

Neurosensory modulators can play a pivotal role here by reminding our nervous system of its innate intelligence and capacity for self-regulation. The idea is to engage the body's sensory systems to help us tap into our built-in superpowers for healing, bouncing back, and feeling good. And it should be done in a way that supports the natural capacity of the nervous system to regulate itself rather than override it. 

That’s where Olo comes in. Think of Olo as a gentle neurosensory modulator, aiding your physiology to achieve baseline regulation and build a felt sense of safety within your body. With the Olo app, we not only want to support a temporary feeling of stress reduction but also a true genuine healing and regulation of the nervous system.

The immersiveness and the composition of Olo sound journeys transport us to a safe space where we can lower our defenses and allow our minds the freedom to wander at their discretion. These two aspects of safety and freedom – meaning we aren’t forcing anything, we’re not controlling breathing, movement, or thoughts – are fundamental before we’re ready to mount an activation/deactivation response. 

There’s no need to push the nervous system to provoke a response because when the correct support is there and the conditions are right, the activated response will emerge organically. 

Dealing with continuous stress can often push us outside our window of tolerance, making it hard to tap into our full potential or even function properly. 

To keep this long explanation short, I’ll only refer to the hyperarousal states here. In practice, we tend to override our natural internal responses to take a break and recharge and push ourselves into a practice or training that can overstimulate us. We do this because the short-term after-effect feels like we’re relaxed and settled. Yet, the truth is that we’re prolonging states of tension and imbalances masked by the instant relief we get after stopping any type of overstimulation.

In conclusion, the best way to unwind from chronic stress is to cultivate “micro-moments” of safety that we can tap into anytime, anywhere. By nurturing these micro-moments, we lay down new neural pathways for calm, safety, and connection in our nervous system. Once this foundational work is established, meaning that we can consistently return to stability when challenged, we can then safely start exploring more activated states and building our capacity for more.

Whether you’re taking your first steps towards managing chronic stress or seeking to deepen your existing practices, remember: every moment of calm and safety you create is a step towards resilience and wellbeing.

We’d love to hear from you. Share your stories and questions with us. Your insights not only enrich our community but also inspire us to find better ways to keep serving you in meaningful ways.

Reach out and let’s continue this conversation together.

Author: Catarina Brazao, Somatic Therapist and Co-Founder of Olo 

The Ripple by Olo is a newsletter for personal growth and collective healing. Sometimes educational, other times experiential and inspirational.

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