What happens to you when something unexpected suddenly occurs?
I would argue that your response depends not only on the stimulus—the event itself—but also on your state of consciousness and your energy level at that moment.
If something unexpected happens when you’re feeling strong, energized, and clear-minded, you’re far less likely to become overwhelmed or unbalanced. In this state, the experience becomes a form of stress that you can successfully adapt to. It gets processed, resolved, and doesn’t linger.
But what if you’re already feeling depleted, stuck, or low? In that case, the same stressor can have a much greater impact. It adds to an already heavy drain on your energy and focus, making it harder to recover.
The longer I live, the more I realize how many things can throw us off our game. That’s why it becomes increasingly important to cultivate a state of being that is energized, aligned, independent, and self-directed. A common trap is trying to “expect the unexpected.” While it sounds wise, constantly anticipating every possible outcome can put us into a state of hypervigilance—which is exhausting and unsustainable.
Stress, at its core, is any challenge—whether related to health, relationships, or finances—that requires a response from us. How we receive that challenge determines how uncomfortable we feel. And how we hold that discomfort, both in the body and the mind, determines whether we move into a stress response or a growth response.
A stress response might look like becoming emotionally overwhelmed, with the feeling lingering for days—or even becoming chronic. A growth response, on the other hand, comes from a more connected and self-directed place within us. It allows us to stay present and engage with the experience more fully.
When something exceeds our capacity, the stress response acts as protection. It prevents us from fully feeling the experience in our bodies. But to truly experience life—and grow from it—we need to be able to embody those experiences in real time. This is where approaches like NeuroSpinal Optimization come in. Part of this work is about increasing your capacity to embody life more fully. Interestingly, this can sometimes feel uncomfortable.
And that’s a key point: being okay with discomfort is essential for healing and adaptation. Consider a physical condition like sciatica or spinal stenosis. The pain itself is one layer of the challenge. But there’s often another layer—the frustration, the disruption to your life, the feeling that your energy or enjoyment is being taken away.
The more capable you are of handling that internal discomfort, the more efficiently you can move toward healing. But if that discomfort derails or disempowers you, it can delay—or even prevent—the healing process. In the end, it’s not just what happens to us that matters. It’s the state we’re in when it happens—and our capacity to stay present with it—that shapes the outcome.
Coming in June:
We’ll be offering a workshop on the 12 Stages of Healing. In this experience, we’ll explore the 12 stages of human consciousness, how to recognize the stage you’re currently in, and how to move forward more effectively by working with challenge and discomfort rather than against it. Stay tuned for more details!