Today I begin again. My first class toward a Bachelors degree in Public Health is tonight. As exciting as new beginnings are, they also can impart a fear response.
Unknown surroundings, people, expectations, and dynamics are all fodder for a fear response. It is the survival instinct kicking in. It is completely natural to feel fear in such circumstances. The emotional brain center perceives loss of control and sends messages via neural transmitters to the endocrine system to release epinephrine (adrenalin) and norepinephrine, which activate body changes that heighten sensitivity to threats and create an almost super-human capacity for response. There are degrees of activation and sitting in a new class doesn't warrant the same response as a physical altercation, but the body doesn't necessarily know that.
To put oneself (and myself) at ease with these new situations, meditation can help slow down the hyper- response within. "Within" applies to the physical self as well as the emotional and mental self. Our thoughts trigger our emotional response, which activates the physical response. Even five minutes of slow breathing, eyes closed, with repetition of a mantra can make all the difference in how a new situation is perceived.
Definitely a good idea today!
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