Don't Let Your Brain Decide
Obviously there are many things vying for our attention these days: social media, news sources, opinions of friends and family, unsolicited text and phone messages, mailings and advertisements of all kinds.
Interestingly, when we try to process and prioritize all of this information with our brains, we can inadvertently activate the stress response (fight or flight) in the nervous system. The brain is a high-tech computer constantly assessing the risk of threat. It's not a stretch to imagine how this bombardment of information, let alone the caustic nature of the messages, could activate the self-survival mechanisms of our biology.
In contrast, moving from brain-thinking to heart-experiencing actually begins to shift the nervous system into the relaxation response. Science continues to show that the heart is more than just a pump -- it is part of our central nervous system and even its own kind of brain.
In fact, there are more nerve impulses sending information from our hearts to our brains than from our brains to our hearts.
Isn't that amazing? Our hearts can inform our brains.
A few years ago, I heard a metaphorical reference for the heart that has stuck with me: the heart as a heartgate.
The roots of this idea go back to biology. On a physical level, the pumping of the heart has directionality and timing -- there's a time for blood to go in, and a time for it to go out. There's also the pericardium -- a protective covering around the heart -- that keeps infections and invaders from reaching the heart.
It might serve us to think of the heart as a gate metaphorically, as well. Should everything be allowed in? Is it wise to sometimes have the gate closed? Could there be security questions at the gate? (These questions are much better suited for the heart than the brain.)
It's been helpful, especially as an exquisitely sensitive creature, for me to relate to my heart as a gate. To be more aware of what I am letting in as well as the effects of those choices.
If this speaks to you as well, here are a few questions for your heart to explore:
Is what's before me heartening or disheartening?
Is what is in front of me heartening, even if it's hard?
If it's disheartening, why am I here?
Does this thing/idea/person want to be felt rather than figured out?
Could feeling this thing help me get more clear about what to do next?
How can I stay openhearted and set appropriate boundaries?
To my fellow sensitive friends: may we have just enough information to remember what's important and mobilize. May we remember that more than that amount might actually be paralyzing.
Always love to hear from you,
Michelle
