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An increasingly overwhelming problem in today’s world is unmanageable chronic stress that manifest as serious health problems and more often than not becoming fatal as well. Among various other factors, emotions and environment plays a major role in causing these overwhelming conditions be at work place or among family and friends. Insecurities, isolation, interpersonal conflicts and lack of control over workload, inability to exercise freedom of speech and ideas, lack ofaccess to recreational opportunities and communication are to be blamed.
At pathophysiological level it has been found that prolonged secretion of cortisol levels and suppression of hormones like oxytocin due to stress stimuli were responsible for affecting almost all functions of the human body. From nervous system to cardiovascular system, digestive system and immune system. The damages caused are sometime irreparable and that is why this issue needs prompt addressal. There are medical interventions to control these abnormal secretion of stress hormones but these interventions are usually addictive and pose side effects. But nature has kept in us and surrounded us with all solutions that body and soul would ever need to overcome damages and challenges and heal themselves to emerge as a more beautiful and productive being. One of these is body’s innate response to empathy, bonding and creating social interdependence.
Laboratory based research has begun to reveal psychological pathways linking social interaction, interdependence, bonding, empathy with mental and physical wellbeing. These are the pathways that control the secretions of hormones like cortisol and oxytocin. Researches indicate that increased level of oxytocin strongly increases feeling of trust, calmness, safety, generosity and connectedness. Oxytocin is released in a variety of social situations like while breastfeeding, parent child interactions and storytelling. According to Guilherme Brockington story telling not only increases oxytocin but also decreases cortisol markablyand reduces pain sensation.
To add to the beauty of this phenomenon it was observed that thoughts and emotions has the same effect on our bodies whether they are delivered to ourselves or to others. Both the acts affect the same center of the brain giving it a sense of compassion and warmth. Brain scans show an act of charity and donation is registered as receiving a gift by the brain. The neuroscientists refer to it as “the warm glow affect”.
In a study conducted at University of Wisconsin Medisow and Emory University, group of people were trained compassion meditation and their conversations and activities were recorded for over a period of time and when they were found empathetic and compassionate with people, they were put in created stressful situations. Their blood and saliva work revealed significantly lower levels of cortisol.
In a similar study conducted at Yale University where subjects were trained to empathize and were studied for selfing regions of brain. These regions are active when we are overwhelmed by the thoughts of past and insecurities of future and in such situations unable to live and concentrate in present and generate positive thoughts. The trained compassion meditators were found to be able to shut down this default mode network of selfing regions of brain and created a new default mode that made these brain think positive and productive.
Being able to empathize with others and build meaningful connections with our society is one of the most powerful tools humans have at their disposal in combating stress. Amazing is the design of human construct where giving is taking. This shifts the whole paradigm of thoughts from converging towards centre to more centrifugal and declares that one can heal oneself by the virtue of bringing upon healing to the environment around. Nature has knitted us in the mesh work of interdependence and the beauty of life is evolved by providing this mesh a beautiful design by being able to share and understand the emotions, thoughts and experiences of another person without making judgments, communicating well, letting ourselves be available for the nature to heal us. This is how we build strong bonds, create an environment of respect, understanding and reciprocity. This is how we can create a more relaxed, harmonious, constructive and secure world. This is how we heal ourselves.
