Some people call the hypothalamus the mind-body conector. It is the interface between your thoughts and your body's automatic response to those thoughts. The hypothalamus secretes corticotropic releasing factor (CRF) and initiates the body's response to stress.
What happens is your body?
The hypothalamus starts the ball rolling, and the pituitary gland in your responds to CRF by releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands and they secrete stress hormone. In response to stress, the adrenal gland secretes two major hormones (along with some that are less actively involved in stress): adrenaline and cortisol.
Adrenalin stimulates your heart, lungs, brain, and blood vessels-all the most important organs for survival. It sends more blood to those organs and pulls blood awayfrom your skin and digestive system. You body's idea is that if you're facing death, you don't need to digest stuff or feel pain, and you body thinks every threat is a death threat.
Using Your MInd-Body Connection
You can use the mind-body connection to turn off your stress response at least some of the time. That's what some relaxation techniques, like meditation and visualization, do. They convince your mind that there is no threat, and your mind tells the hypothalamus to stop sending out CRF so the response stops. When you know how the mind body connection works, you can use it to decrease and manage your strees.
Rose Marie Chalas Flores
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