Dennis and Tina go about defining what stress is and in the context of current news and activities and stress of needing to have an opinion about everything and how to balance the information overload. They have a laugh over some relatively light stress moments in their own lives recently and how Dennis can frantically run around when he is short on time.
They ponder over how stress is a normal bodily response to threat and the ways it can become chronic, which is undesirable. How chronic or intense stress shows up and for what reasons; the stress of living with chronic illness and the emotional stress due to developmental trauma and wounds.
Maladaptive coping mechanisms, including the societally revered or accepted ones (depending on the type of friends) are explored. As well as the fight/flight response and physical response to threat/stress.
The Freeze response, stuckness and procrastination. The immobilisation and/or dissociation state and when that can happen, why and what it feels like.
All these states are part of our nervous system and it is important to view these states and coping mechanisms with tenderness and understanding helps us to move back to the safe, connected state.
As an example, they talk about how to approach burnout and chronic illness from this view point.
When they discuss the power of connection & communication and which nervous system state that corresponds with, Tina brings up the big issue of lack of connection and help available when you live with chronic health issues and how to possibly manage that.
And finally, they answer a lovely Listener's Question: "Is it OK to avoid stress and the feelings it brings?" Or how to make it feel a bit more palatable.
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