“Hurry, hurry; get what you can! There’s only so much to go around and only so much time to get it, so you’d better get your share before someone else takes it!”
This kind of urgency and “lack” mentality is typical of anyone who finds him/herself in the middle of what has been called the “Rat Race.” And while people in this mode of thinking may not consciously be aware of these short-term, destructive, and isolationist thoughts, they are nonetheless the beliefs and emotions that drive their decisions as they make their way through each day.
This kind of existence is what is known as “survival mode.” Survival mode is unfortunately very common in the world today. How do so many people get into this mode of thinking and living? How can they possibly believe that this incredibly vast world we live in is so terribly limited? How can they think THEY are so limited? The answer may be simpler than you think. It is well–known that our thoughts (our psychology) affect our bodies (our physiology). After all, we can tell when people are “down” by looking at them— their entire posture is down! And, it is just as easy to tell when their mood is “up!” It’s not as well known that the reverse is true too: our physiology also affects our psychology!
So where am I going with this?
Well, if your body is physiologically in survival mode, it will also cause your mind to be in survival mode. How does your body get into survival mode? It happens every single time you develop a neurological misconnection between your brain and your body—what we chiropractors call subluxation.
Whenever interference exists in your nervous system, the body uses its energy very inefficiently; energy stores are used up at a much greater than normal rate. When the body, with its innate intelligence, recognizes this rapid depletion of energy, it goes into survival mode and shuts down activities that are not necessary to survival. This shutdown is both physical and mental, and since psychology and physiology affect each other so intimately, a vicious cycle results. We call this downward spiral in your health and vitality The Subluxation Process.
How Chiropractic can Help
The specific chiropractic adjustment process gradually restores the neurological connection between your brain and your body and takes you out of survival mode, both mentally and physically. And, because of this connection between psychology and physiology, an upward spiral in health and vitality results, including your outlook on life.
A gradual awakening reveals the whole picture of your life and the direction the world is moving; it drives all of your thoughts, words, and actions. No longer do you think strictly about selfish and short– term solutions to immediate problems. You begin to deliberately make choices to change the world for the better in the long run. You also begin to become aware of the incredible abundance that our Creator continually provides for us.
The end result of this shift in your thinking is that you, once and for all, purposefully take yourself out of the rat race. And this is a great thing because the problem with the rat race is that even if you win the race…you’re still just a rat!
Modified excerpt from: Breaking the Stress Cycle – Of the Rat Race by Kevin Donka, DC.
She’s a Mom, has Doctorate in Chiropractic and loves helping people move from pain back to a healthy and active lifestyle.