Senses Working Overtime

‘he must enter into all my feelings; the same books, the same music must charm us both.’ - Jane Austen 

I thought there might be a lot of other people who would benefit from reading this, too.

A series of tweets from Alexis Rockley, @ alexisrockley on Twitter, on April 19 2021: 

Let me be clear (a thread): Those “all over the place” feelings you’ve been having? They are symptoms of stress, not personal failings of yours. Do you feel flaky and inconsistent? That’s because your brain doesn’t know what news to brace for next, or what next month will hold. Tired easily? That’s because your brain is burning energy ten times faster than usual. Can’t seem to focus? That’s because your brain has temporarily shut down some functionality in your prefrontal cortex – the part that juggles complex tasks and planning – due to the stress response. 

Feeling creatively blocked? That’s because your brain has temporarily diverted all its creativity (aka ability to solve novel problems) to “how do I avoid dying?” while in a narrowed, slow burn, fight-or-flight state. Suddenly don’t give a fuck about future-based goals, projects, or dreams like you used to? That’s because your brain knows being short-sighted is a safer way to cope right now.

Your plans, creativity, energy, focus and motivation are on a yo-yo right now, because your brain believes you need to be extremely adaptive. You will not be on this rollercoaster forever. Be patient with your brain.

Sincerely, a positive psychology-certified coach and fellow human

Below the initial thread, a response from @ jezi_belle on twitter: And of course for those of us with mental illnesses that already present with these symptoms, everything’s just become an untenable shitshow.

mr. darcy + looking at elizabeth