“I see far too many people struggling with fatigue, niggling or recurring health issues, and a general sense of lethargy. I want to help people understand common contributors to why they feel so lousy, and what they can do to regain their vitality and embrace life with a renewed enthusiasm.”
I asked Dr Libby some questions ahead of the event.
What would you expect to happen to a person’s health and wellbeing after a disaster such as the recent cyclone?
When we experience an event like a natural disaster, our body activates our stress response commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response. This is the ancient system – specifically our sympathetic nervous system – that is charged with the responsibility of keeping us alive. In some people, this response stays activated for longer than is needed to save our life, after the actual disaster hits. It changes our biochemistry in a very specific way. If we needed to fight or flee from danger, we would need the use of our arms and legs, so in times of acute stress, our body shunts the flow of blood to our limbs. It also floods us with adrenaline, which is a stress hormone that jolts us into action. Adrenaline is our high-alert hormone – it makes us feel anxious or hyper-vigilant of anything that may be dangerous in our surrounds. It can also cause restless sleep, loss of appetite, poor digestion, elevated heart rate, shortness of breath and/or a shakiness or jitteriness in our limbs. Because this response stems from a part of the nervous system that is automatic, the simplest way we can calm ourselves is to purposefully slow our breathing rate.
Many people in Hawke’s Bay lost everything including their homes. What would your advice have been to them regarding their health and wellbeing in the immediate days after the event?
A natural disaster is one of those genuinely stressful experiences that puts the other things we tend to get stressed about into perspective in the most heartbreaking way. Things like running late or feeling overwhelmed about an overflowing email inbox. In the time after an event like this, there is so much to do and so many pieces to pick up for yourself and others – your health and wellbeing are likely going to take a backseat when you’re thinking about how to get a roof over your head and ensure your family is safe. Our priorities change in such circumstances. My advice would be to return to taking even small steps to look after yourself when you can. Plus, lean into support networks and prioritise what’s most important – the rest can come later. Ideally keep yourself nourished with whole, real food if it’s available to you. If you notice your mind catastrophising, see if you can interrupt such thoughts with questions like “what if this all works out?” or “what can I do right now to reassure myself that I’m safe now”.
What is the number one thing you can do for yourself if you are feeling stressed?
Good quality sleep is essential to help us repair and restore our body during times of stress. Doing everything you can to promote a good sleep cycle is one of the best things we can do for ourselves during a period of stress. We need to communicate to our body that it’s okay to relax and science tells us the best way to do this is through long, slow diaphragmatic breathing. A daily routine of taking 20 long, slow breaths, moving your tummy in and out (rather than the upper part of your chest) as you breathe, can help to make a difference to your body’s ability to relax enough into a deep sleep. Any restorative practice like yoga, tai chi, qi gong or meditation will also help to calm our nervous system which in turn will help to restore our sleep.
What do you think are the first signs of stress?
Some of the more common first signs of stress include poor sleep and anxious feelings as well as symptoms of impaired digestion such as bloating or gut discomfort. Everyone will respond differently though as our unique biochemistry will influence how stress shows up in our body.
What issues will you be touching on?
Because so many people feel like ‘winter’ has gone on for more than the last three months with everything they’ve had to face, I want to offer people ways to feel better when they might not know how. It’s not normal to experience symptoms like achy joints, temperamental hormones, recurring sniffles, anxiety that echoes through sleepless nights, headaches that plague you, insomnia, an unpredictable thyroid, IBS that flares up with every dietary detour, or fatigue that feels like a never-ending hangover. I’ll be explaining why people tend to feel so lousy and lacklustre and what they can do about it.
What can people expect to take away from the event?
My hope is that people will learn it’s not as difficult as they believe to start feeling better again – that small, simple changes can make a major difference.
DETAILS
Bouncing Back
Thursday, September 21
7pm-9pm (doors open at 6.30pm)
Ioana College Blyth Performing Arts Centre
42 Lucknow Rd, Havelock North
Tickets from www.drlibby.com/
WIN
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