All the way back in 1936, Hans Selye published his theory of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). You may wonder (as I often do), “what did they know about overwhelm and stress in 1936????” Well apparently, a lot - as fatigue and stress were familiar themes in accounts of the impact of work and war on health and efficiency. Selye described the three stages of this syndrome as alarm, resistance, and finally exhaustion in response to stress. This theory remains significant in framing the overwhelm and burnout being experienced by so many in the 21st century. 

• The ALARM phase represents the initial activation of stress and the body prepares for the fight, flight or freeze response.

• The RESISTANCE phase represents the body’s attempt to adapt and cope with the ongoing stressor, attempting to normalize physiological responses while maintaining a heightened state of alert.  Irritability, frustration and poor concentration are some of the symptoms common to the resistance stage.

• The EXHAUSTION phase is characterized by the body breaking down as life-sustaining mechanisms slow down, organ systems fail, and our stress-fighting reserves are depleted. Fatigue, depression and anxiety predominate in this phase.

 In 1906, the Harvard psychologist William James (1842–1910) in his presidential address to the American Philosophical Society encouraged colleagues to explore “the amount of energy” required and available for mental and moral activities and praised the ability of yoga to stabilize the nervous system and restore or unleash “unused reservoirs of power.” 

Since 1906 there has been a lot of research devoted to treating people in the resistance phase of overwhelm so that they don’t move into the exhaustion phase. One of the most recent and promising developments has been made by 2 Canadian researchers, Zindel Segal and Norman Farb from The University of Toronto. Segal and Farb discovered that in the resistance phase where people generally feel they are feeling too much stimulation i.e too much “coming at me”- quite the opposite is true. Their sensory network has shut down.

Farb and Segal’s research has significantly contributed to our understanding of the role of sensory awareness in mental well-being and managing conditions like depression and overwhelm. 

Their research highlights several key findings:

• Sensory Deactivation in Depression: Their studies, including a large neuroimaging study, revealed that in patients with a history of depression, negative emotions can lead to a shutdown of the brain's sensory processing areas. This sensory deactivation, particularly in the right somatosensory cortex, was strongly associated with a higher risk of depression recurrence.

• The Power of Sensory Awareness for Well-being: They propose that intentionally shifting attention to sensory experiences, a practice they call "Sense Foraging," can be a powerful tool for counteracting these negative patterns. By tuning into the senses (touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste), individuals can engage their sensory network and enhance their resilience, well-being, health, and creativity.

• Sense Foraging as a Therapeutic Approach: They advocate for "sense foraging" as a therapeutic approach to combat depression and prevent relapse. It's described as a way to reconnect with the present moment and disrupt cycles of self-judgment and rumination by introducing new sensory information to the brain.

• Impact on Brain Activity and Information Processing: Their research suggests that focusing on sensory experiences can alter brain activity. Specifically, it may lead to changes in cortical representations of interoception (the sense of the internal state of the body) and modulate the activity of networks involved in self-referential thought and emotion regulation.