Welcome to the December newsletter.
Finding Peace in a Season of Stress: Lessons from Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
Initially I thought I’d write about the origins of the holidays, but the universe had a different idea. Today, I’d like to share something deeply impactful that I learned a few years ago about Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor – a neuroanatomist with a remarkable story as both a brain scientist and a stroke survivor.
Dr. Taylor’s journey is extraordinary. In her book My Stroke of Insight (2006) she chronicles the morning of December 10, 1996, when she suffered a massive stroke that left her in an eight-year battle to rebuild her mind and her life. As someone who had spent decades studying the brain, Dr. Taylor’s perspective is truly unique – she not only lived through the experience but also understood it scientifically.
She describes how the stroke shut down the left hemisphere of her brain – the part responsible for language, logic, and the “mental chatter” most of us live with daily. In a split second, she was living entirely in her right hemisphere, which she describes as “Nirvana“.
The right hemisphere, she explains, exists only in the present moment. It’s the source of creativity, connection, and a sense of oneness with everything around us. In this state, there are no boundaries, no ego, and no judgement – only peace.
While living in this state was blissful for Dr. Taylor she knew she had to return to her left hemisphere to share what she had learned. Her recovery became a journey of reintegration and discovery, culminating in a profound message: peace and presence are always accessible to us, but we must intentionally cultivate them.
In chapter 19 of her book, tilted “Finding Your Inner Peace”, Dr. Taylor outlines how to reconnect with this sense of peace. She emphasizes unlearning old patterns, tuning into our bodies with the right foods – she emphasises eating protein while avoiding sugar and caffeine, something I wholeheartedly agree with.
One of her most powerful insights is about emotions. Dr. Taylor explains that when we feel a surge of emotion, the biochemical response in our body lasts just 90 seconds. After that, it’s our thoughts that keep the emotion alive and in the book, she describes speaking to her mind to stop that thinking loop. This realization can be life-changing.
As she writes:
“Before my stroke, I thought I was a product of my brain and had no idea that I had some say about how I responded to the emotions surging through me. On an intellectual level, I realized that I could monitor and shift my cognitive thoughts, but it never dawned on me that I had some
say in how I perceived my emotions. No one told me that it took only ninety seconds for my biochemistry to capture, and then release me. What an enormous difference this awareness has made in how I live my life.”
The next time you feel a strong emotion, I invite you to pause and sit with it for just 90 seconds. Pay attention to what happens in your body. You may be surprised at how quickly the intensity dissipates once the emotion is acknowledged.
As we enter this holiday season – a time that can bring both joy and stress – I encourage you to try the 90-second rule. It’s a simple yet profound way to shift your experience and find calm amidst the chaos.
Wishing you peace and presence.
Thank you for reading. With warmest wishes, Your WILDFIT coach.
