Photo by Marie Lossky (@Marie.Lossky on Instagram)
“From that moment, she’s beginning to think that she’s not just uncomfortable but potentially in danger,” he says. “Even if the harassment is primarily psychological, it’s suggesting unwelcome sexual activity, which arouses a physical response to a physical threat. That stirs up your fight-or-flight reaction.” —David Spiegel, Stanford UniversityA couple of days ago I heard a really interesting piece on my local public radio station, KQED, about sexual harassment and stress that I thought was worth sharing. If you’d like to listen to it (or read the transcript) you can find it at ww2.kqed.org. What really struck me about it was how David Spiegel, a psychiatrist and stress expert at Stanford University, explained that “Humans are wired to respond to threatening behavior, and even a lewd comment can kick our defense circuitry into gear.” So this means that sexual harassment turns a once formerly safe space into a place where you experience chronic stress on a daily basis. And this is dangerous to both your physical and psychological health!
“As in any potentially dangerous situation, sexual harassment triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which quickens heart rate and raises blood pressure, muscle tension and blood glucose levels. The response is evolutionary: The extra energy fuels our ability to flee or do combat.
An occasional spike in stress hormones isn’t harmful, Spiegel says, but if a victim starts living in a chronic state of high alert, it can be toxic to the nervous system.”The article contains a link to a research paper Discrimination, Harassment, Abuse and Bullying in the Workplace: Contribution of Workplace Injustice to Occupational Health Disparities the shows that the “main pathway linking exposures to workplace injustice and health outcomes is via stress.” It also mentions even mentions the problem with sexual harassment and abuse in the yoga community, linking to a Yoga Journal article that I discussed in my post #MeToo and Yoga.
Obviously if verbal harassment alone can cause chronic stress in a workplace, we can imagine the serious stress caused by physical acts. "The office becomes a place you can’t assume your safety and go about your work; instead you’re also worrying about the potential for psychological or physical assault … It exhausts you.” —David SpiegelSo if you or someone you know is currently experiencing sexual harassment (or trying to recover from it), practicing yoga for stress management (see 6 Ways to Bust Stress with Yoga aand Stress Management for When You're Stressed) is important for protecting your health. And because stress can affect your thinking, practicing yoga for stress management might help you think your situation more clearly and decide what the best steps are for you to take. And although the radio piece didn't mention this, obviously the same problem of chronic stress is there for people experiencing discrimination, bullying, harassment, and abuse of any kind in what should be a safe space, including schools as well as work places. (This is what the paper Discrimination, Harassment, Abuse and Bullying in the Workplace: Contribution of Workplace Injustice to Occupational Health Disparities was addressing.) So the same recommendations for using yoga to help take care of yourself as you decide what your next steps should be hold true for you as well.Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook and Twitter ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.For information about Nina's upcoming workshops and retreats and other activities, see Nina's Workshops, Retreats, and Books.
