“Your Brain, Stress and the Sneaky Bear”

The Brain’s Ancient Operating System

Imagine this: you wake up in the morning, check your phone, see ten unread emails, three missed calls, and your boss asking for that “urgent” report. Your brain instantly freaks out. Heart races. Palms sweat. You feel like you’re about to be eaten alive.

Now here’s the funny part: your brain actually does think you’re about to be eaten alive.

That’s because our brains haven’t really updated their software in the last… oh, I don’t know… 50,000 years. Back then, “stress” meant something very clear and simple:

• A tiger jumps out of the bushes.

• You either fight it, run away, or become lunch.

Fast forward to today. The “tiger” is no longer a wild animal—it’s your inbox, bills, relationship drama, or the neighbour who insists on mowing the lawn at 7 a.m. But your brain doesn’t know the difference. It reacts the same way it always has: “Danger! Survival at stake! Panic mode: ON.”

And that’s the trick: your brain’s operating system was built for survival in the Stone Age, not for dealing with Wi-Fi that keeps disconnecting. It still treats every conflict—big or small—as if your life depends on it.

So when you don’t get enough love, when someone ignores you, or when you argue with your partner about where to order dinner, your brain interprets it as a life-or-death situation. Boom—conflict. Boom—stress.

And stress, as you’ll see in the next chapters, is not just “a bad mood.” It’s your brain sounding the alarm, sending messages to your body, and preparing you for battle. Except there’s no actual tiger… just that email from your boss marked “urgent.”

When Love Runs Low

Here’s a secret about your brain: it is completely obsessed with love. Not just romantic, candlelight-dinner, “you complete me” kind of love. I mean the basic sense of connection, care, and belonging.

If your brain suspects there’s not enough love in the room—or worse, none at all—it freaks out.“Wait… nobody loves me? Nobody cares? This must mean I’m in danger!”

Why danger? Because thousands of years ago, being part of the group was the difference between life and death. If your tribe kicked you out, you wouldn’t survive very long on your own. (Good luck hunting mammoths by yourself with just a stick and poor aim.)

So even today, when your partner doesn’t text back, or your friend forgets your birthday, your brain treats it like you’ve just been abandoned in the wilderness. Result? Conflict inside. Stress outside.

And here’s the vicious cycle:

• Less love (or even just the feeling of less love) = conflict.

• Conflict = stress.

• Stress = your brain screaming, “Danger! Tiger incoming!”

But the only “tiger” in this case is that unanswered message on WhatsApp. 🐯📱

So yes, love is not just poetry material—it’s actual brain fuel. Without it, the mind goes into survival mode, and survival mode is exhausting.

Stress – The Unwanted Personal Trainer

Picture this: you’ve signed up for a gym membership. You’re ready for gentle yoga, maybe some light cardio. But instead, the gym assigns you a personal trainer named… Stress.

And Stress is the worst trainer ever.He yells at you constantly:

• “Run faster, your life depends on it!”

• “Lift heavier, or you’ll never survive!”

• “Don’t even think about resting—danger is everywhere!”

At first, Stress might give you a little boost. Adrenaline kicks in, you feel alert, sharp, ready to tackle whatever’s in front of you. Great for escaping a lion. Not so great for writing tax forms.

But when Stress hangs around too long, he becomes that trainer who won’t leave the gym—even when it’s midnight and you’re just trying to drink your protein shake in peace. He pushes too hard, too often, until your body and brain are completely exhausted.

And here’s the big problem: your brain doesn’t measure stress in “emails unanswered” or “bills unpaid.” It only knows two categories:

1. Small stress (manageable).

2. Huge stress (life-threatening).

The second category is what your brain calls “excessive stress.” In prehistoric terms, that meant: “I’m probably going to die.” Today, it might just mean: “I’m stuck in traffic and running late.” But the brain doesn’t know the difference.

So Stress, our unwanted trainer, keeps shouting, “Danger! Train harder!” even though there’s no lion in sight—just a red traffic light. 🚦

From Conflict to Illness

Here’s where things get really sneaky. Your brain, bless its ancient heart, doesn’t like to keep conflicts in the “mind only” folder. Nope. It’s like that one co-worker who forwards every single email to everyone—even when nobody asked.

When you’re stressed, your brain sends the “Danger!” message straight to your body. Why? Because your body is the only tool it has to help you survive.

Let’s imagine this:

• You feel powerless in a situation → your stomach starts to twist.

• You’re “holding back” emotions → your back muscles lock up like a rusty door.

• You feel like you can’t “digest” a problem → hello, digestive issues!

It’s not random. Your brain is trying to solve an emotional problem with a biological solution. And since it still thinks you’re running around the savannah, it pulls out ancient tricks: speed up the heart, pump adrenaline, tighten muscles, shut down digestion.

Short term? It makes sense. Long term? Welcome to the land of headaches, ulcers, insomnia, and that mysterious pain in your shoulder that no massage therapist can fix.

It’s like your brain has a stubborn policy: “If in doubt, let’s make the body suffer. That’ll fix it. ”Spoiler: it doesn’t.

So when we say “stress makes you sick,” it’s not just a motivational poster. It’s biology. Your brain translates inner conflicts into body signals. Unfortunately, it sometimes overreacts—like a smoke alarm that goes off not only when there’s a fire, but also when you make toast.

The Bear Test

Let’s play a game. Imagine you’re walking through the forest and suddenly… a bear appears. A big, grumpy, “I-haven’t-had-my-coffee-yet” kind of bear.

How your brain reacts depends on the type of bear. And trust me, not all bears are real.

1. The Real Bear 🐾

This one is obvious. There’s an actual bear, right in front of you, and your brain goes full survival mode: racing heart, shaky knees, instant adrenaline.

Conclusion: Run. (Or climb a tree if you’re feeling athletic.)

2. The Imaginary Bear 💭

There is no bear. You think there might be one, or you imagine one hiding in the bushes. But in reality, a raccoon is rummaging through your rubbish.. Your brain doesn’t care—it reacts as if the bear is already waving at you. Stress, panic, sweaty palms, the whole package.

3. The Virtual Bear 📺

You’re watching a bear documentary on TV, or maybe a scary movie. Rationally, you know it’s just pixels on a screen. But your brain? It’s not excellent at distinguishing “virtual” from “real.” That’s why you jump during horror films or scream, “Don’t go in there!” even though the actress definitely can’t hear you.

4. The Symbolic Bear 📝

This one’s sneaky. It’s not even a bear—it’s something your brain interprets as a bear. Maybe it’s your boss’s angry face. Maybe it’s a bad grade on a test. Maybe it’s that bill sitting unopened on the kitchen table. None of these are furry or growl (hopefully), but your brain still screams: “BEAR!”

Here’s the point: Your brain reacts the same way in all four cases. Real, imagined, virtual, or symbolic—your body still gears up for a fight. And that’s the problem. Most of our modern “bears” aren’t dangerous at all. But your brain hasn’t updated its alarm system since the Stone Age, so it sets off the sirens anyway.

Result? You spend your days running from bears that don’t even exist. 🐻➡️🙈

Healing Through Understanding

Here’s the good news: your brain may be old-fashioned, but it’s not completely unreasonable. Once it finally believes the “bear” is gone, it relaxes. And when the brain relaxes, the body starts to heal.

Think of it like a smoke alarm. As long as it detects smoke (real or imaginary), it won’t stop screaming. But once you wave the smoke away—or take the toast out of the toaster—the alarm finally shuts up.

The same thing happens with stress:

• Conflict active = alarm blaring, body on high alert.

• Conflict resolved = alarm quiet, body entering repair mode.

Now, here’s the funny twist. When your brain shifts from conflict to healing, the symptoms often change. That stomach pain might ease, but suddenly you feel super tired. That headache may fade, but you might get the sniffles. It’s like your body is saying, “Okay, now that the emergency is over, let’s clean up the mess.”

Some people panic when they notice these changes, thinking, “Great, I’m sick again!” But really, it’s the body doing its repair work. Think of it as your internal construction crew fixing the damage Stress the Personal Trainer caused. Hard hats included. 👷

And the best part? You don’t have to fight your body. You don’t have to yell at your brain. All you need is awareness. When you recognize the pattern—conflict, stress, resolution, healing—you stop seeing your symptoms as random punishment. Instead, they become signals.

It’s like finally learning the secret language of your own body. Suddenly, the weird things it does make sense. And when things make sense, they feel less scary.

Life with Less Drama (and More Laughs)

So here we are. You’ve met your brain, the outdated survival machine that still thinks you’re running around with mammoths. You’ve met Stress, the world’s worst personal trainer. You’ve learned about bears—real, imaginary, virtual, and symbolic. And you’ve discovered that your body isn’t betraying you, it’s just following the bossy orders of your brain.

Now the question is: what do you do with all this?

First, lighten up. Seriously. Half the trouble comes from believing every stressful thought as if it were the gospel truth. Remember: not every “bear” is real. Most of them are inflatable teddy bears your brain mistakes for danger. If you can smile at that, you’re already halfway there.

Second, listen to your body like it’s your quirky best friend. When it complains—headache, stomachache, muscle tension—it’s not being dramatic. It’s just trying to tell you, “Hey, there’s a conflict in here. Can we solve it, please?” Treat symptoms as messages, not enemies.

Third, give your brain a little compassion. It’s doing its best with very old software. Imagine trying to run modern apps on a computer from 1995—it’s going to crash sometimes. Instead of yelling at it, update it with kindness, laughter, and maybe a nap.

And finally, don’t forget humour. Laughter is like the “reset button” for stress. It tells your brain, “Relax, no tiger here. No bear either. Just a funny story about me panicking over an email.”

Because at the end of the day, life is always going to throw us “bears.” Some are real, some are fake, and some wear suits and ties. We can’t stop them from showing up—but we can choose how to see them.

So take a deep breath. Smile at the imaginary bear. Wave at your personal trainer Stress and tell him, “Thanks, but I’ll handle it from here.” And most importantly, don’t forget to laugh at the whole absurd circus of being human.

Because if your brain insists on drama, the least you can do is turn it into a comedy.

Source : "Les 5 etapes pour paravenir a la Guerison" by Jacques Martel

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns.