*The following blog was written by Kari Eyer to introduce her upcoming workshop: The Mind Body Renewal*
What is the Nervous System?
Our nervous system is a network of nerves evolved to direct mind and body functions. It controls all the processes of the body. It also enables us to sense, feel, notice aspects of our world that indicate safety, bring pleasure, and signal danger or threat. When we interact with the world around us, it enables us to respond appropriately to our immediate environment.
When our nervous system is functioning correctly, it works great for us!
However, when we have experienced trauma or high stress load (even “positive” stress) for a long period of time, our nervous system can become dysregulated. This means that our mental state may no longer adapt, our physical body may have dysfunction, and our responses may not be appropriate to the environmental stimuli.
What is appropriate nervous system function?
When our nervous system is in a regulated state…
- our body mobilizes when appropriate (getting up for work/school, performing body-care tasks, etc.)
- our mind function is optimal (planning, goal oriented behavior, decision making, mental clarity, emotional regulation etc.)
- our mind-body rests and resets on a regular basis.
BUT, in a world of constant stimulation, many of us have become dysregulated.
We are bombarded with information through the 24/7 news cycle, social media, advertisements, and such.
We can’t even pump fuel into our cars without the screen on the fuel pump blasting information at us!
And while we are being overstimulated by constant new information, we are expected to maintain job performance, manage household and personal care routines, navigate relationships and/or deal with social isolation, and more!
What’s the problem with this?
For many of us, our stress load is so high that our mind-body does not enter the rest and reset state often or fully enough. Likewise, many of us get stuck in dysregulated states and may not be aware of the signals our mind-body is sending. Our nervous systems aren’t working the way they should, and we often don’t realize it!
The Good News…
You CAN restore proper nervous system functioning! Here are some ways:
- Breathe. Pay attention to changes in your breathing like shorter shallower breathing, holding your breath, sighing a lot, etc. Use deep belly breaths (diaphragmatic breathing) to calm your nervous system. Know that any amount of time you spend in deep breathing is beneficial.
- Practice Mindfulness or Meditation. Often all the information we are taking in leads us to replay the past or worry about the future, which leads to an increase in mind-body stress load. Mindfulness and meditation bring us into the present moment.
- Move. Movement practices like taking walks, running, strength training, aerobic activities, yoga, Qigong, Tai chi, etc are known to reduce the overall stress load in both mind and body when done regularly.
- Sleep. Practicing good sleep hygiene and getting enough sleep helps the mind-body recover and reset.
- Seek help. Sometimes we need the help of a professional to process how high stress load is affecting us, learn new ways of dealing with the stressors, and regain nervous system balance.
Interested in learning more about the nervous system from Kari Eyer? Email her at kari@ourwholelivingcounseling to learn about her upcoming workshop with Freya Oostingh: The Mind Body Renewal Program.
