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Thoughts, memory, learning, and feelings.
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Movements (balance and coordination).
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Senses (how your brain interprets what you see, hear, taste, touch, and feel).
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Wound healing.
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Sleep
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Heartbeat and breathing patterns.
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Response to stressful situations, including sweat production.
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Digestion.
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Body processes, such as puberty and aging.
Rest and Digest vs. Fight or Flight
For our purposes, we are interested in the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. Your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems have opposite but complementary roles. Your sympathetic nervous system carries signals that put your body’s systems on alert, and your parasympathetic carries signals that return those systems to their standard activity levels.
Common Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System (Anxiety!)
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You’re constantly on edge and overwhelmed
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You’re frequently snappy, irritable, and reactive
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You experience chronic pain, illness, or headaches
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You’re highly sensitive to sensory stimuli
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You experience sleep problems and daytime fatigue
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Chronic attention and concentration problems
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Overeating or not eating enough
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Drug and alcohol misuse
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Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed
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Less interest in sex than usual
Your sympathetic nervous system is best known for its role in responding to dangerous or stressful situations. In these situations, your sympathetic nervous system activates to speed up your heart rate and deliver more blood to areas of your body that need more oxygen or other responses to help you escape danger.
Listen, Beautiful. I want you to feel JOY. So much of it.
There are SO MANY things we can do to activate this system. Just to name a few:
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Walking in nature
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Restful sleep
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Massage
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Stretching
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Yoga
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Deep breathing
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Meditate/sit quietly
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Hugs
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Singing/humming
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Praying
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Cold showers
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Cuddle a human or pet
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Healthy eating/nourishing meals
As you can see, you have many options! Our stretch community is focusing on the below right now. I hope you try one!
BELLY BREATHING: Have you tried box breathing? It’s easy and can be done anywhere – without looking weird. Take in a slow big breath for a count of 4. Hold for 4. Release slow and controlled for a count of 4. Longer exhales activate your parasympathetic nervous system & send a signal to the brain to rest while easing the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight)
SCREEN BREAKS: Our nervous system becomes overstimulated with media and multitasking. Take regular breaks from screens, especially right before bed lovely.
QUIET TIME: Bring your whole self into the present moment. As hard as it is (at least for me!), try to sit still for a few minutes a day. Notice what you hear, see, smell, taste, and feel. Focus on your breath.
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS: Repeat to yourself “I am happy. I am healthy. I have everything I need.” Your brain is always listening to you. Say nice things to it
There is a great book I recently started reading called Heal Your Nervous System by Linnea Passaler. I highly recommend it!
FREE Nervous System Assessment
I’ll be thinking of you all, hoping you take steps to heal your nervous system. I’m always here for you if you need a tension-releasing stretch. Let’s get your body moving well!
Schedule your stretch session, today!
