Nervous System Regulation for Challenging Times

How have you been lately? I've found it to be a roller coaster recently - locked in, let out, shaken all about... the uncertainty, disappointment (or relief) at cancelled plans, the constant requirement for agility and adaptation at a moment's notice, the extra burdens if you're a caretaker and the loneliness if you're isolated from those you love, the financial challenges if your work isn't considered essential or possible to do from home.

It's A LOTand it's hard both because of how long we've had to exist under these conditions and because for some of us it feels like there's no light at the end of the tunnel or we've lost the capacity to trust that there will be some respite from the challenges anytime soon.

Our natural human stress response is designed to keep us safe AND help us learn. When we have an optimal level of challenge we are primed to succeed. 

Just like Goldilocks, if we experience too little challenge it results in under-stimulation, boredom, complacency, apathy, low motivation and lowered sense of our own value or skills. But if we have too much, or are under stress for too long it causes our prefrontal cortex to switch off resulting in poor decision making and lowering our capacity for pro-social behaviour i.e. we become our grumpy poo pants/short fused/irritable selves, and it triggers inflammatory responses throughout our system (including in our brains creating brain-fog, in our digestive tract resulting in IBS like symptoms and in our joints creating pain).

All this is to say that if you've been experiencing any of the above it is A PERFECTLY NORMAL BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE to life. It makes you utterly and perfectly human. You may be at one of the spectrum or the other and neither may be where you'd prefer to be at all.

So what helps?  

That depends but there's a lot you can do to work with yourself where you're at and gently nurture your nervous system in the direction you'd like it to move. 

In nervous system terminology we use the term 'regulation'. Regulation is the ability to dial up or down the 'volume' so to speak on your level of stimulation/activation.

For those feeling in the doldrums, tired, sad, disappointed, losing hope or exhausted, finding ways to gently move your system toward stimulation can help. 

Scientifically proven gentle up-regulating solutions include:

• Mindful walks in nature

• Dancing - with yourself or with others

• Safe connection with another where you feel heard, understood and unconditionally supported (co-regulation)

• Gratitude practice

• Yoga asana - start slow and work up to more invigorating practices

• Pranayama - as above, start with long slow deep and move toward more activating styles such as kapphalabhati or bashtrika breathing

For those feeling more on the stressed end of the spectrum, great ways to down-regulate your nervous system include the top four from the above list and... 

Safe and accessible stress reduction strategies :

• Guided body scan meditations or Yoga Nidra

• Restorative Yoga

• Slowing your breathing rate e.g. 6 breaths per minute or focusing on extending the exhale portion of your breath longer than the inhale - avoid hyperventialtion and breath holds

• Massage (flowing or rocking and medium pressure e.g. Tui Na or Kahuna)

• For some people 'blowing off steam' can be really helpful too. So exercise that feels good for you, followed by adequate recovery like a magnesium bath can be beneficial

And for those feeling both 'tired and wired' it's helpful to create space for tending to both states - looking after the parts that feel anxious so they can down regulate to safety and calm, and also cultivating some space to tend for the sad, grieving or utterly exhausted parts who have been working so hard to keep you functional. They might like to take a load off for a little while.

If you'd like some support in exploring which of these techniques work for you or need someone to be that place to turn for unconditional support, I'd love to work with you! 

 Unlike psychologists who have wait lists months long, I'm available for sessions right away and apply a holistic approach that honours all of you - not just your mental state or label.

If you'd like to explore somatic approaches to uncovering your blocks, consider asking our reception staff about current packages of 5, 10 or 20 sessions.

Alternatively you can book a 90 minute discovery session to give it a try online.