A Little More Nervous System Regulation Is What We Need

Life (and stress) happens. Daily, we are exposed to situations and experiences that elicit a stress response. Our nervous systems and bodies are designed for those responses; we are supposed to be alert to danger and to fight or flee to keep ourselves safe. There are many ways our modern lifestyle is stressful and continually activates this stress response. Over time, these continuous responses can become unhealthy for us.

Our response to stress (which can include increased heart rate, anxiety, trouble sleeping, compulsion to ‘fix’ the problem, etc.) is going to happen regardless, but we can facilitate more regulation to help our systems come back down to the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system state. Why is this important? We aren’t meant to be in that heightened stress response state all the time. Being able to go up and then drop back down is really healthy. We want our nervous systems to be responsive and move into and out of stress states with ease.

There are different ways to support this process of more regulation, but a great way to start is by noticing:

• Can you notice when you are stressed?

• What does it feel like in your body?

• Can you notice when you’re less stressed?

• What happens when you take a few deep deeper and slower breaths? Does that change anything?

• Is there someone or something that feels supportive or calming? What happens in your body when you think about that person, thing or experience?

• Can you notice the difference between an easier, calmer and more relaxed nervous system state and a state that feels more triggered and stressed?

One of the most annoying things (to me) is when you are super stressed and someone tells you “just relax”. If you could, you would, but it isn’t as easy as just telling yourself to do it. Even though being able to relax may be the end goal, I like to think about what you can do to take one step down toward being relaxed, and then see and notice how you feel.

So much of learning about your unique nervous system is about slowing down and observing yourself and what changes moment to moment. If you’re curious to learn more, I’d love to have you come in for a Somatic Experiencing session!