Add & Subtract - Stress and VNS

This week let us look at Stress and VNS

Our sympathetic nervous system SNS puts us into ‘fight-flight-freeze’ when under threat. Our parasympathetic nervous system PNS is responsible for calming us back down and regulating critical body functions. The vagus nerve VN is a major part of the PNS so is key to our peace and balance.

The VN wanders down the body from brain stem to large intestine, communicating messages from the brain to our internal organs. It also helps manage the nerves controlling muscles, digestion and our immune system.

Vagus nerve stimulation VNS is anything that switches on our ’relax’ button.

ADD CHILL

VNS includes a range of techniques which help when we are stressed, depressed, anxious, wired and overwhelmed.

There are devices that can help stimulate our vagus nerve too, even surgically-implanted ones!

Suggestions: Here are some accessible, powerful options to increase your chill. Try them out with conscious intention to settle your nervous system.

• Meditation- try a brief guided practice on YouTube, even one minute helps
• Breathing - slow, abdominal breathing is our most accessible ‘tool’
• Cold exposure - icepacks, end shower on cold, ice baths! Real chill really chills.
• Singing, humming, chanting - stimulates VN through throat and vocal chords
• Exercise - all help, especially breath-centred practices like yoga, qi gong, tai chi
• Social connection - good company, laughter, warm relating all soothe us deeply

Psychiatrist, author and researcher Bessel van der Kolk:

“Some 80 percent of the fibres of the vagus nerve…run from the body into the brain. This means that we can directly train our arousal system by the way we breathe, chant, and move, a principle that has been utilised since time immemorial in places like China and India, and in every religious practice that I know of, but that is suspiciously eyed as “alternative” in mainstream culture”

Source: The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma

SUBTRACT HECTIC

Anything that over-stimulates us is firing up our fight-flight nervous system. Many stressors are out of our control, such as the passing over of a loved one, natural disasters, job loss.

There are other stressors we have more choice around. Life is stressful enough without adding anything optional to the mix.

Suggestions: Give yourself a break from these and notice any differences at the end of the day.

• Taking on too much - there’s always lots needing done, but try setting the top three priorities for the day and put the rest aside
• Unhealthy substances - caffeine, sugar, junk food, alcohol, smoking - all put additional stress on our bodies, so find your self-discipline and place limits
• Unnecessary conflict - what workplace or home confrontations, arguments can be avoided?
• Not accepting things - find the strength to accept what cannot be changed, and hear the serenity
• Being too serious - find the humorous in stressful situations, have a laugh; this will bring down your blood pressure and stress hormones

Actor Viggo Mortensen:

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress”

Source: positivityblog.com