In our current society’s pace of life, resting is so uncommon that it’s been reidentified as mindless screen time or watching stimulating television shows in bed. While food or lack of movement attribute to declining health, there is another aspect that’s often looked over – the nervous system. What’s missing, aside from nourishment and strength, from the average person’s day to day life? Safety. If the body does not feel safe, it can break your health completely.
It’s easy to understand that when in constant fight or flight mode, hormones become imbalanced. However, it’s even deeper than that. When the nervous system is out of whack, your digestive, cardiovascular, and even respiratory system is at risk. Nervous system regulation is just as important (if not more!) as nutrition and fitness when it comes to optimal health. In this post we’ll dig deeper into this and discuss how to train your schedule and brain to be on the path of healing.
The Nervous System
The nervous system is divided into two parent categories: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is composed of nerves that run throughout the body, and includes the somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system. While the body’s quick reactions from the brain are incredible, today we will focus on the areas often neglected and misunderstood.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System
The two categories of the parasympathetic are the somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system is composed of the voluntary movement of the musculoskeletal system. The autonomic nervous system, however, is also known as the involuntary nervous system. It regulates the functions of the body done unconsciously, such as heart rate changes, digestion, and respiration. The ANS has the divisions of sympathetic, to increase energy, and parasympathetic, to conserve energy. Today we’ll be breaking down the parasympathetic nervous system and seeing its vital place in healing.
The dance of parasympathetic & sympathetic
Your sympathetic nervous system takes the lead when your safety and survival are at risk. Whether it’s slamming your car’s brakes to avoid an accident or feeling nervous before an important work presentation, your body produces the same fight or flight stress hormones. In some cases, this is great. Your body senses danger and reacts to it without even having to think about it. However, the sympathetic nervous system should not be working full time.
While your sympathetic nervous system sets off the fight or flight response, your parasympathetic nervous system manages your body’s response during rest. This is also known as the “rest and digest” system. It follows the activation of the sympathetic nervous system when it finally feels safe, allowing the body to recover from the threat perceived. While it can activate after danger, it can also activate on its own when the body feels relaxed.
The parasympathetic nervous system is operative in several bodily functions, many of which are extremely important. Below is an excerpt from the Cleveland Clinic discussing the physiology and effects of this system.
- Eyes: It constricts your pupils to limit how much light enters your eyes. It also makes changes that can help improve your close-up vision, and causes tear production in your eyes.
- Nose and mouth: It makes glands in your mouth produce saliva, and glands in your nose produce mucus. This can be helpful with digestion and breathing during times of rest.
- Lungs: It tightens airway muscles and ultimately reduces the amount of work your lungs do during times of rest.
- Heart: It lowers your heart rate and the pumping force of your heart.
- Digestive tract: It increases your rate of digestion and diverts energy to help you digest food. It also tells your pancreas to make and release insulin, helping your body break down sugars into a form your cells can use.
- Waste removal: It relaxes the muscles that help you control when you use the restroom.
- Reproductive system: It manages some of your body’s sexual functions, including feeling aroused.
It’s obvious that the PNS is important for various bodily functions. Many people live in a chronic stress state, almost never activating the parasympathetic nervous system during waking hours. Digestion, for example, is a key function of the PNS. However, scarfing down food during a 30 minute lunch break, picking at food all day in place of a sit-down meal, and eating while driving or scrolling on your phone is “normal.” The body doesn’t have time to activate the PNS and produce what’s needed to even begin digestion when it’s stuck in fight or flight.
Some other common examples of a neglected PNS are constipation, trouble sleeping, emotional dysregulation, sexual dysfunction, shortness of breath, hormonal imbalance, altered circadian rhythm, and of course, extreme or chronic fatigue. It wears the body out to constantly be in danger mode. While the body needs the SNS to react, it also needs the PNS to relax.
How to ignite the parasympathetic
Embrace where the parasympathetic wants to exist
As mentioned above, the parasympathetic aids in bodily processes, such as digestion, breathing, and heart-rate regulation. While the PNS is often activated unconsciously in these activities, it is possible to capitalize on its activation with the conscious mind. Keeping PNS activities relaxing and non-stimulating is a great step in the right direction. Here are some tips to embrace your parasympathetic state.
Pause before a meal & slow down eating
This is easy if you already say a prayer of gratitude before meals. Saying a prayer, taking a few deep breaths, or even just pausing for a few seconds before eating a meal activates the PNS and supports digestion. Remember the PNS is referred to as the “rest and digest” system. Digestion is done best when the body is in a restful state. Taking a moment to stimulate relaxation can make all the difference in how your food goes down.
For many, it’s common to inhale your food, especially if rushing through a 30 minute lunch break or trying to get to bed on time. While this is understandable, it’s important to regularly slow down during your meals. There’s a reason it’s called a lunch break. Rather than rushing, chew your food slowly and thoroughly. Pause frequently, think about the enjoyment of each bite of your meal. Not only does this activate your parasympathetic nervous system, it also allows you to be more connected with your eating experience. Eating should be enjoyable in every aspect, not just the taste. Your body perceives eating as a rejuvenating experience, but not if it’s in a fight or flight state.
Similar to this, it’s also good to avoid grazing or snacking all day in place of having a sit down meal. In many cases, the food being grazed is not eaten during a restful state, not considered a meal, and often lacks balanced nutrition. It’s another way of rushing through eating instead of actually allowing your body to be in a state to break down the food. Whether its a habit of rushing around the kitchen and serving everyone or grazing from boredom, make it a point to sit down and eat an actual meal.
Slowing down for one or all of your meals can help you regularly activate your parasympathetic nervous system. With this, you may be able to avoid constipation, have regular bowel movements, be less bloated, be more in tune with nutrient needs, and tap into your hunger/fullness cues better. Say a prayer, take a deep breath, and take the time to enjoy more of your meals.
While this is biologically normal, it may feel odd if you’ve been running on stress hormones and rushing through life. Let it be a little uncomfortable, and soon you’ll look forward to it.
Avoid screen stimulation during PNS activities
The average person brings their phone to the dinner table, to the toilet, and to the bedroom. All of these things can disturb the parasympathetic state, raise stress, and ultimately get in the way of what the body needs to do. Consider the bodily functions that recruit the parasympathetic nervous system. Is there one (or several) during which you find yourself scrolling your phone or flicking on the TV? Keep the toilet for elimination, dinner table for eating, and bed for sleeping. Even if you choose to put the phone away one meal, one night a week, or one bathroom sesh, it’s a start that can make a significant change for your body and mind.
Take 5 minutes a day to do absolutely nothing
Turn the music, TV, phone, or other distraction of choice off. Get a cup of tea, go out in the sun, put your feet on the ground. Find an easy way to take a few minutes to do nothing. It is now rare for humans to do this aside from sleeping. Let your body be in a restful state for a few minutes a day while awake.
Seek out your your safe spaces & preferred relaxation techniques
Relaxing activities do not just need to be breathing, eating, or sleeping. The PNS can activate during many things. Ultimately, the body needs to feel safe and be doing something that is relaxing, comes naturally, and feels good.
Many people will define whatever puts them in this state as a way to process emotions, check out, or use as an escape. This could be singing, playing an instrument, dancing to your favorite slow song, restorative exercise, reading, sewing, or drawing. Many artistic activities calm the mind, especially if you feel you can lose yourself in them. Make it a regular habit to embrace your preferred parasympathetic getaway.
Get out in nature
Nature is a free and almost immediate avenue to reduce stress and activate relaxation. Think of all the soothing things nature provides- grounding, the warmth of the sun, the colors of sunrise & sunset, the smells of flowers, colorful flowers and bright greenery, vast lands and fields.
It’s easy to see that simply going outside can activate a parasympathetic state, but there are even studies that prove being outside and reduces anxiety. This study suggests “growing research has identified the mental health benefits of nature contact, including gardening.” It’s conclusion states that participants in several age groups had reduced anxiety after gardening for 8 hours over a 2 week period. This WebMD article breaks down the many benefits of gardening, proving that simply getting involved in nature positively impacts mental and physical health.
Going outdoors also regulates your circadian rhythm, which allows for optimal health and balanced hormones. Read more on this here.
Whether it’s a simple task of going outside to get some sun or getting your hands in the dirt, it’s obvious that nature is healing. Going outside more often can decrease stress and improve overall health.
Breathe, stretch, meditate
While this point may seem obvious to some, it’s still important. Deep breathing, stretching, meditation, and praying should all have a place in your life. These activities directly activate the PNS. Sometimes to feel safe all you have to do is take a few deep breaths or say a quick prayer.
It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out hour long meditation session. A simple 5 minutes can do the trick. Similar to any of these activities, if you’ve been running on stress hormones and addicted to the fast life, 5 minutes of meditation will be uncomfortable. Do it until it feels comfortable, and soon you will allow your body to feel safe and calm.
For many, pursuing the peripheral nervous system will be uncomfortable. It will not be stimulating, it will be quiet. It’s no secret that silence can be a true revealer of emotions, stored thoughts, traumas, and ultimately real life. This segways us into the next section that breaks down the limbic system, aka our emotional and sensory regulator, and how to nurture and structure it to support mental health and healing.
The Limbic System
The central nervous system refers to the many physical structures inside the brain and the components of the spine. The limbic system is an amalgam of brain structures, such as the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and thalamus, that all work in regulating behavior and emotions. This system is linked to several feelings and senses, such as fear, aggression, attraction, memory, and even smell. The limbic system is patterned by repetitive and continuous exposures.
To put it simply, the limbic system runs on the information and experiences we provide it. An article from Body Bio suggests that “even if a memory isn’t at the forefront of your mind, the limbic system stores it for you and uses it as a guide for future decision-making.” This can be both good or bad memories, some invoking a calm feeling and others a trauma response. Just like the SNS activating fight or flight hormones in danger, these neural connections can protect us in some instances. However, there are also times where they hurt more than they help.
If there is constant stress (which the body perceives as danger), there will be pathways made to avoid it. Repetition of this makes it stronger and more deeply ingrained. Simple things, such as a food, smell, or place can trigger an extreme response if they’re consistently perceived as danger or associated with something that is. This can cause many symptoms, even to the degree of chronic illness. This is limbic system impairment, when the structures of the limbic system have strong pathways linking daily occurrences to stress and danger.
The DNRS website suggests “the brain and body remain on high alert, even if the initial threat or trauma is no longer present. Limbic System Impairment can be caused by a single trauma, or more often from a combination of stressors and traumas over time, and for so many it is at the very root of their ongoing suffering.”
The pathways of the limbic system get stronger with repetition. While this can be a bad thing, it can also be a great thing! Because of the way the limbic system works, we have the ability to repattern these pathways. Let’s take a deep dive into neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity & Brain Retraining
The California Center for Functional Medicine defines neuroplasticity as the “ability of the brain to form and reorganize the synaptic connections between neurons.” In other words, the brain can relearn how to react and adapt to a stimulus that already has a previous neural association. Because neuroplasticity exists, brain retraining is possible.
While many of our neural associations protect us, everyone has at least one connection that’s at least a little bit unhealthy. This is normal. While a quick flick off of a bug may save you from a bite, things you are normally exposed to that are not inherently dangerous should not invoke the same response.
To a degree, humans must be resilient, both physically and mentally, to have a healthy life. Wallowing, worrying, harboring negative feelings, or always being on high alert does not make us resilient, it honestly just makes life hard. To have a stress or chronic illness response to simple daily occurrences can truly take away from life’s joys. The best and worst part of this? It’s all in our head, quite literally.
Brain retraining can benefit anyone. Because we know we’re working with the structures in the limbic system, there are specific practices that are required to retrain them. This involves emotional regulation, recruiting sensory pathways, and actively spending time in the parasympathetic.
Brain retraining practices & relearning health
While igniting the parasympathetic is vital to human health, for some, it’s not enough. Maybe you’re regularly tapping into your PNS but you experience anxiety or chronic illness symptoms. It’s possible that limbic system retraining is what you need.
As mentioned above, it is possible to retrain your brain to have different associations and reactions. There are many in depth programs that cover how to do this, which I will break down shortly. However, below I will share some of the techniques that are often in most brain retraining courses. Please note, if you are chronically ill, I suggest purchasing a guided program from a professional.
Visualizations
Visualization is a main component of brain retraining. Visualization is much more than just thinking of something you want to happen. It recruits all of the senses, requires time and effort, and is very specific to the system it works for. When done thoroughly, visualization works because it taps into a part of the brain that cannot differentiate something actually occurring and a sensory event we create in our mind. Because of this, recruiting the sensory pathways is essential to proper visualization. Let’s give it a try.
Think of an event you hope to happen in the future. You probably will see the location and the people when you first imagine. Go a little deeper- what are the smells? Are you eating? How does it taste? Maybe it’s a little chilly or windy out and you feel goosebumps on your arms. You might hear laughs, or music, or background chatter. Now, stay there for a minute, or two, or 10. Continue to imagine the many different sensory experiences associated with this event. This is a proper visualization.
Visualization is not just a tool you use to feel better about the future. It can literally restructure your brain to perceive a different reality. Sometimes referred to as guided imagery, this practice should have a particular end result. You choose a goal, such as specific pain relief in a certain area, to be the outcome of your visualization. You then build the imagery around this goal.
Whether visualizing a positive event in the future with friends and family or visualizing your body strengthening and healing, the same rules apply. It’s specific, recruits the senses, and takes time, effort, and awareness. Below are a couple of examples.
Visualization 1: You’re on the beach with your family. You feel the breeze, taste the ocean air and dig your toes in the sand. You find yourself running around with your kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. You jump in the cool water, experiencing a light feeling and a salty taste. Your body is strong and safe, even as you walk, run, pick up and put down children. You end the day with your favorite meal, feeling satiated and warm. You imagine the tastes, smells, and fullness feelings associated with this meal. When you get in bed, your body feels amazing. When you wake up the next day, you have energy, without any pain at all. Pain did not and will not stop you from experiencing an amazing time with your family, a beach day, or your favorite meal.
Visualization 2: Close your eyes, and visualize the area of pain you are feeling in your back. Imagine a picture of your back lighting up with a red circle in the area you usually feel pain. Then, imagine the red color going away and turning green (or your favorite color), representing healing. Go back and forth with the colors, ensuring yourself that while your body has recently had the ability to feel pain, it also has the ability to heal. Visualize your back moving & body exercising without pain. Maybe think about doing a cat cow or reaching for your toes, doing exercises you desire to try again, with no red color and no pain as you move back and forth.
One of these gives you something to look forward to. The other gives you hope that your body can heal. Both of these things can be life-altering, especially when done on a regular basis. Not only does this teach your mind to convince your body to heal, it also helps you to be positive and have hope for a better future.
Identify sensitive triggers & repattern
While identifying triggers may be uncomfortable, it may be what is needed to heal. Finding the things you associate specific emotions with is necessary to change your way of thinking around them. You cannot repattern a reaction if you do not know the initial stimulus.
Everyone has different triggers and responses. Some are slightly noticeable & seem to matter little, some are very serious and can affect day to day life. You may have them from an event in the past or from a consistent reaction to a stimulus. Some people know their triggers, some people have avoided thinking about them for years. Try answering these next few questions honestly.
- Is there any specific person, place, or thing that regularly invokes a feeling of anxiety or sadness for you?
- Is there an event from the past you think about often or slightly identify with?
- When you are stressed, what are the 3 most common causes? Is this a daily occurrence?
- How do you feel around acquaintances? Is there anyone you cannot be yourself around or feel uncomfortable with?
- Are there any negative things you say to yourself on a regular basis? Can you identify a common theme with them?
Triggers do not only have to be emotional. There may also be physical triggers. Food, for example, can be a trigger whether you’re actually allergic to something or just have a negative belief around them. Aside from known allergies, are there any foods you avoid because you believe they are bad? Or, maybe you avoid eating certain things because of what you believe about them. While this can sometimes be good, it can also be limiting, cause control issues, and convince your brain to have a bad reaction to these foods.
Other physical triggers may include a specific scent, an email notification popping up, hearing your phone ringer, or even doing an exercise. You may have a trigger from a past event like an injury or food poisoning.
Once you’ve identified your triggers, you can take action. Simply knowing what sets off certain responses can give you more power. You can also use brain retraining techniques such as visualization to repattern your responses to certain stimuli. Another common suggestion is slight exposure, which is exposing yourself to these triggers in extremely small doses and monitoring your reactions and feelings around them.
All of these methods are dependent upon how deeply the trigger affects you. If you are facing chronic illness, it is likely that some things can send you into an uncontrollable spiral. Hiring a professional to work alongside you in these cases is your best option. However, finding smaller triggers to work with is also a method to success. Small things that you can retrain your thinking around can eventually lead you to be able to face the bigger things.
While all of these methods are great, sometimes healing looks more like allowing yourself to be human. If you have triggers from an event you tend to avoid thinking about, it may take active emotional regulation to heal a negative response. To retrain the brain, not only do sensitivities need to be identified, but they need to be addressed and accepted.
Sitting with emotions
In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s common to be always moving onto the next thing and avoiding emotions. However, suppressing emotions can cause a myriad of behavioral and physical issues. If earlier, you related to the section about PNS suppression, this may also be important for you. Sitting with your emotions and feeling them as they come is vital to our health as humans.
Avoiding hurt is like slapping a bandaid on a serious gash. You will have to deal with the wound eventually, the band-aid does nothing but allow you to be delusional in the moment, as if nothing happened. Bottling negative feelings leads to only one end, and that end is not healing.
Whether it’s something minor, major, current or past, sometimes you just need to sit and process. Allow yourself the reality that things affect you! Feel the feelings, cry if you need to. Maybe vocalize to a friend or write it out in a journal. Many times, we need to address things for what they are rather than suppress them to only lightly linger around forever.
If earlier you identified triggers, do any of them stem from something you haven’t allowed yourself to process or accept? Give yourself the space, alone, with a trusted friend, or with a professional, to address it. It’s human to have feelings, and of course, sometimes inconvenient. However, it is important to address uncomfortable events and feel your feelings sometimes.
This is another reason it is vital to nourish your peripheral nervous system. Sometimes just sitting in the sun, doing a stretch or taking deep breaths is all you need to come back to yourself. If you begin to get emotional during these activities, allow yourself to do so. Remember that you’re human, you feel both good and bad things, and it’s all a part of life.
Brain Retraining Courses & Acquiring Professional Help
If you’re someone who is simply trying to better your life, visualization exercises and tapping into your PNS more often may be just enough for you. However, if you are someone with an autoimmune condition or serious emotional issues, I encourage you to seek professional help.
Brain Retraining Courses
As mentioned above, the limbic system involves the structures that stimulate both the senses and emotions. Brain retraining programs dive deeper into using each structure to work together for healing, offering several approaches and exercises for success. They are led by professionals who are well versed in both neuroscience and psychology, and can also hold you accountable to being consistent. Below I list the two most popular and effective programs I know. Keep in mind they do offer free trials as well, if you are just looking to dip your toes in the water.
DNRS & Gupta Program
DNRS, or dynamic neural retraining system, and the Gupta Program are the two top brain retraining programs out there. They are both physician endorsed, have instructional videos and direct support resources, treat many conditions, and are thoroughly researched. They provide free resources on their websites to do more research and offer free trials if you’re on the fence about getting started. If you’re looking to be encouraged, or just wondering if it works, both sites have countless success stories to read from. I highly recommend either of these programs, and suggest doing the DNRS assessment or trying the free trials to see if one program fits you better than the other.
Therapy
Incorporating visualizations, processing emotions & addressing traumas are all good things. However, it can be very difficult to do it alone. Hiring a professional or seeking out helpful tools is never a bad thing, even just to get started. Therapy is something that can help you sort through traumas and triggers in a safe place without any personal bias from the person offering help.
Seeking a professional does not mean you’re sick and need help, it means you’re willing to do the work needed for your future emotionally healthy self. If you are someone who avoids sitting with emotions, processing past events, or has regular random outbursts of emotions, find a therapist to work with. There are online and in person options, many affordable or covered by insurance.
In closing, I want to remind you that healing is not selfish. While the internet may make it seem like nutrition and fitness is all about self image, it’s actually just what keeps you alive. Taking care of your body’s systems can not only better your life, but your family’s and friend’s lives as well. Brain retraining coupled with parasympathetic pursuit is a surefire way to create a safe and healing environment for your nervous system and therefore your body. Having a healthy body that feels safe is what allows you to be who you need to be for both yourself and the people around you. Take some time to rest and digest, sit down for meals, read a book or do a little stretch. You deserve to relax and be in a state that your body can heal. Much love, see ya next blog.