The human body holds powerful, fathomless possibilities. For those of us who have experienced emotional, physical, or spiritual trauma, we might find that our brain processes those experiences by storing the impact in different areas of our bodies.
This process protects our minds and allows us to live. Our minds, bodies, and souls long to remain in balance that we can struggle to achieve on our own. We’re often aware of the physical impact our stress and anxiety can have, but we don’t necessarily know how to fix it on our own.
How can we embark on the journey toward inner balance and harmony?
The great news is that learning to retrain our brains and practice nervous system regulation can restore that balance and allow us to take the first step toward achieving holistic health. Let’s take a look at how this works.
What you need to know about your nervous system
The nervous system acts as the central command post of the body. All of the nerves connected to your normal daily functions are controlled by your nervous system. It also reacts to external influences and stimuli.
When you undergo trauma of any kind, your nervous system will send warnings throughout the network of nerves that keeps you able to continue to live and complete normal tasks. Your emotions, speech and motor skills, organ functions, and emotions are all regulated by your nervous system.
What is homeostasis?
Homeostasis sounds magical, and in a way it is — it plays a vital role in our holistic health. Essentially, homeostasis is the self-regulating process of the nervous system, along with all of our biological systems, that keeps us alive.
It’s important to maintain homeostasis (or, system balance) and nervous system health to protect ourselves from a number of health issues related to an imbalanced nervous system.
Subconsciously, our bodies work constantly to maintain homeostasis by continually adapting to external conditions. For example, the ability to control core body temperature is homeostasis, as is blood glucose maintenance. Without consistent homeostasis, our bodies shut down.
As our bodies naturally control this balance, intentional nervous system regulation is a possibility, too.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
According to the National Institutes of Health, your nervous system is made of two parts — the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system controls your “fight or flight response” and allows you to participate in activities such as moderate to strenuous exercise, and heavy social interaction.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
The parasympathetic nervous system controls your “rest mode” functions. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this part of your nervous system takes over after highly stressful situations and tells your body and mind to relax.
Physically, the parasympathetic nervous system regulates your digestion, heartbeat, and sweat, and numerous other functions. It loosens your muscles, controls the dilation of your eyes, and helps slow your breathing after a traumatic experience. The parasympathetic functions of your nervous system complement the sympathetic functions.
What happens when your nervous system is dysregulated
A dysregulated nervous system occurs when the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems no longer have a symbiotic relationship. In other words, they become imbalanced. The sympathetic nervous system may kick into overdrive, while the parasympathetic is basically dormant, and vice versa.
The dysregulated nervous system is your body’s way of saying, “Houston, we have a problem.” This can help you to pay attention to new symptoms or irregularities you may experience.
An off-balance nervous system can lead to a plethora of physiological issues and has for almost 7% of the world’s population. If you’ve experienced any of the following mental or physical symptoms, it may mean that your nervous system is out of whack:
- Anxiety
- Bladder issues
- Chronic pain
- Constant fatigue
- Depression
- Irritability
- Seizures
- Stomach issues
- Temporary, partial paralysis
How to practice nervous system regulation to restore balance
Anxiety and stress may feel like millstones that you just have to bear, but their impact on your life and holistic health can be devastating. Thankfully, there are exercises you can practice that can retrain your brain and restore balance to your nervous system.
Take daily time for movement
A little physical exercise goes a long way. You don’t have to join a spin class or run a marathon to feel the benefits. For example, you can go for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. Take a moderate-level yoga class. Incorporate stretches into your morning routine.
If your busy schedule involves a lot of time sitting at a desk, carve out time for short walks around the office.
Taking 30 minutes per day to intentionally move your body can help align your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and retrain your brain to crave physical movement at the first signs of anxiety.
Practice resonance breathing
Resonance breathing helps to regulate the nervous system by reducing stress and promoting mindfulness. Is there a point in your daily routine that always stresses you out? Just before that task or scheduled situation, go outside for a few moments or find a quiet place by yourself.
Close your eyes and concentrate to slow down your breathing. For five minutes, ensure that your focused breathing rate is at seven breaths per minute. This can help restore balance to your nervous system, reduce your stress, and help your blood pressure.
Practice grounding
In recent years, grounding has become an extremely popular method used to increase holistic health. Among its numerous benefits, grounding may help restore balance to your nervous system.
This technique involves getting outside and making direct physical contact with the earth. Sidewalks and streets should be avoided. However, whether you go into your yard, or have a special destination to practice grounding, you can lie down in the grass or take your shoes off and walk barefoot.
Pay attention to the feel of your skin on the ground and focus on your connection with the earth. This could have an almost immediate soothing effect on your nervous system and help to restore needed balance.
Learn to regulate your nervous system with Primal Trust
Primal Trust is dedicated to fostering a community that welcomes everyone, from all walks of life. If you feel like your stress is depleting your life force and like you’re constantly dealing with weird physical ailments and unhealed trauma, you’re not alone.
We’re excited about the community we’ve created. Our community is built on the foundations of freedom, compassion, unity, and trust to help people overcome their most deep-seated trauma to build the healthy life of their dreams.
If you’re ready to take the first step to retrain your brain and self-regulate your nervous system to restore balance, we’re here to walk beside you and support you on your journey to holistic health.Connect with Primal Trust today, and remember, your journey toward balance through nervous system regulation and a fulfilled life can begin today.
