The Three Ways Your Body Is Telling You It’s On The Edge And The Nervous System Hacks To Bring Yourself Back
Somehow I thought it would be a good idea to plan a wedding, an international move, publish a book and start a business all during a global pandemic and the death throes of late stage capitalism. It was of little surprise to me when my body started to give me some pretty loud whispers that it was on the brink of disaster. That’s what bodies do. They send out subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) signals that you are overloading the system in desperate hope that you will catch on and give it what is necessary for it to function efficiently. Its major way of communicating is through the Nervous System and when we learn to speak its language it becomes easier to read and respond to its signals.
Think of the Nervous System like a ginormous octopus with a meaty head (ie the brain) and hundreds of thousands of tentacles that reach into every other system of the body. Its reach is vast! It both receives and sends messages to the organs, glands, muscles and every other body part you can think of. It is on a constant conference call and like the “boss CEO” that it is- it’s trying to maintain some equanimity in the meat suit company it runs.
There are numerous ways that our body tells us its in trouble but here are three that started to insistently call for my attention and the nervous system hacks that brought me back from the edge.
Disrupted Sleep
It took about a week of me bolting upright, mind racing at 4am to recognize that there was a problem. (I’m a slow learner.) My sleep was getting more and more disrupted as my mind got more and more hyperactive. As I’m sure you know, if your sleep isn’t sound it tends to affect every other part of your day.
I know we have all heard the advice before. Don’t use those blue light emitting, mental health depleting devices a couple of hours before bedtime. The absence of light is what turns on the drip of sleepy juice (melatonin) which lulls us into our jammies and under the covers. Let’s get real though. Even the most enlightened among us can’t resist a late night British Baking Show marathon. I needed something that I could use the moment when my mental rooster would wake me up at 4am besides jumping on my to do list.
The breath is the simplest and quickest way to address your nervous system. When we inhale we activate our engagement system (sympathetic nervous system) and when we exhale we activate our relaxation system (parasympathetic system). Playing with the ratio of breath can help us bring about a more desirable energetic state. There are a bunch of fancy techniques out there -the 4-7-8 breath being quite in vogue these days. If you haven’t heard the news it is the purposeful extension of breath- inhaling for 4 counts, holding your breath for 7 counts and then exhaling for 8 counts. To be honest though, I hate this one. I look at it as an “aspirational breath technique” and not entirely useful in these moments of high mental chatter. If you are like me, counting and holding breath can cause even more chatter and stress to arise. Instead try simply placing your hands on your belly and purposefully slowing down and lengthening your breath to whatever feels reasonable to you. Mentally watch your belly rise and fall with your breath. After a couple of minutes consider making the exhale longer than the inhale. This doesn’t need to be excessive or a certain count or ratio. Just one or two counts if possible. Another cool fact about the nervous system is sometimes the attempt alone at some of these techniques even if you don’t emerge feeling like the Buddha can be enough to make a desirable change in your nervous system response and get you back to sleep.
Body Tension
As I looked at my third budget spreadsheet of the day I caught my reflection in the mirror and my neck had completely vanished. My shoulders had eaten it. My chin was jutting forward, my jaw was clenched and my brows were aggressively furrowing. After the devastating shock of that image had passed I decided it was time to take a body break.
Whether we are being chased by a tiger or working on a spreadsheet our ancient nervous system starts sending messages to the muscles to tighten to prepare for the inevitable epic battle that it assumes must be around the next corner. This creeping tension, given enough repetition and time, starts to forge in the tissues creating chronic tension and even pain.
If possible go lie down for 5 min when you become aware of tension in your body. I’m aware that your boss may frown at this at the office so you can, if necessary, do this one seated.
Take some time to make yourself as comfortable as possible and if you feel safe to do so close your eyes. I like to take a mental vacation to a secluded beach where I imagine myself stretched out on the warm sand. If beaches aren’t your thing please go to your own happy place. Next picture as if the clouds are parting overhead and a beam of warm sunshine lands on the crown of your head and as you feel that radiance wash over your head the scalp softens and relaxes. Move the imaginary sun beam in super slow motion down your face and body and sequentially relax and soften each area that the sun caresses. Take your sweet time and if you find yourself getting mental just bring yourself back to the last body part that you can remember and continue. Once you get down to the very tip of your toes take a deep breath and open your eyes and move back into your day. Like everything this practice gets easier with time and the more we practice relaxing these muscles the more they get the hint that there are no tigers to be slain and they can take a well deserved battle break.
Hyperreactivity aka hair trigger response
As I went about my day I noticed that even though I’m quite enlightened (cough cough) I was getting “triggered” by everything. And I do mean everything! From fuming at the people taking up too much space on the sidewalk (a definite no-no in NYC) to nearly crying when the delivery man forgot my vegan brownie that I had been looking forward to all day (I know my life is so hard!). I recognized that this was not how I wanted to live my day to day life.
Enter in the power of nose erections!
(Record Scratch)
Unbeknowst to us every couple hours our nostril dominance will switch. Through the power of our nervous system one nostril, which is lined in erectile tissue, will get the message to swell making the other nostril more dominant. When the left nostril is dominant the parasympathetic nervous system (rest) is more dominant and when the right nostril is more dominant the sympathetic nervous system (engage) is more dominant. This happens without our conscious dictatorship but we can also hack into the system to bring about a different nervous system state.
If you notice you too have a hair trigger these days and are looking to chill out try some left nostril breathing. Get comfy sitting upright in your chair and if you feel safe to do so close your eyes. Take just a few moments to adjust and slow your breath perhaps even getting quiet enough to notice what nostril seems to be doing more of the work right now. When you are ready lift your right hand and gently with your thumb press your right nostril closed. Take a slow breath in through your left nostril and then close both sides of your nose gently. Release your thumb and keeping your left nostril blocked, exhale through the right nostril. Continue like this breathing in through the left and out through the right for about three minutes. Then lower your hand and observe your breath and any changes that might have occurred in your nostrils or your mood.
When we allow ourselves the time to check in with our bodies we can start to hear what they truly need. Like learning a new language it takes time but eventually we get better at translating whether it’s asking for a vegan brownie or breath, a moment to lie down in the sun or breathe our way back to sleep. The body doesn’t ask for too much and it will gleefully respond in relief when you answer its calls.