Safety vs Stress Signals: A Nervous System Reset Leave a comment

For the longest time, I believed well being was about doing extra. Extra dietary supplements, extra lab assessments, extra exercises, and extra routines. I stored spreadsheets and detailed checklists of the whole lot I used to be making an attempt to do for my well being. I believed if I simply discovered the best mixture and toughed it out lengthy sufficient, I’d lastly really feel superb.

However what really modified the whole lot for me wasn’t one other protocol. It was a easy psychological reframe that shifted how I take into consideration well being, therapeutic, and life normally. It was the concept of specializing in sending security alerts to my physique, as an alternative of making an attempt to drive it into submission.

This mindset shift remodeled the best way I eat, transfer, relaxation, and even suppose. It helped me transfer out of a spot of persistent low-level stress and right into a state the place therapeutic really turned doable. In the event you really feel caught in a rut like I used to be, however can’t appear to pinpoint why, then learn on!

Understanding the Nervous System

First, let’s check out the nervous system. Our nervous system operates in two foremost modes: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is liable for the combat, flight, or freeze response. Our physique prompts this response when it senses hazard or a menace. On the flip facet, the parasympathetic system is liable for relaxation, digestion, and therapeutic.

Because of trendy life, many people spend the vast majority of our lives caught in sympathetic mode. Even when we don’t really feel mentally careworn, our our bodies would possibly nonetheless be receiving alerts that we’re not secure.

I spent over a decade in that place. I didn’t perceive that my fixed doing, even the “wholesome” stuff, was preserving me caught and my physique nonetheless didn’t really feel secure sufficient to shift into therapeutic mode. That’s the place the idea of security alerts versus stress alerts is available in.

What Are Security and Stress Indicators?

Stress alerts are issues that inform our our bodies to remain on alert. These will be apparent psychological stressors like arguments or deadlines, but in addition extra refined issues. Below-eating, over-exercising, poor sleep, loneliness, damaging self-talk, and even publicity to blue gentle at night time ship stress alerts to our nervous system. 

Security alerts, however, are cues that inform the physique it’s okay to relaxation and restore. These embrace issues like nourishing meals, deep sleep, human connection, hydration, daylight, mild motion, and sort self-talk.

Once we deal with sending extra security alerts, the nervous system can lastly calm down. And as soon as it does, so many issues begin to enhance, like our power, digestion, temper, hormones, and even weight.

Rebuilding Security By way of Diet

Probably the most highly effective security alerts we are able to ship to our physique is thru meals. For a very long time, I used to be under-eating, particularly once I was making an attempt to heal my thyroid and drop some weight on the identical time. I didn’t consider it as a stressor as a result of I wasn’t (normally) skipping meals, however I wasn’t consuming sufficient of what my physique wanted. 

Once we don’t eat sufficient, our physique will get the message that meals is scarce. It perceives this as a menace and raises stress hormones, like cortisol. So as an alternative of therapeutic and repairing, our nervous system is on excessive alert. Overeating additionally places stress on the physique, particularly if we’re overeating high-calorie, low-nutrient, processed meals.  

The shift occurred once I began consuming sufficient, particularly specializing in protein, micronutrients, and minerals. I started to prioritize my first meal of the day, ensuring it was full of vitamins and protein, earlier than I reached for any caffeine. I additionally stopped consuming late at night time, giving my physique time to digest earlier than mattress.

As a substitute of approaching meals from a mindset of restriction or management, I began asking myself, How can I nourish my physique as we speak? That shift alone introduced noticeable enhancements in my power, temper, and sleep.

Sleep as a Security Sign

Everyone knows sleep is necessary, however I didn’t understand how a lot my nervous system was affected by inconsistent or inadequate sleep. As a mother to fairly a number of youngsters, I haven’t at all times been in a position to get a full 8 hours!

Even skipping one hour of sleep may cause cortisol to spike and have an effect on blood sugar and insulin. And in relation to mind fog, some specialists have in contrast only one night time of six hours of sleep to being mildly intoxicated.

Making sleep a precedence, particularly with an earlier bedtime and constant wake-up time, made an enormous distinction for me. I observed enhancements in my coronary heart charge variability, resting coronary heart charge, and general sense of calm. This may be troublesome to do for mothers, however the concept is to make sleep a precedence. For me this meant no extra cleansing the kitchen late at night time or looking social media after the youngsters went to mattress!

Creating a relaxed sleep surroundings helped too. I turned my bed room right into a sleep oasis and stored it darkish and funky with as little noise as doable. I decreased blue gentle publicity within the night and located that my physique began to naturally unwind and fall into deeper sleep.

Gentle and Circadian Rhythms

Whereas I keep away from blue gentle at night time, it’s your pal throughout the daytime. Pure gentle is without doubt one of the strongest however ignored instruments for supporting the nervous system.

Getting daylight within the morning helps set the physique’s inside clock and helps melatonin manufacturing at night time for higher sleep. Getting daylight in the course of the day boosts mitochondrial well being, improves nutrient absorption, and helps hormone steadiness. I attempt to get a minimum of 10 minutes of morning daylight inside half-hour of waking, typically barefoot so I additionally get grounding advantages. Then I’ll take a number of quick walks with my weighted vest or sit on a lounge chair to take in the afternoon solar. 

In distinction, blue gentle publicity at night time tells the physique it’s daytime, which might disrupt sleep and trigger stress. I began utilizing amber and purple lighting within the evenings and carrying blue gentle blocking glasses when wanted. I additionally switched to utilizing heat gentle sources after sundown from lamps. These lamps are on a timer so I don’t even have to consider switching them on when the solar units. 

Easy shifts in gentle publicity assist my physique really feel extra in tune with its pure rhythms. Plus, it decreased the fixed background stress I didn’t even know was there.

Hydration and Mineral Stability

Dehydration is one other frequent however typically ignored stress sign. Once we’re even barely dehydrated, our blood thickens, our power drops, and our physique perceives that one thing is fallacious.

However hydration isn’t nearly ingesting water. Our our bodies want minerals, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium to ensure that water to really be absorbed and used successfully. I began ingesting mineral water within the morning, typically outdoors within the solar. I additionally deal with staying hydrated between meals in order that I’m not diluting my abdomen acid wanted for digestion. 

Not solely does it assist help my nervous system, however I discover extra power once I hydrate with loads of minerals. 

Motion That Feels Supportive

Getting sufficient water is necessary, however so is getting sufficient motion. Train can both be a security sign or a stress sign, relying on what our physique wants at a given time.

After I was deeply careworn, intense exercises made issues worse. My physique craved mild actions, like strolling, swimming, or stretching. Over time, as my nervous system stabilized, I slowly reintroduced energy coaching and resistance workouts. Now you’ll discover me doing sprints on the observe area. 

My mindset has modified so I see motion as one other option to help my physique, not punish it. I goal for normal walks, mobility work, and body-friendly methods of transferring all through the day. There’s a time and a spot for extra intense train, however it may be an excessive amount of once we’re in nervous system overload. 

Environmental and Emotional Indicators

Even when we’re consuming effectively and sleeping sufficient, the environment nonetheless sends alerts to our nervous system. Artificial fragrances, harsh cleansing merchandise, artificial clothes, and even muddle can all act as refined stressors.

Our internal dialogue issues too. The best way we communicate to ourselves, whether or not with criticism or compassion, has a direct affect on how secure our nervous system feels. I observed that I used to be saying issues like “my physique is attacking itself.” 

After I observed damaging ideas, I requested, Would I say this to my little one or my finest pal? If not, it didn’t belong in my internal world both. As a substitute, I shifted my mindset to say one thing like, “My physique is therapeutic.” These shifts helped me create extra security from inside.

Connection, Pleasure, and the Refined Indicators

Human connection is one other deeply highly effective security sign. Eye contact, laughter, contact, and presence all inform our our bodies we’re secure and supported.

Pleasure and discovering happiness in even the little issues in life are necessary right here too. Issues like singing, dancing, heat baths, buzzing, stretching, and even simply watching the sundown are all methods to nurture the nervous system. The vagus nerve, which performs an enormous position in parasympathetic activation, responds to those small, joyful acts.

I additionally started to consider how my dwelling surroundings may really feel extra supportive. I swapped harsh lights for mild ones, eliminated artificial fragrances, and made my bed room a comfy house that really felt secure. 

Ultimate Ideas on Security Indicators

An important factor I’ve discovered is that our our bodies are at all times on our facet. They’re continually working to guard us, even when it doesn’t really feel that means. Once we be taught to speak with our physique as an alternative of making an attempt to repair or drive it, the whole lot modifications for the higher.

In the event you’re simply beginning on this path, I might encourage you to decide on one small factor. Get morning daylight. Drink mineral-rich water. Go to mattress half-hour earlier. Eat a protein-rich breakfast. No matter feels manageable and sort to your physique. 

It’s not about doing extra, however listening extra to what our physique is telling us.

What are some methods you help your nervous system well being? Depart a remark and tell us!