How to regulate your nervous system and restore balance: 8 techniques

BySOWMIYA S

In this day and age,stress and anxiety has become a normal part of our life.It seems normal to be burnt out from work or being anxious all the time.

An interview for your dream job,an important deadline or  when something doesn’t go as planned,is enough to spiral us down into a rabbit hole of anxiety.

During the stone age,it was important to stay alert for predators, but today even though our problems might not be as life threatening.

Most of the time,stress/anxiety might be good in limited amounts.Lets say I only work more efficiently when a deadline is approaching,the stress helps me to work at a faster pace.

This is where our nervous system comes into play.When stress approaches the nervous system prepares us to tackle the stress and when it passes it helps us to calm and recover from it as well.

But increased stress levels in our nervous system continuously can cause long term issues.Our nervous system might feel disfunctional or dysregulated.

To tackle this issue we have to understand how our nervous system works and learn how to regulate it whenever and wherever required.

You dont attract what you want – you attract what your nervous system says is safe

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How does the nervous system work and the need to regulate it.

First we need to understand in simple terms how our nervous system works and what a dysfunctional nervous system could feel like. 

Our autonomic nervous system is the control center of our body.It not only controls our heart beat, body movements, digestion it also controls the way we feel and make decisions.

When our nervous system isn’t regulated,we might feel overwhelmed,take rational decisions  and this will heavily affect our mood.

There are 2 parts to our autonomic nervous system.One is the the sympathetic nervous system, which launches our “fight or flight” reaction, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which send us the signal to “rest and recover”.

These 2 parts need to be balanced to help our body and mind function properly.

But sometimes when anxiety takes us over us repeatedly our sympathetic nervous system is always on the go not giving the parasympathetic nervous system the time to aid us in resting.

So this is the example of a perfectly dysregulated nervous system.

When our bodies are in constant state of a dysregulated nervous system,we start to experience, 

  • Anxiety 
  • Digestive issues 
  • Eating disorders 
  • Trouble falling asleep 
  • Constant tiredness
  • Long term effects could lead to issues with high blood pressure and mental health. 

Regulate your nervous system:8 techniques 

So here are a few techniques to regulate your nervous system,practice them daily or whenever you feel you are getting anxious/overwhelmed. 

Breathing exercises

Practice deep breathing to restore control over your nervous system.Deep breaths send signals to our brain that the danger has subsided.

This helps to calm our sympathetic nervous system and activates our parasympathetic nervous system. 

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There are different types of breathing exercises that help to regulate our nervous system instantly.When we practice them daily overall our health shall improve. 

Movement 

Moving our body can have major benefits in aiding us to live with a perfectly regulated nervous system.

Any type of exercise helps us to have a great metabolic activity in our body along with lowered levels of cortisol which helps to keep our sympathetic nervous system at bay.

Movement could look like doing yoga, going for a nature walk or running.I have recently developed this new habit of cycling and it has been a game changer to reduce my overthinking.

Mindfulness 

Simply bringing back your awareness to the present surroundings can help to regulate your nervous system. By practicing mindful habits like 

  • Journaling
  • pausing before reacting,
  • listening instead of thinking what to speak next
  • Practicing gratitude 
  • Taking Social media breaks

All these will help with long term benefits of a healthy regulated nervous system 

Try Grounding by placing your feet on earth 

When we feel anxious we immediately tend to feel dizzy or fatigued.

So to tackle it keeping our foot pressed firmly on ground can help us to feel that we are safe on ground.The spiraling anxious thoughts will immediately come to an end.

This activity can also be done in grass,which is another experience in grounding ourselves using our feet.

Kat Boyce

The more we feel connected to nature and the earth,the more our parasympathetic nervous system activates. 

Socialize and connect with people 

Humans are social animals.We feel the best when we are heard and thought about by someone who loves us.

When there is something that is running in our mind or the anxious thoughts are overwhelming us,speak to someone you trust. 

Connecting with people who understand your issues will help you to calm down as well.

Happiness shared is doubled,sadness shared is halved.

Give yourself a self love massage

Touching your own skin can help you feel intune with your own body.Try giving a neck or a head massage to yourself.

A self care pedicure that you can do yourself can also help you take care of the physical body.

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Stress can be stored in your body in different forms,so a little massage can help you relieve some stress and regulate your nervous system. 

Get some sleep 

When I was younger, if I was scared about something, I would immediately go to sleep.When I cannot deal with my unnecessary racing overthinking thoughts,sleeping just shuts down all that. 

A regular sleep wake cycle can help you to overall improve your nervous system health.

Try sleeping in a dark room as well that helps to reduce your stress hormones and regulate your body. 

Conclusion

So by practicing these techniques regularly,you are not only tackling stress now,but you are building a good foundation to help have a permanently regulated nervous system.

Our lives will always have ups and downs but by building a resilient nervous system,we will be able to tackle any problem that is thrown our way. 

Let’s talk in the comments below,what are the anxious thoughts that you have been recently facing and how are you trying to tackle it ?

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