7 Easy Techniques to Soothe Your Anxiety……….& Your Nervous System
Anxious? Have you felt like you’re in a highly anxious state (body & mind) and you feel like there’s no way out?
I have and it feels really uncomfortable, all-consuming and that it can’t be controlled. Right? But it can be……….
Let’s talk about anxiety and some easy ways to soothe it….and your nervous system. You can do it!
ANXIETY:
When we’re anxious, our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is activated and we become hyper-aroused.
The primary function of our mind is for survival, to keep us safe. So, when we detect a threat or what is perceived as a threat, our SNS or fight, flight, fawn or freeze system is activated. We may experience increased heart rate and/or shortness of breath, feel overwhelmed, on edge and even panic. In other words, we don’t feel safe.
The anxiety is stored in our bodies and we have to recognize these sensations and calm our nervous system down so our mind follows suit and calms down, before it heads into an unhelpful spiral.
GOOD NEWS:
Here’s the good news. You can learn to listen to (and hear) your body (sensations and alarm) and mind and start to manage your emotional states like anxiety, anger and sadness.
It’s important to understand the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). It’s also called the rest & digest or ventral vagal state (vagus nerve).
This ventral vagal state is when we feel safe and connected. It’s the place we want to be, where we function well and can regulate our emotions effectively. This state doesn’t mean that the world is ‘all peaceful and blissful’. It just means that we can manage our lives in healthy and non-destructive ways (to ourselves and to others).
If we don’t get ourselves back to this ‘safe’ state, then our body will keep pumping out stress hormones, keeping us on edge and panicked and at higher risk for chronic illnesses.
7 TECHNIQUES to go from SNS to PNS (rest-digest-relax):
1)SHAKE it out/Dance it out. The anxiety, stress, trauma, sits and is stored in our bodies, so we have to move our bodies to change it up and release it.
This is a technique I ask all of my clients to do, before each session together as a Life Coach, Mindset Expert & Hypnotherapist. It releases the tension, stress and reconnects you to your body.
Slowly shake your body from top to bottom and back again; be gentle with yourself and have fun.
I like putting on my dancing music and free dance (My go-to here is the Rolling Stones).
You can also try gentler movements, like qi gong, tai chi, or yoga.
REMINDER: when you smile, you stimulate the vagus nerve, which is part of the PNS and your body and mind then relax.
2)BREATHING:
This is a tool that everyone has: your breath.
-You can try the Physiologic Sigh: 2 inhales and a very long exhale; try this a few times, slowly.
-I also like a technique that I often used with my dental patients in the past: 4-7-8. (from Dr. Andrew Weil).
You inhale for 4 counts, hold the breath for 7 and slowly, let go and exhale for 8.
When your exhalation is longer than your inhalation, you release more stress, tension…..
-You can try meditation or guided meditation or visualization.
These are all incredibly helpful and effective techniques for using your breath, to calm your nervous system.
3)GROUNDING:
Grounding is so effective because it brings you back to the present moment, where your life is actually occurring (not the past and not the future). The present is where you really live and feel joy, peace and flow.
-You can do this by SITTING DOWN and putting your feet on the floor (with legs uncrossed) and you can put your feet in the dirt (nature). You can sit and feel grounded and supported. You can put a cozy blanket on you to feel even more supported….and safe.
-Here’s another grounding technique I show my clients, using the 5 senses:
-Let’s say you’re brushing your teeth (okay; I was a dentist, so I can’t help myself) and your mind is spinning and your body is running fast and you’re feeling anxious. Be aware of your two feet on the ground and look around and count out 2 items you see that utilize each of your 5 senses: 2 things you smell, 2 things you can touch (how they feel), 2 things you can taste (be aware), etc. This is also a MINDFULNESS technique. It slows your heart rate and brings your body and mind back to the present moment, where you feel safe and supported.
Now, your body is calmer and so is your mind…..
4)COLD WATER:
This is a quick trick you can use anytime…that really works.
You can splash cold water on your face or run your hands under cold water or gargle with cold water (which stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs through the vocal cords, as well as many of the major organs in your body). The vagus nerve is part of the PNS or rest & digest system.
You can take a cold bath or like the Polar Bear groups, go swimming in the ocean in the winter (in the Northern Hemisphere).
This cold water quickly gets your body and mind out of survival mode.
5)NATURE:
Get yourself outside! You can take a walk, go biking, sit on the grass, garden, put your feet on the ground. This grounds you and makes you feel safe.
It also gives you a larger and wider perspective on life and living things.
Even if you’re in the city, go sit in a café and people-watch and look at the trees, plants and flowers.
Just get yourself out there; to calm your body and mind and to open your ideas and perception.
6)SLEEP:
We still don’t know exactly why but we do know that sleep is not just a luxury; it’s a necessity and it’s medicine to our system.
It is during sleep, especially deep sleep, where our muscles relax and are repaired, information is synthesized, our body temperature drops. In other words, sleep produces physiological changes that help boost immune system functioning. We unconsciously, sort through and process our emotions. With deep sleep, we get refreshed in every way.
7)FOOD:
What we eat and drink daily have a big and direct impact on our nervous system. Sugar, processed foods, soda, lots of caffeine and the like, stimulate the body and mind and help keep us ramped up, on edge and anxious.
Foods like vegetables, particularly root vegetables, help recruit our PNS, to help us to relax, rest and digest. A variety of proteins is necessary so that the body receives the amino acids it needs. You also want to include healthy fats from avocado, nuts, fish, flax seeds and more.
All these ‘good’ foods help nourish you and your PNS.
SUMMARY:
Stress can be good for us……….when it’s once in a while or situational. It can be helpful in emergency situations or when you give a speech or apply for a new job….. These stressors, when understood, can make us stronger.
Our present American society is not that great at allowing time for rest and restoration, so it remains up to YOU to keep your body less stressed by being able to observe and respond well to the body’s stress alarm going off.
The easy techniques above can help you to make simple changes to teach the body (and consequently, the mind) to save it’s stress response (fight or flight) for when it’s really needed.
With smiles and love,
Dr Gigi
PS: Please let me know how these simple changes help you…….I’d love to hear.
Want more techniques and tips on how to handle stress, reduce anxiety and how to connect your body & mind to help you feel safe, successful, happier and healthier?
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