Give Your Nervous System A Break

Given the fast pace of today’s world, the expectations of others, as well as the pressure we place on ourselves, giving our nervous system a break, and understanding the ways to support and strengthen this system, is physically, emotionally and spiritually important.

Stress is something we all experience – some more than others.  Those of us who are empathic, psychic, or highly sensitive, can experience stress more intensely with more profound consequences.

The stress that empaths, psychics and sensitives experience may be tied to that of another person, or situation, as well as their own stress. This ability to experience the emotions, thoughts and feelings of others can create a rebound effect of high stress.

Racing heart, anxiety, quickening of breathing, tensing of muscles, sweating, feeling faint or nauseous, are all signs of a nervous system in flight mode. Add in the compounded impact of experiencing this in another person, on top of yourself, and your nervous system is off and running, literally.

The body’s ‘fight or flight response’ is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, which is one part of the autonomic nervous system. The other part is the parasympathetic nervous system, which works to relax and slow down the body’s response.

The sympathetic system acts like an accelerator, to ‘rev up’ our body and make us run, to remove us from danger. The parasympathetic system acts like the ‘brake,’ slowing us down when danger isn’t present.

We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress ~ Viggo Mortensen

The fight or flight response is therefore designed to act as a natural survival mechanism to allow mammals, including humans, to react quickly to a situation that is life-threatening. Unfortunately, in today’s modern world the human body continues to have this primitive response to non-threatening stressors, which cause high levels of anxiety.

For these reasons it is important for empaths, psychics and sensitives to learn ways to deliberately tap into the calming effects of the parasympathetic response. Some of these include spending time in nature, breathwork, massage, Yoga, meditation, visualization, prayer and physical exercise.

There are also other, less well-known, but equally effective techniques.

Be still and quiet for a moment. Just stop what you are doing for a few minutes. Put your mind ‘on pause,’ and just breathe.  Take deep, deliberate breaths, in and out. Taking a deep breath may initially feel uncomfortable when you are very stressed, because rapid shallow breathing is a sign of a stressed nervous system.

Stop multi-tasking. Stop trying to do too many things all at once, at least for a short time, until you feel calm. Focus on what you are doing, one task at a time. Resist the impulse to try and accomplish several things at one time. Multi-tasking may appear to be more effective, but research shows that it can actually have the opposite effect. It can raise tension, create room for error and create the need for certain tasks to be redone, which can lead right back into the stress response.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time ~ John Lubbock

Touch your lips. “Your lips have parasympathetic fibers spread throughout them, so touching them activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Take one or two fingers and lightly run them over your lips,” recommends Terry Hurley of the Canyon Vista Recovery Center.

Supplement your nutrition. There are certain foods that one can reach for quickly to help soothe your ‘nerves.’ It is important to note that all healing occurs in the parasympathetic state – this includes healthy digestion, detoxification and cellular regeneration. Dark chocolate; cashew and brazilian nuts; chia, hemp and sunflower seeds; apples with tahini; and bananas with almond butter, are all snacks that can be kept on hand for high stress times. These are much healthier than alcohol or caffeine, which can actually exacerbate our sensitive nervous symptoms.