What has nervous system care got to do with low energy, brain fog, disrupted hormones and grumpy digestion?
Everything!
Last week I wrote a blog where I explained the link between the Nervous System and almost every health complaint.
Nervous system care is the ultimate self care!
Today I wanted to share with you some foundations so that you can start caring for your nervous system and improve your energy, and resilience and reduce your stress.
What I LOVE about nervous system work is that it is simple.
We think of neurosurgeons are being super smart being who are highly skilled and can do things that many people cannot.
But, you don’t have to have a neurosurgeon level of skill to care for your nervous system.
The good news, is that you also do not need huge amounts of time. Little and often actually works better for the system compared to big intensive chunks. There are a couple of things which I will suggest below which you can do 3-4 times a day for a couple of minutes and the little benefits will add up over time.
Here are 3 things that you can do:
1. Slow down your pace; this doesn’t mean stop. What it means is bringing more presence to what you are already doing each day. If you are walking to the shop, can you slow down your walk? If you are cooking dinner, can you bring a little more presence to chopping your carrots? When we slow things down we bring more presence and awareness to our actions and you’ll need this for step 2.
2. Tune in; think of your nervous system (NS) as a small child. It needs love and attention and how your bring love and attention to your NS is to attune to your body. This means noticing what sensations and emotions are present and naming them without judgement or creating a story about what you notice.
For example:
In my body, I notice tingling and I feel excitement.
Or
In my body, I notice tightness in my chest and I feel anxious.
Whatever you notice, just notice and name it. The more time you spend connecting to yourself, the better you will be able to understand your needs and attend to them.
3. Breathe; managing your breath is the only way you can consciously control the autonomic nervous system. Most of us live lives which are busy and stressful and we need to slow down and feel. To slow your body down, you can start by slowing your breath. I like putting on a 5 or 10 minute timer and breathe in for a count of 4 and out for a count of 6. Try it and notice how you feel!
BONUS point:
If I was to add a 4th thing I would say, eat in a way that regulates your blood sugar (BS). This means finding the right balance of foods that prevents blood sugar crashes and cravings during the day. I will write more on this soon because it is a big topic with lots of nuance. But if you have the Brain Fog Bible (which you can download on my website) you can read a bit more about it there for now.
The reason by BS is good for your NS is because sugar crashes push up adrenalin and this sends the nervous system into a fight or flight state. Until you are managing your BS, you are not managing your stress.
Final Point
With everything there is always nuance and things are both simple and complex. I have offered today a few simple things that can make a difference with minimal time and effort BUT you may need more than this depending on your current state of stress and health.
I am always here to help you at a deeper and more intimate level and I have something up my sleeve which I’ll be able to share more amount soon.
Anna xxx
