Hack Your Nervous System

Written By Vanessa McConnell

What your body is telling you when you are anxious or overwhelmed, and three strategies to calm down.

Pink neon lights spell out breathe against a plant wall. Deep breathing is a well known way to calm yourself, but is not the only option.

Most people are familiar with some form of deep breathing to help them regulate. We have three other strategies that may be new for you and are worth trying.

Everyone gets overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious from time to time. Some of us experience these emotions far more frequently. Whether it happens on occasion or is a more routine experience, understanding what is happening in our bodies can help us “hack” our nervous system and calm ourselves in the heat of the moment.

 

The Nervous System(s)

Our nervous system has two main modes of functioning:

  1. The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS), which is sometimes called the rest and digest system, promotes relaxation and slows down bodily functions.  

  2. The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is essentially the body’s alarm system. It’s designed to detect signs of risk, danger, or distress in our internal and external environments and react through a fight, flight, freeze or fawn response.

These two systems work on a switch; when one system is “on,” the other is “off.”

There are so many reasons why our Sympathetic System may activate. It could be an event happening right now, such as running late for a meeting, or it could be an experience or sensation that is reminding our system of something that happened in the past.

When the Sympathetic System is activated, we experience physiological changes. Our heart rate increases, muscles tense, breathing gets more shallow and rapid, and even our field of vision narrows. We feel what we might describe as overwhelmed or anxious. The question is, once the Sympathetic System is active, how do we switch back to the Parasympathetic System and calm ourselves?

 

Hacking our System to Switch Back to our Parasympathetic System

Because so much of this is taking place in our bodies, somatic techniques can be very effective in helping us switch from SNS activation to the PSNS, where we feel more grounded, regulated, and settled.

Most people are familiar with some form of deep breathing, which can be very effective at regulating our bodies. Here are some other options that may be new for you to try:

Person walking in the park. Walking is a common activity that creates bilateral stimulation and can help calm us down.

  1. Deep Pressure Stimulation: Experiencing deep pressure is very calming for our nervous system. You can achieve this by having something heavy draped on you, such as a weighted blanket, a heated magic bag, or even getting a big bear hug, a relaxing massage, or ‘swaddling’ yourself in a tight blanket.

  2. Bilateral Stimulation (BLS): This technique comes from EMDR therapy. BLS is anything that alternates sensation from one side of our body to the other; this includes movements we often already do, such as walking or riding a bike. We can also do this by tapping with our hands, alternating left and right, on our knees or shoulders, tapping our toes against the floor, or even looking from side to side across our field of vision.  

  3. Peripheral “I Spy”: Focusing on your peripheral vision helps widen your awareness and brings you into the present. Pick a spot to look at, such as a light switch. While keeping your eyes focused on the light switch, see what else you can notice (spy) in your peripheral vision. Because our field of vision narrows when our sympathetic system is activated, broadening our view can help shift us towards the parasympathetic system.

There are so many different grounding strategies we can use to help regulate our nervous systems in moments of distress. Try several of them; it is like going to a buffet, we will like some options, but not all of them. Trying them outside of a moment of distress will also help identify what might work for us in a moment of need.

 

Finding What Works for You

This post is about nervous systems and regulation generally. If you would like help understanding more about what activates your Sympathetic System, and how you can spend more time in your Parasympathetic System, we have a great team that is very knowledgeable in navigating this with you.

You can reach out with questions or for help determining next steps for you. Contact us using the form below, or visit our Therapists and Booking page.

 
Vanessa McConnell