How our body relays messages to and from the brain is based upon two branches of our nervous system: somatic and autonomic. The somatic system centers around thought to action like brushing your hair. The autonomic system is for everything we don’t need to think about: heartbeat, digestion, etc. Within the autonomic system are two further branches, the sympathetic and parasympathetic. Once again these are hard-wired mechanisms in our brain that create an automatic reaction. Sympathetic is often known as fight or flight, whereas parasympathetic is rest or digest.

How Our Brains Respond to Threat

In our brain we have the amygdala, two small almond-shaped glands that act as smoke detectors, sensing out danger and sending messages to either react or not, or turn on the sympathetic system. This is happening all the time. The more the amygdala is called to action, such as the case in repeated trauma, PTSD, and chronic stress, the amygdala shrinks in size and has a tougher time performing its intrinsic role to warn the body against a threat. In survival mode, the brain/body assumes everything is a threat all the time and is kept either in high alert (hypervigilant/anxious) or shuts down (dissociation/depression), essentially prolonged periods in sympathetic activation. Both impede our ability to simply relax and feel balanced mentally and physically.

Our autonomic nervous system also relies on sense impressions from the body to navigate the environment. This is both from our physical and internal environment. Whether we are experiencing tightening in the stomach and the heartbeat quickening from an argument at work or the same physical sensations from simply thinking about the argument, our brains don’t know the difference and will move into a protective state (high cortisol, digestion slows, increased blood pressure) keeping us in a dangerous feedback loop. Built upon this are our overstimulated environments and multi-tasking lifestyles, and we are truly setting ourselves up for negative physical, emotional, and mental consequences or chronic pain, depression, and stress-based disease.

Moving to Calm and Coherence

We have the power to regulate this system by training our brain to spend more time in our parasympathetic nervous system when at rest. One of the ways is through measuring heart rate variability (HRV). This maps out the space between heartbeats as it is related to breath. Under stress HRV is erratic. When we are calm, HRV moves into what we call coherence or heartbeat matched to slower more controlled exhales. The most common way to come into coherence is through meditation and breath regulation. You can practice breathing exercises from Yoga or simply notice your breath as it moves in and out of your body, filling your lungs and softly pressing into your belly. The guided meditations I created for Neurovine were designed specifically with establishing HRV coherence in mind. Whether a breath practice to reduce anger and frustration or a guided meditation to invoke gratitude and connection, both meet you where you are at and help guide your nervous system to a more regulated and controlled state.

Taking time to rest throughout the day, sitting down and quietly eating our lunch, or taking a walk outside can also go a long way in reminding our bodies how to relax. The more time we spend in parasympathetic, the easier it is to think clearly and rationally, and the easier it is to return to this state after a period of high stress or activation. Our parasympathetic system also promotes better sleep, better digestion, and an increase in overall energy and vitality. If in the attempt to practice any of the above suggestions, you become frustrated or anxious, stop immediately and try something else. These are only a few ideas of many; here is a good resource with other suggestions. If you have a history of trauma, seek out someone trained in somatic awareness or psychotherapy to help in this process.

The more we think we can’t relax the more we need it. But know like everything else, it takes practice. So, there's no better time to begin than now. Your health and well-being are depending on it.