Does your nervous system need a reset?

The purpose of the nervous system is that it acts as the body's command center, controlling, communicating and coordinating across all body parts to regulate functions and respond to internal and external changes. It receives information from sensory organs and triggers appropriate responses, enabling us to think, move, feel emotions and maintain homeostasis.

How do you know when something is wrong with our nervous system?

• Numbness or tingling in the body

• Weakness or reduced ability to move a part of the body

• Tremors, tics, a change in posture or walking

• Co-ordination problems, dropping things, tripping or falling more often

How do you know if your nervous system is signaling to you that there is a problem?

• Heightened feeling of anxiety

• Shaking and/or a feeling of nausea

• A change in your breath, it becomes shorter or shaky

• You can’t articulate how you feel or express yourself

• You need to remove yourself quickly from a situation

• A sense of dread or fear may take over you

What are your triggers?

Any sense of danger or stress can trigger your sympathetic nervous system into action. They may be physical, mental or emotional.

How to reset your nervous system

You must engage with activities that activate the parasympathetic nervous system that promotes a sense of calm. For example you could try breath work, meditation, listening to relaxing music, walking in nature, yoga, pilates, somatics or any kind of movement practice.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Did you know that the vagus nerve is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system? Activities such as humming singing, chanting and even laughing can vibrate your vocal cords to stimulate the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a superhighway to the brain. It’s one of the 12 cranial nerves that connect our brain and body and extends from the brain stem all the way to the gut.