Why is a regulated and flexible nervous system the basis of our health and wealth?
All photos in this post by Matti Keski-Kohtamäki
Nervous system - the brilliant and complex communication network
The nervous system is like a network handling all communication in the body - via electrochemical impulses messages are transmitted from brain to every muscle and organ in the body. Information is exchanged back and forth between the brain and the body - the nervous system is how we connect with the outer world and also how most of our inner functions are controlled and maintained. It rules the hormonal system, all bodily functions from breathing to bloodstream, controlling and regulating the way we feel in our bodies, minds and hearts.
This fascinating and complex communication system is usually divided into two parts: somatic (all of our voluntary movement) and autonomic (all involuntary functions of the body). The autonomic nervous system consists of two more branches: sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) - perhaps you’ve heard of this already?
Now here comes a bold statement:
The level and quality of one’s physical and mental health, spiritual growth, relationships, professional life and business all comes down to the autonomic nervous system functioning flexibly between these two branches.
Sympathetic nervous system is known as our flight/fight mode - it is the state we enter when we are under any sort of stress or threat, performing any kind of physical activity or simply getting our shit done at work.
Parasympathetic aka the rest & digest mode on the other hand is on when we are not facing stress or danger and our body doesn’t have to fight for survival but has time to focus on less urgent stuff like digestion and metabolism.
Neither of these modes is good or bad - we benefit from stress and stimulation too, but the problem occurs when the sympathetic nervous system is constantly activated. In the long run, this may lead to issues modern medicine calls chronic stress - pain and aches in the body, poor gut health, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, depression etc.
Are we addicted to stimulation?
The modern lifestyle often circles around ”doing”. Our society is very goal-oriented, and we have learnt to measure productivity and even our value as human beings in the achievements we make.
Think of this: after a long day of working and being alert with all the e-mails, Zoom calls and Slack notifications, we come home to do more work with our households and then get into our hobbies or spend the evening with tv, possibly multi-tasking a little bit more and scrolling social media while watching Netflix. The urge to perform and/or be stimulated goes on and on and on, we avoid boredom and quiet time at all costs.
The further this stimulation continues the more we are addicted to it and the harder it becomes to press pause.
The silence and stillness can actually become scary or trigger anxiety, because when we finally get still, we are exposed to the mess of our inner worlds - all of our unprocessed stuff, thought, emotion and sensation becomes available to us and it can sometimes feel like too much to handle.
When was the last time you allowed yourself to get a little bit bored?
What can be gained from slowing down?
The issue is, our inner worlds won’t be cleared by doing more - the body and brain gets cleared and renewed in the rest mode only. In relaxation the breath and heart rate starts to decrease and digestion increases. Renewal and recovering begins - it is like a process of undoing all the work the body went through when the sympathetic nervous system was stimulated to help us handle stress. The parasympathetic nervous system is often translated into the state of rest and digest, or feed and breed - yes, also our ability to open up for pleasure in the bedroom or dinner table gets enhanced through our capacity to relax.
This state of relaxation helps run life-sustaining processes and provides us with a beautiful sense of inner safety and peace. Coming back to the bold statement in the beginning of this text, I do believe that this is the basis of our personal health, wealth, happiness and freedom as well as the quality of our professional lives and our relationships.
I bet we’ve all been there - when we feel drained, tired or ”too full” with life, sometimes even the smallest set-backs can make us collapse completely. I also believe everyone knows that sometimes things in life don’t go as planned, and under pressure making aligned actions is not always easy. However when we are feeling relaxed and safe in our bodies and spacious in our thinking we will be able to zoom out, see the big picture and respond from an emotion-free perspective so much easier.
The ability to adapt to the ever-changing external circumstances in life is a skill that will benefit our professional life and certainly makes us better humans. By taking care of the nervous system, learning how to return back to our inner safety and clarity, we start to radiate peace, patience, kindness and compassion all around us.
Relaxation is also key in our growth and evolution as human beings - try yourself and see the goodness that follows when you stop living in survival mode only and start prioritizing your inner peace and spaciousness instead. Life will respond, and these qualities of openness, clarity and ease will slowly begin to extend from the inside to your outside life as well.
Peace revolution, here we come!
Now, how to start making space for slowing down? Here is a list of practices and tips how to invite more space into your being.
Techniques and practices to calm down the autonomic nervous system:
Yoga Nidra
Calming Hatha Yoga (favor forward folding and twisting in your practice)
Breathing exercises where the exhale is longer (inhale 4, exhale 8)
Calming herbs and herbal tea before bed
Time spent in Nature
Time spent off screens
Phone on silent-mode whenever you are not working, and no social media in bed!
EnJOY. <3