Why you should regulate your nervous system
There are many ways to help you remain calm in times of distress. If you're prone to meltdowns, breakdowns or even tunnel vision, you may need to regulate your nervous system. First, let's talk about what it is and what it does for your body. Your "Central Nervous System" is composed of electrical and chemical reactions happening in your brain and in your spinal cord. The rest of your body is part of the "Peripheral Nervous System." The nerves in your body communicate with one another, react to inner and outer circumstances and are stupendously essential in overall function of human beings.
So, when you go through a traumatic event, your body has no choice but to react to said event. You may begin to shake, have anxiety, or go into complete shock. The problem with humans is, we're prone to memory. I don't know about other folks, but I tend to remember how things made me feel more so than vivid photographic memories. Anytime there was a lot of tension or argument, any time there was any sort of conflict, I remember more vividly. The reason why, is my body was put into fight or flight mode. I felt as though if these things didn't work out, if nothing was going to be resolved, my life was OVER! I believe it takes a lot of time to get back into a loving space of peace, serenity and trust.
The first step is becoming aware of your tendencies. Becoming aware of yourself, how you operate and essentially how you feel about things is very important. Becoming aware is, essentially, the first step. For example, I tend to shut down at any sign of conflict. If I'm overstimulated, I might lash out. I am so busy thinking and thinking and thinking that the present moment tends to easily overwhelm me. If you tend to relive past memories, this could be true for you too. The thing about memories is, RELIVING them, is exactly what your brain does. Your own memories create the exact phenomenon or feeling you perceived to experience in that past moment. So, if you feel you've been betrayed by someone, you may replay that same memory or, same feeling of betrayal over and over again in your brain. It's as if your body is slowly aging, time is going by, yet your entire being is stuck on something that HAS BEEN. It's OVER. You are essentially dysregulated.
If your nervous system is constantly being flooded by feelings and images of trauma, it can be really draining. It can be hard to participate in your own life. Feeling as if you're simply letting things happen to you instead of facilitating your own action, can make you feel even worse! On a scientific level, both your nervous systems, the central and peripheral, affect everything in your body, down to the atoms in your cells. Some people will live their entire lives being dysregulated and this can lead to persistent health issues.
Getting back to the present moment and really being there is going to take some work. I want you to always remember that if you can give yourself ONE THING, let it be grace. It may take a long time to come back to yourself and to not feel like you're stuck in quicksand. If you believe it's possible, you can watch it manifest in your life. Working to regulate your nervous system can look like breath work, meditation, visualization and overall becoming aware of your thoughts and thought patterns. I believe that hard work in general can propel you in the right direction when it comes to healing. One of my favorite, mind opening quotes is, "Healing Is In The Doing." We can get so caught up in our feelings that life feels as if it’s paused. It is vital to feel your feelings but not letting them linger is a HUGE step. Don't let them get you stuck in a moment. Live your life.
A topic that came up when I was speaking with my mom was “changing the way you perceive the past.” For me, this means becoming grateful for EVERYTHING. So even if something so ugly happened, it was still a lesson in itself. I was shown the truth in a fucked up type of way. Instead of being ashamed and letting this fester in my present life, I am working to feel grateful for being shown the truth in a shitty situation. This is also similar to visualization. You can start visualizing things as if they happened in a different way. I feel like this method would take a long time of deep meditation, but it seems worth it! I want to focus on switching my thoughts from negative to positive and overall being grateful for everything in my life.
Do you feel like you're living with a dysregulated nervous system? You are not alone! It'll be tough to bring peace into your life but with persistence, grace & faith, you'll be unstoppable! <3
