Self Regulation
This post is truly for my clients and anyone else seeking links and resources for self regulation techniques. You hear about this literally everywhere and everyone seems to be an expert on ‘healing the central nervous system’. I don’t see it quite like that. I don’t think the nervous system gets ‘broken’ and needs ‘healing’. I think it gets over worked, responding to the cues we intentionally and unintentionally give it, and in turn, it gets over-reactive, numb, or just tired. It needs rest. It needs training to be appropriately responsive which means we need to be very attuned to the cues we are giving it. It needs regulation and it needs us to do it.
The Central Nervous System
First, let’s actually understand what the CNS is and does. It is extremely helpful to be able to envision our CNS when we are trying to tune into it. In the simplest of terms, your central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord. Branching out from the CNS is
Watch this 4 minutes teaching video explaining the central nervous system. It will be so helpful when you practice self regulation.
An effective strategy in attuning to yourself is being able to visualize our systems. Let’s break the Central Nervous System down into ‘roads’. The main highway is the brain and the spinal cord. Many roads branch out of this main highway. The road system is called the periphery nervous system (PNS). The PNS has 2 sets of roads of it’s own:
- The somatic system that manages senses and motor pathways
- The autonomic system that manages 2 more pathways – the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.
- The sympathetic system steps in to manage us when we are in danger.
- The parasympathetic system comes in after the danger has passed, to bring us back to homeostasis and calm.
Here is a simple image of the CNS and all it’s pathways. It is no wonder that we can have unpleasant sensations anywhere in the body when we sense danger. And in contrast, feel a total sense of calm throughout the entire body when we intentionally practice self regulation.
The Vagus Nerve
The longest cranial nerve is the vagus nerve. It runs from the brain to the large intestine. “I feel it in my gut.” “A gut response”. “Nervous stomach”. For more, read this from Mass General Hospital…a key player in our health and well-being
Brain Break
Being able to envision your brain when you are trying to communicate with it is so helpful. Envision it anyway you want; with color, with light. I picture mine butter yellow and sparkling.
Your brain is constantly managing all of your body systems PLUS all of the thousands of thoughts and associated emotions you give it all day long (sometimes into the night). Give it regular breaks by simply taking a short walk in the sunlight or a little guided meditation (see below for tons of options).
Having Digestive Issues?
Try one of the meditations below while focusing on your digestive system and understanding that chronic stress can slow it down and sometimes pause it.
How Traumatic Events May Affect the CNS
Sometimes when we experience a traumatic event, our sympathetic system might keep responding to the world as if the trauma is still happening even when it is in the past. I refer to this as ‘all the alarms are on’ or ‘a five alarm fire’ and they won’t shut off. We want to respond when there is true danger. It helps us to fight or escape a danger. But we don’t want it to respond to every anxious or fearful thought or smell or sight or sound when there is no danger in sight. You can imagine how tired the CNS would be from responding all day and into the night, day after day.
Trauma and it’s affects on child development and adult outcomes is my area of specialty but there are so many highly respected experts on the topic of trauma so we aren’t going too deep right now. I will sight a brief watch here from one of the experts I respect the most and we will post more on the topic in the future. Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk is my hero.
Self Regulation Techniques to Try
The post on sleep has many resources for self regulation related to sleep. The following are self regulations techniques for the waking hours. Not to be used only when we feel highly anxious but regularly so our nervous systems are retrained to stay calm yet alert until needed.
Here are some of my client’s favorites for seated relaxation, walking relaxation, and breathing techniques that can be used anytime and anywhere. Self regulation isn’t just for restoring calm. Our nervous system can ‘numb out’ from over-use and make us feel foggy and sluggish. Below are self regulation suggestions for both calming or enlivening yourself.
Seated & Guided
‘Peace Within me, peace around me’ – calming
Stopping and ‘counting your blessings’ regularly has a profound impact on your positivity and mindset. – calming
A favorite to many – calming
Walking Meditations for Focus & Calm
Breathing Techniques
1 minute – both calming and focusing
4-7-8 to be used for high anxiety/panic and focus
box breathing 4×4 – for high anxiety/panic and focus
box breathing – non-verbal video guidance
box breathing guided non-verbal
Nose Breathing
Nose breathing is exactly what it says. Only breathing in and out of your nose. Closing the mouth, letting the jaw relax, the tongue to rest on the roof of the mouth and just breathing in and out gently through the nose. This act alone can regulate your central nervous system.
