Reset Your Nervous System: Tackling Lifey Moments
by DANA HARPER
I feel strongly that lifey should be a word in the dictionary. It means life gets a little beyond what we think we can handle. Queue the stress response. And, sometimes, this stress response can be hard to control or get beyond.
Recently, I had a lifey experience and needed support stat. I am lucky that I rely heavily on social support and exercise to keep me balanced, and they usually do the trick. But I have been taking on a move, getting my only child off to college, and a surprising and unpleasant development on the financial side of things.
My nervous system was in overdrive, and I needed more than my standard toolset to tone it down a notch or two. One of the things I find helpful in those situations is to remind myself what is happening physically and try new things to restore peace. Here are some ideas to try in case you find yourself in need of a reset. These will help calm you down so you can get on with a calm approach to whatever is happening!
Use cold. Take a cold shower, do a cold plunge if you have the equipment, or apply ice to your neck. This will calm the vagus nerve and allow your nervous system to reset.
Force yourself to find the gifts and opportunities in the situation. Accept and then look at the situation from as many different angles as you can think of. Is there a hidden gift? Could you make this an opportunity?
Exercise. Go outside. Walk around the block. Swim laps if you have access to a pool. Do anything you can to raise your heart rate and activate your dopamine responses to balance out what is probably excess cortisol coursing through your body.
Shake it off. Literally, shake your entire body for as long as you can stand it. You'll notice a dissipation in stress immediately. Repeat as needed!
More about Dana Harper
Dana is an HR executive, mother, fitness enthusiast, world traveler, and coach whose experiences have taught her how to develop practical tools to get others unstuck from burnout and on the rise.