The Parasympathetic Nervous System

Modern life is so fast paced. Everywhere we look something is trying to grab our attention; buy this, read that, must haves and click bait. It can feel relentless.

Whilst our brains are amazingly adaptable, the older, deeper parts are from a different era! They operate at a more instinctual level, on alert for danger and doing their best to keep us alive.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise if, at times, there is a disconnect. The older ‘reptilian’ part of the brain can mis-interpret everyday stressors as genuinely life threatening, leaving us hypervigilant, scanning the horizon for the threat that our brain told us was out there.

We Are Built For Stress

Please remember that stress is perfectly normal. We cope with it very well, enjoy the challenge even, and would be bored without it. We learn from stress. The problem comes when we forget to shift back down to our relaxed state afterwards.

We are so used to the ongoing stress in modern life we barely acknowledge the tension created by our daily commute or by the stream of information we get into our hands 24/7. We have normalised always being accessible and forget about the need to switch off now and then.

But whilst we may not recognise that we are operating at a constant level of stress, our nervous system does. It starts to look around, wondering what is causing this anxiety, and often gets it wrong!

The Importance of Resetting: The Role of the Parasympathetic Nervous System

The sympathetic nervous system gets us fired up to act. It sends blood to our muscles, increases our heart rate so we are ready to act, do, run.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the counterbalance to our action mode. It’s the body's relaxation state, it reminds us we are safe and can stop being on high alert. Our heart rate slows, we digest our food better and we can start to restore our energy levels.

Our nervous system, as a whole, needs a healthy balance of these two states. If we stay in the action mode too long and the parasympathetic nervous system isn’t activated, we risk some serious fallout.

Our Body's Built-In Alarm System

These systems are old, they developed to protect us from imminent danger, kicking in as a reaction to a perceived threat. Often before we are even aware of what’s happened, we can jump into fight or flight mode, with blood diverted to our muscles and our senses heightened to take in maximum information. Or we slip into freeze mode, the body’s natural anaesthetic, and curl up to wait for the danger to pass.

These are all good sensible survival mechanisms but are not designed to be long term solutions. In these states we aren’t at our most rational. It isn’t a good place for us to engage in higher cognitive functions like learning, creating, playing or thinking, or to promote relaxation and digestion.

If we mis-interpret everyday life as serious threats we can get trapped in survival mode, and it can become a deepening cycle because communication between mind and body is a two-way street.

Our brain tells the body to watch out and get ready for danger, our body prepares for action by tensing up and getting the heart going. The brain then reinterprets this as there being some danger out there because the body is all fired up. Our nervous system in stuck in overdrive and if this gets to a chronic state can lead to anxiety and burnout.

Breaking the Habit and Learning to Calm Down

To break this cycle we need to start reframing everyday stresses as normal. They are efforts you need to make and once they are over, remind yourself it is ok to relax again. These experiences can feel really hard but they are not physically life threatening.

Try some of these practical tips to help your mind and body know it is safe to relax and unwind:

Do things that get you out of your head and into your body! The body is a sensory system so engage your five senses – touch, taste, hearing, small and sight. When people talk about getting ‘grounded’ this is what they mean, this is one reason why spending time in nature is good because it engages a lot of the senses. Try -

⦁ Body Movement. Gentle exercises like yoga, tai chi, or walking can help release tension.

⦁ Energetic Movement. If you find yourself in freeze mode, build up your energy through movement or a change of temperature like cold water swimming or a cold shower.

⦁ Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and release different muscle groups then let them relax in turn.

⦁ Mindful Techniques. Try slow deep breathing, or consciously deepen and slow your voice as you talk so you sound calm. Your mind is listening and will take note.

⦁ Prioritise Quality Sleep. Leave your phone out of your room. Don’t go on it if you wake up in the night.

Make the most of your social support. We are social animals and look to the people around us for reassurance. We take cues from them so spend time with a calm friend. Make eye contact, smile, these are all things that remind us that all is well.

Become more aware of your environment. Be a detective in your own life, Notice the times, things, people, places, days and events where you feel anxious. You might be able to make some connections and be more mindful about how you interact with those things in future. Consciously giving yourself prompts to come down off high alert afterwards.

Take time between activities so stress from one area doesn’t bleed into the next. At the end of the work day for example don’t rush straight into the next thing.

Try and have fun. Play is a great way to drop back into relaxation. Take time to play and laugh whenever you can.

By understanding the interplay between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and incorporating relaxation techniques into your life, you can start to make that shift from one state to the other again.

Finally, remember, you don’t have to do this alone, it's okay to look for professional help if you're struggling to manage stress or anxiety. A therapist can provide valuable tools and support.