How is your nervous system doing? With the state of the world right now, many people are experiencing symptoms of a nervous system running on overdrive – insomnia, anxiety, extreme fatigue, digestive issues to name but a few! The fact that collectively we have all experienced ongoing changes to our lives in the past couple of years means that some of these symptoms have settled in and may be starting to feel normal.
So, what is going on in our bodies?
These symptoms are all related to issues within a part of our nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. This is made up of three parts: the enteric nervous system (gut/digestive system), the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for fight, flight or freeze responses), and the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for a rest, digest and restore responses).
Fight or Flight Response
The sympathetic nervous system activates our fight or flight responses when we encounter threatening situations, emotional stress, or anxiety. It then sends impulses to the adrenal glands, which release stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol into the blood steam, increases heart rate and blood sugar levels. Now, this is all well and good if we are legitimately being chased by a lion! However, most of us on a daily basis are not – we are simply going about our daily routine, but our nervous systems are activated as though that lion is lurking around every corner!
Rest, Digest and Restore
What we really need is for the other branch of our nervous system to be active – our parasympathetic. The role of the parasympathetic nervous system is to regulate or restore our body to resting state, it allows us to rest, digest and repair. The vagus nerve is a long and complex nerve that comes from the brain and wanders through the body (also known as the “Wandering Nerve”) regulating our organs as it goes before finally finishing in the gut. It is also the largest contributor to our parasympathetic nervous system.
The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve controls many of our vital biological functions, including mood regulation, immune response, digestion, and heart rate. Often due to increased amounts of stress we find ourselves operating in a sympathetic autonomic state, where we are constantly engaged in an aroused state of fight or flight. This dysregulation of the nervous system results in many mental and physical ailments such anxiety, depression and stomach and digestive issues. A healthy parasympathetic nerve response, which is governed by the vagus nerve, is essential for our mental wellbeing and physical health. When we support this parasympathetic nerve response, we can repair, digest and absorb the nutrients in our food properly and regenerate.
Fortunately, there are some simple ways you can support and increase your vagal tone and we at Evolve are here to help.
CranioSacral Therapy
Healing the nervous system takes time and support. CranioSacral therapy works directly with the nervous system and vagus nerve, assisting us to shift from states of ‘fight or flight’ into states where we feel emotionally and physically safe. Each time we experience this shift we strengthen the nervous system pathways that encourages this transition to occur naturally. Over time this increased vagal tone ‘rewires’ our nervous system and restores a healthy balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts.
You can book in with one of our skilled practitioners here at Evolve easily via our online booking system.
Deep belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing is something that you can do at any time to instantly stimulate the vagus nerve and lower your stress responses. A simple technique is square breathing. You can begin by inhaling for the count of four, holding for the count of four, exhaling for four and holding for four and continuing this.
Need a little extra help with your breathing? One of our Evolve therapists, Karen Leo, specialises in the Buteyko Breathing Method and retraining optimal breathing patterns. Buteyko Breathing Method is a therapeutic approach to breath retraining. As you learn to breath more slowly, calmly, and effectively a variety of common challenges begin to reduce. These include asthma, anxiety, and sleep concerns – it also stimulates the vagus nerve supporting a sense of overall calm and connection.
Research shows clear link between healthy gut bacteria and increased vagal tone. We can support a healthy gut biome by eating an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables and incorporating fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut which are rich in good bacteria. Additionally, it is often beneficial to include a daily probiotic such as Metagenics Ulta Flora or BioCeuticals Ultra Biotics both of which are available from the Evolve Clinic.
Meditation
Meditation is a wonderful way to reset the nervous system and can offer individuals a science-backed way to reduce anxiety in the present moment.
One of our favourite mediations here at Evolve is Practicing Gentle Kindness toward Ourself by Sarah Blondin and can be easily accessed via the Insight Timer App.
Have you started to notice the smell of spring in the air? Maybe you have started to feel the urge to start spring cleaning? There is a reason for this cyclical inspiration!
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is transitional season and space; we keep one foot in winter and step one foot into summer. Taking things slowly as we unfurl from the cold, dark winter and move upward and outward toward the expansiveness of summer.
The shift to spring is a subtle change that brings with it new energy and excitement for the warmer weather.
We can think of the body as a small version of the universe around us – a microcosm of the macrocosm. As the seasons change, so should we. Humans should be adaptable; to flow with the seasons is to live in harmony. Just like bare, dormant trees begin to grow buds and blossoms; we too can harness the power of spring to slough off the old and usher in a fresh, new experience of health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.
In Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the wood element that governs the liver and gall bladder. The liver and gall bladder work together to move blood and bile, and play pivotal roles in spleen and lung health (immune system and seasonal allergies), tendon health and our vision. During these transitional months, disturbances may be manifested in these organ systems, and you may experience symptoms such as:
+ muscle tension
+ sciatica
+ headaches, especially migraines
+ visual disturbance
+ menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids
+ digestive disturbance
TIPS FOR THE SPRING SEASON
+ Get moving!
Spring is the time to slowly get moving again after the reduced activity of the cold winter months. Movement is not only good for your physical health, it supports your emotional health by shifting stagnation and old hurts.
+ Spring clean
Take the time to engage in a little spring cleaning, whether this be your home, your e-mail inbox, or your digestive system. Now is the time for “out with the old and in with the new”.
+ Make a to-do list
The energy of spring often brings with it a desire to start bringing the dreams of winter introversion to fruition. Why not make a list and start taking steps toward creating the life your heart desires!
+ Eat your greens
The colour associated with Spring is green and the taste is sour, these are perfect places to focus your eating awareness. Be inspired by the luscious green veggies of the local farmer’s market, when we eat according to the season, we restore inner and outer balance.
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY AND SPRING
As we feel the urge to get moving again, we can become aware of some of the stagnations that have built up during winter. One of the core aspects of CranioSacral Therapy is to support your body in restoring movement and flow. This might be supporting the fluid to flow with ease through your central nervous system, nourishing your brain and spinal cord. It may be supporting your immune system, hormones, or digestive system to move more easily and supporting inner health. It may even be supporting you in letting go of hurts and anxieties that are lingering, so that you can move forward and thrive in your life!
At Evolve, we love nothing more than supporting you in finding your natural rhythm (did you know even the nervous system has a rhythm?!), so please reach out and let us know how we can support you move with ease into Spring.
Anxiety is very real to its sufferers. Often recognised as producing symptoms such as constricted breathing, a whirling mind, body tension, pain and shaking hands, anxiety and overwhelm – it really puts strain on the body. An evolutionary trait, anxiety once existed to keep us out of danger, but in modern times, our stress response has become problematic itself when our body tells us to react to environmental factors out of our control.
Our fast paced, digital lives are full of stimulus, stemming from work, home and society more broadly. Our minds are constantly alert to noises, sights, sounds, thoughts, leaving our bodies in near constant fight or flight mode. Even though we understand there’s no real danger most of the time, our bodies recognise the stress and leave our stress hormones coursing through our bodies with nowhere to go to. As our stress levels build, anxiety can set in as a direct response to this unhealthy level of stress and overwhelm, creating an overload in your central nervous system (CNS).
Many patients end up in our clinic after repeated and failed attempts to reduce their anxiety via traditional methods – medication and psychotherapy. We understand how challenging it can be for sufferers of anxiety to continue thriving in their day to day lives and how much the weight of the problem can impact upon work and family life.
How can you help stress?
At Evolve, our therapists are experts at helping you regain control of your anxiety. By gently using CranioSacral Therapy (CST), we can help keep your nervous system flowing in a calm state. This allows your body to reduce its auto-pilot stress response and return to transmitting hormones that promote a healthy body. Anxiety and stress can cause a chaotic increase in nervous system activity, creating an overall sense of dis-ease within your body and mind. One of our patients, Claire, came into our clinic suffering from tremendous stress during COVID. A number of significant changes in her personal life, coupled with the uncertainty of life in a pandemic caused her sleepless nights, a racing heart and physical pain in her stomach. Having tried medication, Claire was keen to try a gentler and more natural way to try and beat her crippling anxiety and arrived at our clinic desperate for help. Within a few sessions of gentle CST, Claire started to sleep better. Gradually, her panic attacks and anxiety grew less and less until she reached the point where it’s now at a manageable level, allowing her to return to doing the activities she loves once more.
A light touch manual therapy, many patients say that they feel far more relaxed after CST as their body slows down and has an opportunity to wind down and self-correct. CST offers the body a unique opportunity to reset and break the cycle of stress and anxiety. Dig deep and ask yourself how your body really reacts to stress. How do you deal with looming work deadlines, family problems, traffic jams, being late to pick your kids up from school? They may all be small problems in isolation, but added together, create a fertile breeding ground for anxiety, if not carefully managed.
Our vast experience at Evolve, tells us that the sooner you seek help to pinpoint and treat a health challenge like anxiety, the faster we can treat you back to health. Our caring and knowledgeable clinicians will partner with you on your journey from diagnosis to your return to health.
