Tips To Calm Your Nervous System

How Does Trauma Affect the Nervous System?

In periods of stress, the body’s fight or flight response activates. A normally regulated nervous system experiences stress but returns to normal when the threat has passed. During which you can self-regulate, this period is called the window of tolerance, and most people move through several of these cycles daily. One example is rushing to get somewhere and running late but relaxing once you reach your destination on time. However, the system works very differently when the body experiences trauma.

Traumatic events push the nervous system outside its ability to regulate itself. For some, the system gets stuck in the “on” position, and the person is overstimulated and unable to calm. Anxiety, anger, restlessness, panic, and hyperactivity can all result when you stay in this ready-to-react mode. This physical state of hyperarousal is stressful for every system in the body. The nervous system is stuck in the “off” position in other people, resulting in depression, disconnection, fatigue, and lethargy. People can alternate between these highs and lows.

---

Bilateral Music

One helpful tool is bilateral music. It has been observed that bilateral stimulation – particularly auditory – tends to help to neutralize strong emotions, decrease worry/anxiety, and, essentially, relax you.

Your Five Senses

When our nervous system is in fight/flight or shut down mode, our senses heighten as a way to locate and identify potential threats and harm. 

When our nervous system mistakes a stimulus associated with our trauma as a real and imminent threat, I like to shift the use of the senses, searching for harm to signs of safety and calm. The more we layer these activities or sensations, the stronger the signal is to the body that we are safe and can shift back into our ventral/safe and social nervous system state. 

Deep and Slow Breathing

Since the vagus nerve is involved in regulating our breath, we can use breathing exercises to stimulate this nerve and send our brain the signal to relax. There are many different breathing exercises out there, so it’s essential to find one that works for you. 

Engage in meditation

Meditating is another way to incorporate breath work, which we know helps to calm the nervous system. In meditation, we grow our awareness of the mind and body. This awareness allows us to recognize when we feel overwhelmed and then intentionally act in the opposite direction by slowing down and taking time to calm down. 

Probiotics

It’s becoming increasingly clear to researchers that gut bacteria improve brain function by affecting the vagus nerve. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids 

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that your body cannot produce itself. They are found primarily in fish and are necessary for the normal electrical functioning of your brain and nervous system.

Massage 

Research shows that massages can stimulate the vagus nerve and increase vagal activity and vagal tone.

Socializing and Laughing 

Laughing can reduce your body’s primary stress hormone and stimulate the vagus nerve.