How can we learn to work with our nervous system regulation to help us with stress, anxiety, trauma and depression?
Trauma in the headlines has led a lot of us to feel stressed, anxious, depressed and helpless. Our nervous system regulation hasn’t felt stable in months. I’ve found myself scanning more when I am out walking and worrying about safety for myself, my family and so many others. Sometimes I am waking up in the middle of the night ruminating which only compounds our stress. I have been using my practice of Internal Family Systems meetings to help myself get back to sleep, but that is a blog for another time.
Our nervous system is always scanning the world for cues of safety and danger. There are a lot of structures in our brain and body that pick up cues in our environment. You may notice footsteps and turn to see it’s just someone hurrying along and go back to heading calmly to your destination. However, maybe that evening you watched the news and saw disturbing events and the next day while walking in the same location hour you hear footsteps again. Even if it’s a similar situation with a person hurrying along with their groceries, maybe you continue to watch them out of the corner of your eye until they are out of sight and you are back home. Nothing has changed outwardly however our internal reading of the situation has. Maybe you’ve also noticed an increase in scanning in the last two weeks even. Sometimes that vigilance can feel overwhelming, but with practice, we can befriend our alertness and bring ourselves back into connection and the present moment.
What can we do when we feel anxious, depressed, or stressed out?
After asking your parts and yourself if it’s ok to bring some comfort into the present moment and you are in a safe place, try one of these exercises.
Befriending Alertness: Notice your body’s readiness. Do you have heart rate changes, or are your eyes widening or narrowing, notice if your breath changes or if you have any body sensations or muscle tensing. With curiosity and gratitude you might say to yourself: “Thank you, body, for keeping me safe.” This builds a relationship with the parts of us that are vigilant. We can begin to create awareness of how we are responding to our environment whether that’s the place we are physically located or something in the news or community or even a response to something we are thinking about.
Pivot Left and Right -try inviting in awareness of the scanning response and bringing attention to what your body is already doing. Slowly turn your head to the left, then to the right and say “I am scanning for safety. Thank you for bringing in alertness to see if my body is safe.” Notice your environment, the colors, shapes, and textures around you. Let your body feel that you’re here, now, and see if the present moment feels safe enough to soften the alertness. If the moment is safe, try asking your body “now that we notice I am safe in this moment, is it ok to soften scanning and vigilance.”
Tracking Glimmers of Safety – Pause and notice the small things that feel soothing: the walls of your room, the warmth of sunlight, a bird’s cheerful song, a soft, cozy blanket, a food you are eating, the warmth of a cup of tea, people in your life that you invite in. Let your body register these cues as reminders of safety.
These simple practices can help your nervous system cycle through regulation and dysregulation and also bring awareness to what our bodies are doing, making space for calm, presence, and connection.
