Your nervous system consists of two parts. The sympathetic, alerting, fight, flight or freeze response and the parasympathetic, restoring, calming and relaxing. There are several ways we can calm our brains to treat stress and anxiety by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system in times of stress, and when dealing with difficult emotions.

It is essential to develop the vagal tone, which is the strength of your vagus nerve by a balance of inputs from sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the involuntary or unconscious nervous system, also known as ANS. The parasympathetic response counteracts the fight, flight, or freeze response, based on fear or perceived danger.

1. Deep Breathing

First off, let me start by saying that you don’t have to be a yogi or a monk sitting in lotus pose, deep in the Himalayas, to practice meditative breathing. People have been doing this for thousands of years and for good reasons. Breathing deeply and exhaling longer can trigger a calming reaction when faced with anxiety and stress. While breathing out slowly, you might also get an increased saliva production in your mouth because your parasympathetic response is turned on. Dry mouth, on the other hand, is a sign of the sympathetic fear response.

2. Laughter

Laughter is another way to help turn on the parasympathetic response. Whether you enjoy dumb cat videos on YouTube or dancing dogs, laughter is a great way to help trigger that calming reaction. It is known to boost the immune system, release endorphins that help reduce pain and increase pleasure, as well as relieve tension and relax muscles in the body.

3. Rewiring Your Brain – Neuroplasticity

As humans, we are good at avoidance because every time we avoid a perceived danger (a psychological pairing, also known as a trigger), our brains think it is keeping us safe. Avoidance reinforces anxiety and stress-related symptoms. But gradual exposure to triggers in a secure environment, possibly with a therapist, is the most efficient way to resolve and heal them long-term. Safe thinking and positive affirmations such as reminding yourself that you are safe when faced with anxiety and triggers will help engage the parasympathetic response.

For instance, you have made an association or a psychological pairing with pool water is dangerous because of an event or trauma you experienced as a child or even as an adult. If not exposed little by little to this perceived danger and taught to think and feel safe around it by replacing negative thoughts with positive and more rational ones. And by reminding yourself that you are no longer that child, your anxiety or trigger will get stronger every time you avoid it. From a spiritual stance, our traumas or those unresolved issues are often presented to us by the Universe in mysterious ways until we learn our lessons and have no reaction to them.

4. Awareness – Being Present

If you suffer from anxiety disorders you feel as if you’re in danger (with accompanying fight, flight, or freeze response) when in reality, you are safe. You may feel this way during a break up with your partner, an argument with a friend or a loved one, or any other scenario that may apply to you. Anxiety is often about worries or uncertainty about the future, and depression, on the other hand, is discouragement or dwelling about the past.

Both anxiety and depression can be counteracted when practicing presence and reconnecting to our bodies. When we are grounded and present, we are activating that safe feeling within us, and our body has a natural ability to process emotions and resolve trauma. When we are in panic or fight-flight or freeze response, our brains shut down those abilities because it thinks that our survival is at stake. We want to trigger the parasympathetic calming response consistently so that it becomes habitual in moments of stress or anxiety.

5. Self-Care

Exercise, stretching, yoga, eating well, massages, etc. are great techniques to calm your anxiety down. Often during times of stress and anxiety, we let go of ourselves and our needs and forget the importance of self-care. Our body is our temple and should be treated as such. The more we take care of our bodies, the better we feel, and the more we can trigger and foster the parasympathetic response in times of need.

If you would like to gain more tools to regulate stress and anxiety make sure to check out my private holistic services through the link here!

Blessings,

Jetona Andoni