For the longest time, I believed well being was about doing extra. Extra dietary supplements, extra lab assessments, extra exercises, and extra routines. I stored spreadsheets and detailed checklists of every thing I used to be attempting to do for my well being. I assumed if I simply discovered the suitable mixture and toughed it out lengthy sufficient, I’d lastly really feel superb.
However what truly modified every thing for me wasn’t one other protocol. It was a easy psychological reframe that shifted how I take into consideration well being, therapeutic, and life usually. It was the thought of specializing in sending security alerts to my physique, as an alternative of attempting to pressure it into submission.
This mindset shift remodeled the way in which I eat, transfer, relaxation, and even suppose. It helped me transfer out of a spot of power low-level stress and right into a state the place therapeutic truly grew to become attainable. Should you really feel caught in a rut like I used to be, however can’t appear to pinpoint why, then learn on!
Understanding the Nervous System
First, let’s check out the nervous system. Our nervous system operates in two foremost modes: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is liable for the battle, flight, or freeze response. Our physique prompts this response when it senses hazard or a menace. On the flip aspect, the parasympathetic system is liable for relaxation, digestion, and therapeutic.
Because of fashionable life, many people spend the vast majority of our lives caught in sympathetic mode. Even when we don’t really feel mentally harassed, our our bodies would possibly nonetheless be receiving alerts that we’re not protected.
I spent over a decade in that place. I didn’t perceive that my fixed doing, even the “wholesome” stuff, was preserving me caught and my physique nonetheless didn’t really feel protected sufficient to shift into therapeutic mode. That’s the place the idea of security alerts versus stress alerts is available in.
What Are Security and Stress Alerts?
Stress alerts are issues that inform our our bodies to remain on alert. These could be apparent psychological stressors like arguments or deadlines, but in addition extra delicate issues. Below-eating, over-exercising, poor sleep, loneliness, destructive self-talk, and even publicity to blue gentle at evening ship stress alerts to our nervous system.
Security alerts, alternatively, are cues that inform the physique it’s okay to relaxation and restore. These embrace issues like nourishing meals, deep sleep, human connection, hydration, daylight, light motion, and sort self-talk.
Once we concentrate on sending extra security alerts, the nervous system can lastly loosen up. And as soon as it does, so many issues begin to enhance, like our vitality, digestion, temper, hormones, and even weight.
Rebuilding Security Via Vitamin
Probably the most highly effective security alerts we are able to ship to our physique is thru meals. For a very long time, I used to be under-eating, particularly once I was attempting to heal my thyroid and reduce weight on the similar time. I didn’t consider it as a stressor as a result of I wasn’t (often) skipping meals, however I wasn’t consuming sufficient of what my physique wanted.
Once we don’t eat sufficient, our physique will get the message that meals is scarce. It perceives this as a menace and raises stress hormones, like cortisol. So as an alternative of therapeutic and repairing, our nervous system is on excessive alert. Overeating additionally places stress on the physique, particularly if we’re overeating high-calorie, low-nutrient, processed meals.
The shift occurred once I began consuming sufficient, particularly specializing in protein, micronutrients, and minerals. I started to prioritize my first meal of the day, ensuring it was full of vitamins and protein, earlier than I reached for any caffeine. I additionally stopped consuming late at evening, giving my physique time to digest earlier than mattress.
As a substitute of approaching meals from a mindset of restriction or management, I began asking myself, How can I nourish my physique at present? That shift alone introduced noticeable enhancements in my vitality, temper, and sleep.
Sleep as a Security Sign
Everyone knows sleep is necessary, however I didn’t understand how a lot my nervous system was affected by inconsistent or inadequate sleep. As a mother to fairly a couple of children, I haven’t at all times been in a position to get a full 8 hours!
Even skipping one hour of sleep could cause cortisol to spike and have an effect on blood sugar and insulin. And in the case of mind fog, some consultants have in contrast only one evening of six hours of sleep to being mildly intoxicated.
Making sleep a precedence, particularly with an earlier bedtime and constant wake-up time, made a giant distinction for me. I seen enhancements in my coronary heart charge variability, resting coronary heart charge, and total sense of calm. This may be troublesome to do for mothers, however the thought is to make sleep a precedence. For me this meant no extra cleansing the kitchen late at evening or searching social media after the children went to mattress!
Making a calm sleep surroundings helped too. I turned my bed room right into a sleep oasis and stored it darkish and funky with as little noise as attainable. I decreased blue gentle publicity within the night and located that my physique began to naturally unwind and fall into deeper sleep.
Mild and Circadian Rhythms
Whereas I keep away from blue gentle at evening, it’s your pal through the daytime. Pure gentle is without doubt one of the strongest however neglected instruments for supporting the nervous system.
Getting daylight within the morning helps set the physique’s inside clock and helps melatonin manufacturing at evening for higher sleep. Getting daylight in the midst of the day boosts mitochondrial well being, improves nutrient absorption, and helps hormone steadiness. I attempt to get at the least 10 minutes of morning daylight inside half-hour of waking, typically barefoot so I additionally get grounding advantages. Then I’ll take a couple of quick walks with my weighted vest or sit on a lounge chair to take in the afternoon solar.
In distinction, blue gentle publicity at evening tells the physique it’s daytime, which might disrupt sleep and trigger stress. I began utilizing amber and pink lighting within the evenings and sporting blue gentle blocking glasses when wanted. I additionally switched to utilizing heat gentle sources after sundown from lamps. These lamps are on a timer so I don’t even have to consider switching them on when the solar units.
Easy shifts in gentle publicity assist my physique really feel extra in tune with its pure rhythms. Plus, it decreased the fixed background stress I didn’t even know was there.
Hydration and Mineral Steadiness
Dehydration is one other frequent however typically ignored stress sign. Once we’re even barely dehydrated, our blood thickens, our vitality drops, and our physique perceives that one thing is unsuitable.
However hydration isn’t nearly consuming water. Our our bodies want minerals, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium to ensure that water to really be absorbed and used successfully. I began consuming mineral water within the morning, typically outdoors within the solar. I additionally concentrate on staying hydrated between meals in order that I’m not diluting my abdomen acid wanted for digestion.
Not solely does it assist help my nervous system, however I discover extra vitality once I hydrate with loads of minerals.
Motion That Feels Supportive
Getting sufficient water is necessary, however so is getting sufficient motion. Train can both be a security sign or a stress sign, relying on what our physique wants at a given time.
Once I was deeply harassed, intense exercises made issues worse. My physique craved light actions, like strolling, swimming, or stretching. Over time, as my nervous system stabilized, I slowly reintroduced energy coaching and resistance workouts. Now you’ll discover me doing sprints on the monitor area.
My mindset has modified so I see motion as one other approach to help my physique, not punish it. I purpose for normal walks, mobility work, and body-friendly methods of transferring all through the day. There’s a time and a spot for extra intense train, however it may be an excessive amount of after we’re in nervous system overload.
Environmental and Emotional Alerts
Even when we’re consuming effectively and sleeping sufficient, our surroundings nonetheless sends alerts to our nervous system. Artificial fragrances, harsh cleansing merchandise, artificial clothes, and even litter can all act as delicate stressors.
Our internal dialogue issues too. The way in which we communicate to ourselves, whether or not with criticism or compassion, has a direct affect on how protected our nervous system feels. I seen that I used to be saying issues like “my physique is attacking itself.”
Once I seen destructive ideas, I requested, Would I say this to my baby or my finest pal? If not, it didn’t belong in my internal world both. As a substitute, I shifted my mindset to say one thing like, “My physique is therapeutic.” These shifts helped me create extra security from inside.
Connection, Pleasure, and the Delicate Alerts
Human connection is one other deeply highly effective security sign. Eye contact, laughter, contact, and presence all inform our our bodies we’re protected and supported.
Pleasure and discovering happiness in even the little issues in life are necessary right here too. Issues like singing, dancing, heat baths, buzzing, stretching, and even simply watching the sundown are all methods to nurture the nervous system. The vagus nerve, which performs a giant function in parasympathetic activation, responds to those small, joyful acts.
I additionally started to consider how my residence surroundings may really feel extra supportive. I swapped harsh lights for light ones, eliminated artificial fragrances, and made my bed room a comfortable house that really felt protected.
Remaining Ideas on Security Alerts
An important factor I’ve discovered is that our our bodies are at all times on our aspect. They’re always working to guard us, even when it doesn’t really feel that approach. Once we study to speak with our physique as an alternative of attempting to repair or pressure it, every thing adjustments for the higher.
Should you’re simply beginning on this path, I’d encourage you to decide on one small factor. Get morning daylight. Drink mineral-rich water. Go to mattress half-hour earlier. Eat a protein-rich breakfast. No matter feels manageable and sort to your physique.
It’s not about doing extra, however listening extra to what our physique is telling us.
What are some methods you help your nervous system well being? Depart a remark and tell us!
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