3 somatic tools to relax your nervous system
In Somatic Experiencing, we slow down and pay attention to the stories that might be held in the body- our soma. We focus our attention on felt sensations, signals from the body and the rhythm of the breath to understand what it needs to do next in order regulate the nervous system. As humans our sympathetic nervous system sometimes gets stuck which can result in all sorts of nasty health problems. Check out the Nat Geo Doc ‘Stress: Portrait of a Killer’ to find out more about how chronic stress can slowly kills us. The SNS is our fight, flight, and freeze response aka ‘ON’ and sometimes it can be difficult to get back to our PNS- parasympathetic nervous system- rest and digest or ‘OFF’. Long ago when we lived in fear of being killed by deadly wild predators, our whole autonomic nervous system was much more useful. Our system was better at regulating itself, because these periods of fight, flight and freeze were short term. We had times of high stress when our SNS would kick in to protect us and then when danger was avoided, we would switch back to our PNS. Your body naturally pendulates back and forth between the PNS and SNS and when we explore our traumas with Somatic Experiencing, we can slowly increase the capacity of our system for more pendulation and continue to grow our resilience.
Unfortunately, our nervous system doesn’t work so well in the modern world where we are on constant alert to the myriad of potential threats all around us (hello pandemic, climate change, political unrest, etc.). Our bodies need an occasional reset, so we don’t completely burn ourselves out. We need the fluid back and forth rhythm of the SNS and PNS working together to feel balanced and regulated in our bodies and minds. We feel exhausted because our nervous system IS exhausted- it wasn’t made for the information overload and never-ending, low-level panic of the industrial world we live in today. Yoga is of course one of the most phenomenal tools we are lucky to have access to, read my blog post ‘Top 10 Ways Yoga Helps Reduce Chronic Stress’ to learn more about its benefits. Our bodies intuitively know how to reorganize and settle; they just need us to slow down, listen and create space so we can switch from ‘ON’ back to ‘OFF’. Our primal lizard brain is not as sophisticated as we think!
Are you curious about how your nervous system is doing right now? Take a moment to try these 3 somatic tools to help you relax and reset. Self-soothing is a great way to improve the natural regulation of our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and feel a little better both physically and mentally. Remember to let go of any judgement of yourself or the techniques as you practice, just keep an open mind and be curious about the things you observe.
Listen to the sounds around you and notice the birds in the trees, the cars on the street, your dog snoring. By mindfully listening, we let the body and mind slow down just enough so that we can hear other messages that it might be trying to tell us. Often, we are too busy to hear the things our body is saying like ‘I’m thirsty’ or ‘I need to get up from my screen and give my eyeballs a freaking break’. Notice what you can hear once you quiet down and use this information to hone your interoception or inner awareness.
Touch your hands to your legs or arms and notice the texture of the clothing and the feeling of your skin. Feel the weight of your hips sitting in the chair and your feet on the ground. Notice the physical container of your being and use the comforting touch of your own hands on your heart, belly, feet, low back, neck, or shoulders. One hand on the forehead and one hand on the back of the neck can be particularly calming. Use the sensory feedback from your touch to feel a little more alive in your physical being.
Orient your eyes to the room or nature around you and observe the details of your surroundings. Let your eyes be soft, un-furrow your brow and un-clench your jaw as your gaze moves around. Notice what draws your attention in the space: the plants and people, light and dark, specific colors and shapes, objects of significance, etc. Use this visual information to land back in your body if you have been feeling disoriented or disconnected from the present.
Did these somatic tools help you become more embodied in your human form? Did you feel your nervous system settle at all? I hope you are feeling a bit more relaxed but if not don’t worry! It takes practice to start tracking your own nervous system, so try these tools whenever you have a few moments to check in with yourself and orient. As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I work 1:1 with my clients to increase their capacity for resilience, so send me a message if you are curious about getting started!