We are now learning that emotional dysregulation, PTSD responses, stress responses all are managed best by learning how to calm your nervous system. You may have heard of Polyvagal theory, which addresses how the vagus nerve and autonomic nervous system affect your ability to think, feel, and speak at the same time. This basic exercise can help you if you practice it several times a day to generally calm your nervous system and avoid the build up of stress.
- Scan your body for tense muscles.
- Release each tight muscle group (tighten/release, shake it out)
- Breathe slowly in through your nose a few seconds, hold for a few seconds, then exhale from your mouth like blowing slowly out a straw. This stimulates the top of the vagus nerve and tells your body, “I’m safe, relax”.
