Exploring your nervous system: the good, the bad and the unhelpful

Our beautiful nervous system is made up of two parts: the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. Let’s explore what happens when you find yourself in each side, some of the hormones that are produced there and their physiological and psychological implications!

I find this topic fascinating! And super helpful and enriching to learn more about how your body & mind work and why. It gives you the opportunity to feel empowered. You can take this info and understanding, to better know what's best for you and your body, looking after your wellbeing and (hopefully) find more compassion with self!💗

In the video, I go through 3 specific hormones you produce when you’re in the parasympathetic side of your nervous system (aka your calm mode), what they do and how they serve you. And we also chat about what happens when you find yourself in your sympathetic nervous system (aka your fight/flight or emergency mode), the hormones produced there and their sometimes unhelpful affects!

When you feel in a calm and relaxed state, you are in the Parasympathetic side of your Nervous System, and you'll naturally produce more Oxytocin, Melatonin and Endorphins hormones:

• Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the love or cuddle hormone - it's your feel good hormone. It’s the one you get when stroking a puppy, hugging a friend you've missed, and you’ll produce it in bucket loads when having a sexual release! (Oooh baby!) It makes you feel good, connected, loved and gives you that warm fuzzy feeling!

  If you’re craving more oxytocin (like if you feel stressed, burned out, anxious) you might find yourself seeking your tribe… connecting with loved ones, reaching out to friends and family. Anything that makes you feel connected, loved and supported.
  

• Melatonin is the sleepy hormone. It helps you relax, feel peaceful and switch off, and because of this also helps you to fall asleep. It’s best produced in the dark - which is one of the reasons eye pillows are so relaxing! Plus, it acts as a booster for Oxytocin, so if you find yourself feeling relaxed and a bit snoozy, chances are you’re more likely to increase your feel-good hormone too.
  
  

• Endorphins you might have heard of already... you produce these when exercising and moving your body. It's a natural hormone released in your body to relieve stress and reduce pain. They are actually considered a stronger pain relief than morphine! With endorphins bossing it around your body, it helps create a general feeling of wellbeing. One of my personal fave ways to relax is to do a muscle-squeeze-bodyscan meditation. You lie in a comfortable position, start at either your head or your toes, and go through each body part in turn squeezing all the muscles in that area for a few seconds and then releasing, allowing the muscles to fully relax.
  E.g.

  Lie down comfortably. Take some full breaths to help get out of your head and into your body.
  Bring your attention to your feet and ankles. Squeeze your toes, your soles and all the muscles in the feet and ankle area, and then relax them.
  Move your attention up to your legs and bum. Squeeze your calf muscles, thighs, squeeze your tush… and then release and allow the whole of your lower body to go limp, soften and relax.

  You can then continue all the way up your body until every muscle has had a little squeeze and then released, bringing the whole body into a state of relaxation and softness.

  Your nervous system will be producing endorphins, relieving stress and tension, plus you’ll have encouraged your blood flow to deliver more oxygen to all your muscles, allowing them to recover and feel nourished. Win-win!

Now let’s explore the Sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Often referred to as your fight or flight mode. We produce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline here.

It is activated in times of stress or when a threat may be perceived. And results in feeling stressed out and anxious.

Nowadays, the SNS is working harder because, as a society, we’re increasingly more stressed and run down. It’s become a ‘societal norm’.

By spending more time in our SNS, feeling stressed and anxious, it can lead to poor eating habits, poor sleep, decreased concentration, trouble with connecting in relationships, as well as impact your mood and emotional responses.

Your brain doesn’t distinguish between real danger (angry tiger has just walked into your room) and perceived danger (you feel embarrassed about a harsh remark Drew from accounts just made in a team meeting). So regardless of what the ‘danger’ is, if it makes you feel shame, stress, or anxious, you’ve probably entered the Sympathetic Nervous System and your body is getting ready to fight or flight.

Physiologically, this means your blood and bodily resources like oxygen rush to your limbs - physically preparing you to fight or run away. Evolutionary this is really helpful in a ‘real’ danger situation. But it’s not so handy, when you’re sat in the team meeting trying to think rationally, when internally you’re going from 0 to 100, pumped with adrenaline and suppressing a desire to END DREW.

Some of my fave ways to move from the Sympathetic to the Parasympathetic are things like:

• being in nature,

• enjoying a pole, aerial-yoga or yoga class (or anything you enjoy!),

• meditation,

• meeting up with friends for lunch,

• breathwork,

• using positive affirmations,

• having regular relaxation activities in your life (like the Floating Meditation Workshops we host at the BB Studio)
  

... basically anything that makes you feel good, safe, calmer and helps you relax and be yourself.

Using the almighty power of the breath to help you relax and calm is dead handy for when you need it in the moment:
Take a nice big inhale, then let it all out nice and slowly.

Inhale for 1...2...3...4;

Exhale for 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8.

(if counting doesn't work for you, then just think about making your exhalation longer than your inhalation! I sometimes find the counting distracting, but it works wonders for some! So go with whatever feels best for you).

I hope you’ve found these tools and tips to be supportive and beneficial for your wellbeing journey. If you liked this video and blog, please share with loved ones! It really means the world to me and helps more people learn about themselves and better understand their wellbeing journey.
I’d love to hear about any particular bits that resonated that you're going to take-away from this, pop them in the comments on the YouTube video🧡 Thank you!

Sending strength, positivity and lots of love,

Becky xx