Learning your Nervous System Pt 1
An important skill for accessing our ability to feel well and connected is to understand and learn to interact with our nervous system. In this blog post, I’m talking about the Autonomic Nervous System or the ANS.
I like to think of our nervous system (ANS) like the Operating System in our cell phone. It’s always running in the background, taking in information, and making decisions about how to run applications, and use and conserve energy.
Our nervous system is connected to lots of organs in our body: lungs, heart, brain, digestive system, to name a few.
There’s a constant feedback loop happening in our bodies that we aren’t usually aware of:
Here is an example: I am on a walk with my young nephew, and he starts to run to the road. My nervous system takes in the information that my nephew is in danger. I act without thinking and sprint to scoop him up before he can get near a car. My nervous system has sent a message out to my organs to prepare for swift action, which includes a burst of adrenaline.
Helpful, right? When there is danger, we want this system in our body to help us automatically do what’s needed. What a helpful set of tools in our body! Hooray!
Here is another example: I am about to give a presentation in class to all my peers and teachers. I step up to the front and look at the crowd. My nervous system takes in the information that people are watching me and may judge me. My heart rate increases. My stomach starts to clench. It feels a little hard to think clearly. My nervous system has sent a message out to my organs to prepare because to me, this doesn’t feel very safe!
Less helpful. My nervous system has identified this situation as unsafe, but right now I need to be calm and clear-headed to do well. The tools have malfunctioned! Help!
This is why I work with my clients to get curious and learn how their nervous system operates. Anything our nervous system labels unsafe - even if we don’t want it to be - is labeled that way for a reason. Oftentimes our nervous system has experienced something (e.g., being judged, getting into an argument, interacting with authority, riding in a car) as unsafe. We’ve had negative or even traumatic experiences related to that situation. But then life changes and the situation is no longer the danger it once was (e.g., we are no longer children, judgment doesn’t carry the same consequences, arguments don’t result in aggression or violence, we no longer live with a scary authority figure, or that car accident happened years ago), but the nervous system – which is always wanting to protect us – hasn’t gotten the update.
The wonderful news is that our nervous systems are changeable throughout our whole lives! We can rewire these connections through awareness, intention, and practice. The first step is building that awareness.
So we start by getting curious. Where do I notice my nervous system sending me messages of “unsafe” where I don’t want them to be? Here are some other examples:
When my partner gets upset with me, I shut down and get quiet, unable to engage.
When plans change at the last minute, I get panicky and overwhelmed and it feels hard to move forward.
When I get difficult feedback, I feel attacked and defensive.
In Part 2 of this blog series, we will talk more about how to engage with – and begin to rewire – your nervous system in these moments.
Source:
Dana, D. (2021). Anchored: How to befriend your nervous system using Polyvagal Theory.
