3 Ways To Re-Balance Your Nervous System When You’re Stressed Out
Although technology is moving fast, your body and mind continue to beat to the evolutionary drum.
getty Having an overburdened brain seems to be the standard way of living in these mega-modern times.
The mind and body chime as a harmonic unit, but as you try to spin all the plates, your energy withers and you become unwell.
Your nervous system can take a serious hit. It's important to understand how to balance yourself, so you can find peace in the chaos of everyday life.
To help you cope with an overwhelming routine, you rely on modern technology to maneuver seamlessly between the chores of daily life. But these come at a cost to your health, and most people are completely oblivious to some of the repercussions.
Although technology is moving fast, your body and mind continue to beat to the evolutionary drum. So, how can you work in harmony with this overflow and allow your emotional and physical well-being to keep up with this state of flux?
There are many reasons why you may feel tired, stressed out, anxious, or fatigued, but here are some of the most important (and less considered) contributing factors.
Here are 3 ways to rebalance your nervous system when you're feeling stressed out.
1. Be aware of your exposure to positive ions and negative ions.
Imagine walking through a forest or sitting by the water. Sink into the feeling. Notice what you see, feel, and hear. Maybe you feel calm, relaxed, and at ease. Perhaps you feel thoughtful or inspirational.
This is the result of being immersed and surrounded by nature’s gift of negative ions.
So, what are positive and negative ions and how do they affect health?
Positive ions do not have a “positive” effect on your physical and mental health — they actually weaken the body’s natural magnetic field. And there's no escape from them, unless you live in a mountain cave.
These positive ions emit through WiFi, mobile phones, computers, air pollution, fluorescent lightbulbs, and microwaves, to name but a few.
Too much exposure to positive ions can cause allergies, weaken the body’s natural strength and state, create lethargy, depression, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, and more.
Anxiety is proving to be more common in children and teenagers. Is it because they're spending too much time on mobile phones or tablets and soaking up these positive ions?
Negatively charged ions have a positive effect on your well-being. These are found in nature by water, in forests, and in the air that surrounds these environments.
Negatively charged ions elevate your mood by increasing serotonin levels. They help stabilize blood pressure, increase the body’s alkalinity, accelerate physical recovery, and purify and clean the air.
So, if you’re stuck in an office all day with little access to nature, constantly on your mobile phone, or in front of the computer a lot, you may want to think about taking those valuable breaks throughout the day.
2. Give the body good, natural sleep.
Just like in nature, your body needs nourishment through sleep and rest to recuperate.
During sleep, your eyes go into REM (rapid eye movement), which is your natural emotional processing machine. During this time, the mind files off all the memories and experiences you’ve had during the day.
Sleep allows your right and left brain hemispheres to harmonise and re-balance. When your brain hemispheres are in harmony, they rationalize and communicate. This helps you find solutions to problems and “get over” things more quickly.
After a stressful day, disrupted sleep could mean that the brain hemispheres are not firing off to each other properly, which is why some days you may feel more emotional or tired. Small things can bug you more than they normally would.
An early night is the best medicine sometimes. It's good to avoid alcohol before sleep to ensure you get as much natural sleep as possible.
3. Gift your body with healthy hydration.
When you're stressed, you can often forget to eat or drink water, and instead seek out stimulants like coffee to give you an overall energy boost.
Gifting your body of good nutrition is paramount to self-healing.
In order for the body and mind to act consistently, it needs to be given the right fuel. You couldn’t drive a car with an empty tank, and the same goes for the human body.
In fact, poor nutrition can bring on further side-effects, which are counter-productive to your natural healing process. The brain, skin, muscles, organs all need regular hydration.
By following this advice, you can help reclaim your mental health and well-being, and calm down when you're feeling stressed.
Caroline Rushforth is a certified NLP coach and life coach with over 10 years' experience helping super-caring women who are overwhelmed with worry, negative thoughts, and low self-esteem. She offers a free 30-minute consultation via Zoom or Skype. Send her an email to get started today.