Let’s understand the basics of nervous system functioning and how to rebalance it for greater control and clarity in moments of stress.
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System
The Autonomic Nervous System or ANS is the branch of the nervous system responsible for regulating systems like heart rate, blood pressure and the digestive process.
It’s split into two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.
The sympathetic is the branch that is activated in the fight-or-flight response. It speeds us up, activates us, helps us to take action. The other branch, the parasympathetic does the opposite: it acts as a brake, a fact we’ll use to our advantage.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System and Stress
The parasympathetic system, especially the vagus nerve, are essential in stress regulation.
During stressful periods, most people exhibit reduced vagal activation, which correlates with stress reactivity.
On the other hand, higher vagal activation correlates with resilience, calmness and swifter stress recovery.
Here’s the cerebral connection: the hypothalamus, which sits just below the limbic system, is the main control for the vagus nerve.
In turn, the hypothalamus is regulated by the limbic system, which includes the amygdala, our internal fear alarm.
This is where the rebalancing part comes in. Our executive functions, such as perspective taking, planning and decision making, can be wielded to control the limbic system, and by extension the hypothalamus and the vagus nerve, meaning it can regulate and rebalance our stress reactivity.
It’s known that prefrontal activity correlates positively with resilience and negatively with defensive, reactive emotions like fear, anxiety and aggression.
the amount of activation in the left prefrontal region of a resilient person can be thirty times that in someone who is not resilient.
Richard Davidson
Engage the Prefrontal
It’s crucial to understand the exact role of the prefrontal cortex in regulating our emotional reactivity.
Its key contributions include its ability to control impulses, use emotional information, and choose responses based on context and a deeper perspective. It works in tandem with the other regions it’s connected to, enabling us to choose an alternative course of action.
Notice that these skills run in direct opposition to how fight-or-flight mode works. You’ll remember that this mode is preverbal and automatic. This is adaptive in momentary life-threatening situations, where quick, spontaneous action could be life-savings, but maladaptive when it takes over during minor stressors.
The good news is that we can train ourselves to respond rather than react. The key is to slowly untrain and break all your habitual reactions.
Enter Parasympathetic Mode: A Practice
One simple way to engage these higher faculties and go into parasympathetic mode is to take a sacred pause.
It only takes 2-5 seconds, and it’ll repeatedly save you from tons of unskillful, energy-sapping behaviour that you’ll regret later.
When anger arises and you’re about to act on it, take a pause: prevent yourself from acting on it in any way. Instead, observe yourself.
Get a quick but clear perception of your mind and body. What thoughts are going through your mind? What are you feeling in the body?
Don’t repress or cling on: just gently allow these thoughts and feelings to appear, and watch them intently.
Once you have a clear perception of them and have regained your poise, re-engage with the situation. The anger might still be present, but you’re less likely to mindlessly act on it and can now deal with the situation more skillfully.
we can cultivate greater resiliency and well-being, and also wisdom and equanimity, in the face of stressful circumstances… All it takes is practice, practice, practice.
John Kabat-Zinn