1.
Sympathetic
FIGHT OR FLIGHTTime to take action! Get things done! This is our autonomic state of mobilization. It gets our body ready to take action. We utilize this in many positive ways: Sports, athletic pursuits, sex, to pursue goals and desires, give an important speech, meet a deadline, set healthy boundaries, stand up for ourselves, or perform.We naturally engage in our sympathetic state throughout different times in the day to meet the needs of our environment.Our sympathetic state is a very important state for survival. The job of our autonomic nervous system is to constantly scan our internal and external environment for threats (or stressors). When faced with a threat, we will engage our ventral vagal state to utilize our social/communication skills. If that doesn't work, then we activate into our SNS, and turn to fight or flight.Our SNS state allows us to fight back or run away from a threat (real or percieved). This is a beneifical aspect of this state! What can happen, however, is that we can become over-activated in this state - leading to hyperarousal.This is when our nervous system is unable to regulate back to a grounded, presence, relaxed space of the parasympathetic (ventral vagal & parts of the dorsal vagal).Most often this is due to chronic stress (too long) and/or traumatic stress (trauma we experienced in the nervous system). Unfortunately, our modern world lives in a chronic sympathetically stressed state - so many of us feel this way!Here is what you may experience in sympathetic overactivation:Mental & EmotionalAnxiety, overwhelm, panic, worry, or hypervigilence On edge, unable to relax, or fidgetyNeed to "do", go-go-go, accomplish, be busyObsessive thinking, monkey-mind, or racing thoughtsIrritability, frustration, anger, or ragePerfectionism, need to do be in control/do things a certain wayPhysicalHeart rate increasesBreathing gets shallowEnergy in arms, legs, or musclesDigestiveSNS slows down motility which = constipationSNS reduces secretions such as stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic enzymes. This can lead to a HOST of GI issues. Some of the most common we will see here is:Low stomach acid: heartburn, acid reflux, burping, bloating, gas, fullness while eatingLow bile or pancreatic enzymes: fatty stools, undigested food in the stool, bloating, gas, naseau.If you have SIBO, dysbiosis, candida overgrowth, or leaky gut - those things likely come from low stomach acid, bile, or pancreatic enzyme production. With the root cause being SNS overaction aka chronic stress!This is great to know because this is likely the main culprit and true root cause of your chronic digestive and mental stress symptoms.SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?*Before you begin any of these exercises, please identify something in your environment that can be a regulating resource. That may be a pet, trees/flowers outside, a cozy blanket, your favorite song, a friend you can call, tapping on your heart, or a mantra you like. If you feel overwhelmed at any time, utilize this resource.*1. SNS is a mobilization, meaning it's energy that wants to move! Have you ever been feeling super anxious or overwhelmed and told yourself to just calm down? Maybe you tried to meditate or lie down. Did that help? If not, it's because the fight or flight energy wants to move through you! So next time you feel overactivated in this state, find a way to move in through you that feels good!For fight (frustration, irritability, anger) you may like to:Put on some angry music and head bang or dance aroundLift some heavy weightsPunch pillowsPush against a wallScream/cry into a pillow, in your car, or somewhere safe to do soCall a friend to rant to For flight (anxiety, busy mind, overwhelm) you may like to:Go for a walk, run, or bike ridePut on music and dance!Get on your yoga mat and let yourself free flowShake! Use fidgets *If you cannot physical move in that moment or place you are in, you can use imagined movement. 2. Once you've let the energy move through you, allow your system to settle and see if any thing wants to emerge, such as an emotion. Scan your body and notice if there are any sensations. Be with any sensation you discover and see what happens. If at anytime things feel like too much, turn all of your attention to your resource. 3. If you have moved things through and want to bring yourself back into a state of calm and groundness (ventral vagal) then you may like to:Move your face - open and stretch your mouth, scrunch your face up and then expand, open and close your eyesRoll your lips & make soundMake a big sigh with sound, and allow any other sound that wants to come out do soYou may even like to sing, chant, or humRoll your neck and stretch it from side to sideWhat all these exercsises are doing is engaging your vagus nerve and specifically the ventral vagal state, which will help you deactivate out of the SNS overwhelm.4. When you are in SNS overwhelm you may notice that your breathing gets very shallow. After doing the above steps, you may like to engage in some deep belly breathing. You can sit, stand, or lie down and place your hands on your bellyTake a big breath into your belly for the count of 5Hold for 5Release for a count of 8It can't be extra nourishing to make sound on the exhale5. For digestion, it's really important that we are in a rest and digest state of the parasympathetic. Doing exercises like the above in your day to day, and anytime you feel overwhelmed, will begin to help bring more regulation to your system. This is essential to do BEFORE we eat a meal. If we are in a state of SNS while we are eating, we will begin to see a lot of symptoms of indigestion. And hey, I know, we live busy lives and it's not possible to do all the above before we eat. Here is what you can do:Take 5 deep belly breathes before you eatSit down while eating your mealSmell your food before you take your first bitePut down the utensil between each bite and focus on chewingNow there is a lot more to regulating our nervous system and supporting our gut-brain symptoms from the damage done by chronic and traumatic stress, of course! These are some great ways to begin to shift things and to keep in your back pocket whenever you feel that SNS begin to creep in.To understand if you DO have low stomach acid, low enzyme or bile production, SIBO, dysbiosis, inflammation, or candida overgrowth - it is essential to test!
