Working with the Mind & Body: How to Regulate Your Nervous System

If you’re reading this, you may already know your subconscious can’t tell time—there’s no difference between the past, present, or future. And forget about discerning fact from fiction.

Your subconscious mind believes everything you witness—every bit of information you take in—is actually happening. To you. Even when your conscious mind KNOWS what’s happening isn’t real (say you’re daydreaming or watching the news) your subconscious believes it is real.

When your mind takes in too much traumatic information (hello, 24/7 news cycle!), your body goes into fight-flight-fawn-freeze. This unconscious reaction immediately halts the healthy function of your body’s processing and you’re unable to communicate or respond in ways that are productive and useful. 

Remember, your subconscious will always choose what is familiar.

This is true for your thoughts, emotions, and nervous system response. Because of this, only a holistic approach that addresses all the parts of you will result in resolution and/or healing.

When we work with the subconscious through hypnotherapy we work with both the mind and body. Relaxing the nervous system and focusing the mind inward means we’re able to address deep-seated imprints that drive behaviors, emotions, habits, and beliefs. We’re essentially accessing all the parts of you: the mind, body, emotions, and energy (aka spirituality).

Highlighting nervous system regulation is an essential part of a holistic approach to mental health and overall well-being. Although it's rather simple, it often gets overlooked.

What is nervous system regulation (NSR) exactly?

NSR directs physiological responses in order to reduce heightened states of sensations or feelings (think fear, anxiety, anger, etc.). It also increases states of calmness and safety and expands your capacity to heal, thrive, and live in the moment.

The good news is you can easily learn to regulate your nervous system and reap its benefits; you'll feel safe, be present, activate your willpower, and improve your well-being.

Signs you’re feeling dysregulated:

• Hyperventilating/breathing fast
• Holding your breath
• Clenching (jaw, hips, shoulders)
• Feeling anxious
• Feeling a chronic, uncomfortable feeling
• Poor or difficulty sleeping

Simple tools to regulate:

• Slow deep belly breathing
• Exercise
• Walk
• Cold shower
• EFT (tapping)
• Community or connection

4 Steps to NSR: Stop, Regulate, Rewire, & Rebuild

Stop

Pause. Take a moment to catch yourself in a heightened state. Acknowledge it. This simple act of awareness will help you avoid going deeper down the rabbit hole.

Regulate

Bring your awareness to your body’s senses and engage one of the tools below to bring yourself into rest- digest-safe mode.

Rewire

Explore any feelings or thoughts that contributed to the heightened state and reframe them in a positive, present tense Ex: Things are always working out for me no matter how it looks at any moment. (Thank you, Esther Hicks!)

Rebuild

Practice teaching your subconscious via embodying the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of how you want to feel. Strengthening the habit of feeling safe and strong. 

Tools & Techniques

Regulating your nervous system is a two-fold practice: 1. It brings you to the present moment which allows you to respond with more awareness 2. It allows you to build resilience to stress.

Breathwork:

deep belly breathing, vocalizing sighs

Movement:

walking, dancing, jogging, barefoot walking on grass, yoga, chi gong, tai chi, shaking, swaying or rocking side to side

Rest:

quality sleep, hypnosis, naps, avoiding screens, social media, and news; yoga nidra, restorative yoga, meditation, sun gazing, forest bathing

Vagal toning:

Singing, humming, chanting, gargling

Touch

massage, EFT tapping

If you're curious about how hypnosis can help you to access your subconscious mind, check out my blog How Hypnosis Works.

If you'd like to dip your toe in hypnosis for yourself, with just an hour commitment from the comfort of your home, then I invite you to join my monthly group, Inner Circle virtual group hypnosis.