Musts for a Regulated Nervous System

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There are some ground rules, so to speak, for being human, to help regulate the nervous system, for things to run smoothly, that I wish all my patients knew.

Well, I actually wish all humans knew this, and that we all used them daily.

I know when we do these things we can actually feel what is good for us, what we are needing, what we need to shift or adapt, and then actually do it.

For example, if your nervous system is calm, you can tell when social media is messing with you (stressing out your nervous system).

And when you can tell that it’s stressing your nervous system it is that much easier to put down the screen, because protecting your nervous system will matter more to you.

Why would it matter more to you? Because when you get to feel how nice it feels when the nervous system is calm, you’re not going to be so willing to give it up.

The trouble is, these things technically are not hard, but they get pushed aside, ignored, some of them demonized… but they are vital and can’t be replaced.

So let’s dig into a handful of these things, because it is becoming more and more important for us to be in that state of being, so that we can be discerning in all things.

One of the easiest ones is to get grounded – touch the earth – whether it’s grass, sand, dirt, or if nothing else is available then touch a tree.

Those rubber soles on our shoes completely insulate us, so it’s easy to spend all day outside and never have touched the ground.

Here’s the beauty of grounding: it corrects the zeta potential of your red blood cells. Now your blood is flowing better – your body can get oxygenated better.

–  Touching the earth activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, heal) and calms the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze).
–  It saturates your tissues with negative electrons (negative is good in this case) and can help down regulate inflammation.

Make sure to do this where there are no pesticide/herbicides, or whatever other toxins can be hanging out (don’t go barefoot on a golf course, for example).

The next one up is actually two things but I’m also counting it as one: get into real sunlight, but also get real darkness.

We need to spend some time in the sun without sunglasses, sunscreen, cover ups, what-have-you, and letting all of those receptors do their job – receive sunlight.

The most known property of sunshine is how our skin can turn that into vitamin D.

Sunlight also gets our T-cells going (an important part of the immune system), increasing infection-fighting capabilities.

And our bodies take time-cues from the sun in terms of biological rhythm, which pretty much affects all aspects of our health, one way or another.

On the flip side, we also need darkness at night for our health, as the lack of darkness can cause:

–  weight gain
–  change hormone patterns
–  negatively affect the cardiovascular system
–  increase cancer risk

For darkness, consider black out curtains, removing things with constant LED lights, get a different alarm clock that isn’t glowing all the time, or simply wear an eye mask.

And being on the topic of darkness, do I need to point out why and how sleep is a must on this list of musts to be a healthy, regulated human being?

For the sake of not making this book-length, you can read up on sleep here.

And going from not moving at all (sleep), to the next must -> you absolutely have to move your body daily!

How you move your body can vary, but humans do not do well without movement…

… which can be taking a walk, weight lifting, doing jumping squats for a few minutes after an hour of sitting, dance through the house, chase after your kids, etc.

Simply, our bodies are meant to move, find the ways that you can find joy in this.

Our muscles work like batteries, moving is what charges them (I realize that sounds odd given how you feel after lifting, but there are different types of energies involved).

Of course, movement helps get the lymph going, is good for your muscles, your cardiovascular health, is vital for brain health, improves metabolism…

… it’s another one of those that is going to deeply, positively impact health.

Another one that’s two sides of the same coin for me is you need to allow for quiet from time to time, but we also need joyous sound.

To me, joyous sound is everything from music that makes your heart sing, to kids laughing, having great conversations, again laughter, etc.

And it’s also noticing the sounds of nature – the wind in the trees, the birds singing, the crickets chirping, bees buzzing, a horse neighing in the near distance. All of it.

Those sounds are what the human nervous system knows, and it calms it. Give yourself time for this.

Allow yourself those minutes here and there where you just stare off into the distance, or are just totally absorbed into whatever nature is up to in front of you.

And back to those great conversations – as humans, we need community. We need other people around us – not constantly – but we need each other.

The worst punishment in prison is being put in isolation. Let’s not isolate ourselves.

Now, notice, I’m NOT saying to go extreme with any of this!

Do not burn yourself to a crisp in the sun, do not hulk it out daily for hours on end, do not sleep all day long… you get the point.

We want balance in all things, and remember, the point was for you to regain a healthy, happy, calm nervous system…

… because with a calm nervous system, you get to be fully you, and that also means you get to be discerning…

… which also means not falling for all the random crap out there.

And of course, drink clean water, don’t eat junk food / fake food, limit EMFs, don’t put food in plastic or wear plastic (hello nylon, polyester…), you get it.

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