For the longest time, I believed well being was about doing extra. More supplements, extra lab checks, extra exercises, and extra routines. I stored spreadsheets and detailed checklists of every thing I used to be making an attempt to do for my well being. I assumed if I simply discovered the proper mixture and toughed it out lengthy sufficient, I’d lastly really feel superb.
However what truly modified every thing for me wasn’t one other protocol. It was a easy psychological reframe that shifted how I take into consideration well being, therapeutic, and life typically. It was the concept of specializing in sending security indicators to my physique, as a substitute of making an attempt to drive it into submission.
This mindset shift remodeled the best way I eat, transfer, relaxation, and even assume. It helped me transfer out of a spot of power low-level stress and right into a state the place therapeutic truly grew to become doable. In the event you really feel caught in a rut like I used to be, however can’t appear to pinpoint why, then learn on!
Understanding the Nervous System
First, let’s check out the nervous system. Our nervous system operates in two principal modes: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is liable for the battle, flight, or freeze response. Our physique prompts this response when it senses hazard or a risk. On the flip facet, the parasympathetic system is liable for relaxation, digestion, and therapeutic.
Due to trendy life, many people spend the vast majority of our lives caught in sympathetic mode. Even when we don’t really feel mentally burdened, our our bodies would possibly nonetheless be receiving indicators that we’re not secure.
I spent over a decade in that place. I didn’t perceive that my fixed doing, even the “wholesome” stuff, was protecting me caught and my physique nonetheless didn’t really feel secure sufficient to shift into therapeutic mode. That’s the place the idea of security indicators versus stress indicators is available in.
What Are Security and Stress Indicators?
Stress indicators are issues that inform our our bodies to remain on alert. These may be apparent psychological stressors like arguments or deadlines, but in addition extra refined issues. Beneath-eating, over-exercising, poor sleep, loneliness, adverse self-talk, and even publicity to blue gentle at night time ship stress indicators to our nervous system.
Security indicators, alternatively, are cues that inform the physique it’s okay to relaxation and restore. These embody issues like nourishing meals, deep sleep, human connection, hydration, daylight, mild motion, and sort self-talk.
After we deal with sending extra security indicators, the nervous system can lastly chill out. And as soon as it does, so many issues begin to enhance, like our power, digestion, temper, hormones, and even weight.
Rebuilding Security By Vitamin
Probably the most highly effective security indicators we are able to ship to our physique is thru meals. For a very long time, I used to be under-eating, particularly once I was making an attempt to heal my thyroid and lose weight on the similar time. I didn’t consider it as a stressor as a result of I wasn’t (normally) skipping meals, however I wasn’t consuming sufficient of what my physique wanted.
After we don’t eat sufficient, our physique will get the message that meals is scarce. It perceives this as a risk and raises stress hormones, like cortisol. So as a substitute of therapeutic and repairing, our nervous system is on excessive alert. Overeating additionally places stress on the physique, particularly if we’re overeating high-calorie, low-nutrient, processed meals.
The shift occurred once I began consuming sufficient, particularly specializing in protein, micronutrients, and minerals. I started to prioritize my first meal of the day, ensuring it was filled with vitamins and protein, earlier than I reached for any caffeine. I additionally stopped consuming late at night time, giving my physique time to digest earlier than mattress.
As an alternative of approaching meals from a mindset of restriction or management, I began asking myself, How can I nourish my physique at the moment? That shift alone introduced noticeable enhancements in my power, temper, and sleep.
Sleep as a Security Sign
Everyone knows sleep is necessary, however I didn’t understand how a lot my nervous system was affected by inconsistent or inadequate sleep. As a mother to fairly a number of children, I haven’t at all times been in a position to get a full 8 hours!
Even skipping one hour of sleep could cause cortisol to spike and have an effect on blood sugar and insulin. And on the subject of mind fog, some consultants have in contrast only one night time of six hours of sleep to being mildly intoxicated.
Making sleep a precedence, particularly with an earlier bedtime and constant wake-up time, made an enormous distinction for me. I observed enhancements in my coronary heart charge variability, resting coronary heart charge, and total sense of calm. This may be tough to do for mothers, however the concept is to make sleep a precedence. For me this meant no extra cleansing the kitchen late at night time or looking social media after the children went to mattress!
Making a calm sleep environment helped too. I turned my bed room right into a sleep oasis and stored it darkish and funky with as little noise as doable. I decreased blue light exposure within the night and located that my physique began to naturally unwind and fall into deeper sleep.
Gentle and Circadian Rhythms
Whereas I keep away from blue gentle at night time, it’s your pal through the daytime. Pure gentle is among the strongest however ignored instruments for supporting the nervous system.
Getting sunlight in the morning helps set the physique’s inside clock and helps melatonin manufacturing at night time for higher sleep. Getting daylight in the midst of the day boosts mitochondrial well being, improves nutrient absorption, and helps hormone steadiness. I attempt to get at the least 10 minutes of morning daylight inside half-hour of waking, typically barefoot so I additionally get grounding benefits. Then I’ll take a number of quick walks with my weighted vest or sit on a lounge chair to take in the afternoon solar.
In distinction, blue gentle publicity at night time tells the physique it’s daytime, which might disrupt sleep and trigger stress. I began utilizing amber and purple lighting within the evenings and carrying blue light blocking glasses when wanted. I additionally switched to utilizing heat gentle sources after sundown from lamps. These lamps are on a timer so I don’t even have to consider switching them on when the solar units.
Easy shifts in gentle publicity assist my physique really feel extra in tune with its pure rhythms. Plus, it decreased the fixed background stress I didn’t even know was there.
Hydration and Mineral Steadiness
Dehydration is one other frequent however typically ignored stress sign. After we’re even barely dehydrated, our blood thickens, our power drops, and our physique perceives that one thing is improper.
However hydration isn’t nearly ingesting water. Our our bodies want minerals, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium to ensure that water to really be absorbed and used successfully. I began ingesting mineral water within the morning, typically outdoors within the solar. I additionally deal with staying hydrated between meals in order that I’m not diluting my abdomen acid wanted for digestion.
Not solely does it assist assist my nervous system, however I discover extra power once I hydrate with plenty of minerals.
Motion That Feels Supportive
Getting sufficient water is necessary, however so is getting sufficient motion. Train can both be a security sign or a stress sign, relying on what our physique wants at a given time.
Once I was deeply burdened, intense exercises made issues worse. My physique craved mild actions, like strolling, swimming, or stretching. Over time, as my nervous system stabilized, I slowly reintroduced energy coaching and resistance workouts. Now you’ll discover me doing sprints on the monitor area.
My mindset has modified so I see motion as one other strategy to assist my physique, not punish it. I intention for normal walks, mobility work, and body-friendly methods of shifting all through the day. There’s a time and a spot for extra intense train, however it may be an excessive amount of after we’re in nervous system overload.
Environmental and Emotional Indicators
Even when we’re consuming nicely and sleeping sufficient, the environment nonetheless sends indicators to our nervous system. Artificial fragrances, harsh cleansing merchandise, artificial clothes, and even litter can all act as refined stressors.
Our internal dialogue issues too. The way in which we speak to ourselves, whether or not with criticism or compassion, has a direct influence on how secure our nervous system feels. I observed that I used to be saying issues like “my physique is attacking itself.”
Once I observed adverse ideas, I requested, Would I say this to my little one or my finest pal? If not, it didn’t belong in my internal world both. As an alternative, I shifted my mindset to say one thing like, “My physique is therapeutic.” These shifts helped me create extra security from inside.
Connection, Pleasure, and the Delicate Indicators
Human connection is one other deeply highly effective security sign. Eye contact, laughter, contact, and presence all inform our our bodies we’re secure and supported.
Pleasure and discovering happiness in even the little issues in life are necessary right here too. Issues like singing, dancing, warm baths, buzzing, stretching, and even simply watching the sundown are all methods to nurture the nervous system. The vagus nerve, which performs an enormous function in parasympathetic activation, responds to those small, joyful acts.
I additionally started to consider how my dwelling setting may really feel extra supportive. I swapped harsh lights for mild ones, eliminated artificial fragrances, and made my bed room a comfortable area that actually felt secure.
Closing Ideas on Security Indicators
A very powerful factor I’ve discovered is that our our bodies are always on our side. They’re continuously working to guard us, even when it doesn’t really feel that approach. After we study to speak with our physique as a substitute of making an attempt to repair or drive it, every thing modifications for the higher.
In the event you’re simply beginning on this path, I might encourage you to decide on one small factor. Get morning daylight. Drink mineral-rich water. Go to mattress half-hour earlier. Eat a protein-rich breakfast. No matter feels manageable and sort to your physique.
It’s not about doing extra, however listening extra to what our physique is telling us.
What are some methods you assist your nervous system well being? Depart a remark and tell us!
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