For the longest time, I believed well being was about doing extra. Extra dietary supplements, extra lab checks, extra exercises, and extra routines. I saved spreadsheets and detailed checklists of every thing I used to be making an attempt to do for my well being. I believed if I simply discovered the proper mixture and toughed it out lengthy sufficient, I’d lastly really feel wonderful.
However what really 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 basically. It was the thought of specializing in sending security alerts to my physique, as a substitute of making an attempt to power it into submission.
This mindset shift reworked the best way I eat, transfer, relaxation, and even suppose. It helped me transfer out of a spot of continual low-level stress and right into a state the place therapeutic really turned doable. When 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 major modes: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is accountable for the struggle, flight, or freeze response. Our physique prompts this response when it senses hazard or a risk. On the flip aspect, the parasympathetic system is accountable for relaxation, digestion, and therapeutic.
Due to trendy life, many people spend nearly all of our lives caught in sympathetic mode. Even when we don’t really feel mentally careworn, our our bodies may nonetheless be receiving alerts that we’re not protected.
I spent over a decade in that place. I didn’t perceive that my fixed doing, even the “wholesome” stuff, was maintaining me caught and my physique nonetheless didn’t really feel protected sufficient to shift into therapeutic mode. That’s the place the idea of security alerts versus stress alerts is available in.
What Are Security and Stress Alerts?
Stress alerts 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 delicate issues. Below-eating, over-exercising, poor sleep, loneliness, detrimental self-talk, and even publicity to blue gentle at night time ship stress alerts to our nervous system.
Security alerts, 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, light motion, and sort self-talk.
After we deal with sending extra security alerts, the nervous system can lastly loosen up. And as soon as it does, so many issues begin to enhance, like our vitality, digestion, temper, hormones, and even weight.
Rebuilding Security Via Diet
One of the vital highly effective security alerts we will ship to our physique is thru meals. For a very long time, I used to be under-eating, particularly after I was making an attempt to heal my thyroid and drop a few pounds 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 after I began consuming sufficient, particularly specializing in protein, micronutrients, and minerals. I started to prioritize my first meal of the day, ensuring it was full of 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 a substitute of approaching meals from a mindset of restriction or management, I began asking myself, How can I nourish my physique in the present day? That shift alone introduced noticeable enhancements in my vitality, temper, and sleep.
Sleep as a Security Sign
Everyone knows sleep is vital, however I didn’t understand how a lot my nervous system was affected by inconsistent or inadequate sleep. As a mother to fairly just a few youngsters, I haven’t at all times been capable of 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 with regards to 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 seen enhancements in my coronary heart charge variability, resting coronary heart charge, and general sense of calm. This may be troublesome 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 shopping social media after the children went to mattress!
Creating a peaceful sleep surroundings helped too. I turned my bed room right into a sleep oasis and saved it darkish and funky with as little noise as doable. I decreased blue gentle publicity within the night and located that my physique began to naturally unwind and fall into deeper sleep.
Mild and Circadian Rhythms
Whereas I keep away from blue gentle at night time, it’s your pal throughout the daytime. Pure gentle is likely one of the strongest however missed instruments for supporting the nervous system.
Getting daylight within 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 a minimum of 10 minutes of morning daylight inside half-hour of waking, typically barefoot so I additionally get grounding advantages. Then I’ll take just a few brief 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 crimson lighting within the evenings and carrying blue gentle 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 Stability
Dehydration is one other widespread however typically ignored stress sign. After we’re even barely dehydrated, our blood thickens, our vitality drops, and our physique perceives that one thing is unsuitable.
However hydration isn’t nearly ingesting water. Our our bodies want minerals, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium to ensure that water to truly be absorbed and used successfully. I began ingesting mineral water within the morning, typically exterior 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 help my nervous system, however I discover extra vitality after I hydrate with loads of minerals.
Motion That Feels Supportive
Getting sufficient water is vital, 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 careworn, intense exercises made issues worse. My physique craved light actions, like strolling, swimming, or stretching. Over time, as my nervous system stabilized, I slowly reintroduced energy coaching and resistance workout routines. Now you’ll discover me doing sprints on the observe discipline.
My mindset has modified so I see motion as one other method to help my physique, not punish it. I goal 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 once we’re in nervous system overload.
Environmental and Emotional Alerts
Even when we’re consuming effectively and sleeping sufficient, our surroundings nonetheless sends alerts to our nervous system. Artificial fragrances, harsh cleansing merchandise, artificial clothes, and even muddle can all act as delicate stressors.
Our inside dialogue issues too. The best way we communicate to ourselves, whether or not with criticism or compassion, has a direct affect on how protected our nervous system feels. I seen that I used to be saying issues like “my physique is attacking itself.”
Once I seen detrimental ideas, I requested, Would I say this to my baby or my finest pal? If not, it didn’t belong in my inside world both. As a substitute, 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 Refined Alerts
Human connection is one other deeply highly effective security sign. Eye contact, laughter, contact, and presence all inform our our bodies we’re protected and supported.
Pleasure and discovering happiness in even the little issues in life are vital right here too. Issues like singing, dancing, heat 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 house surroundings might really feel extra supportive. I swapped harsh lights for light ones, eliminated artificial fragrances, and made my bed room a comfortable area that really felt protected.
Closing Ideas on Security Alerts
A very powerful factor I’ve realized is that our our bodies are at all times on our aspect. They’re continually working to guard us, even when it doesn’t really feel that means. After we be taught to speak with our physique as a substitute of making an attempt to repair or power it, every thing modifications for the higher.
When 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 help your nervous system well being? Go away a remark and tell us!
