13 Ways to Regulate and Restore your Nervous System 🧠

From fight or flight to rest and restore | easy tools to regenerate the mind, body and soul [View this email in your browser]( For those of you who find relaxation a hard place to be, and work way beyond 40 hours a week at your job, along with caretaking your children, or house duties, or fighting with your spouse, or listening to friends or family member’s problems, or whatever else that might keep you ON... today we are reviewing the nervous system and why it’s essential to support yours. Along with key techniques to get un-stuck from “fight or flight” mode, or what many call “sympathetic dominant”, into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state. I know it's not easy. Stress is addictive. Well actually, the hormones of stress are addictive. And although the hormones of stress, like cortisol, have an ultra critical function to our survival, like alerting us that we're in danger, or giving us enough energy to tackle the never-ending to-do list... it is of vital importance that we replace the siren blast of cortisol with regenerative practices that help us stay calm and well. Before we dive in, let's take a look at how the nervous system works. Your nervous system is connected with every single part of your physical body. And many mystics even said it’s the bridge that connects to our soul. The human body has two nervous systems; the voluntary nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The Voluntary Nervous System Our voluntary (or somatic) nervous system is part of the peripheral nervous system which handles bodily movements. The peripheral nervous system connects the brain to motor neurons which control our muscles, glands, and sensory neurons, which are the nerve cells within the nervous system responsible for converting external stimuli from the individual’s environment into internal electrical impulses. The good news is that because this branch of the nervous system is voluntary, we have control of it and we can use it when we want and rest when we want. A good example is using your arm to wave hello. The Autonomic Nervous System While the autonomic nervous system is voluntary, the autonomic nervous system is involuntary, meaning we do not have conscious control of this system—it will happen without us thinking about it. The autonomic nervous system regulates the function of our internal organs, such as our stomach, lungs, and heart. Essentially, it keeps the show running without us having to do anything, even while we are sleeping. Within the autonomic nervous system, there are two branches: 1. the sympathetic nervous system (arousing) (fight-or-flight) 2. the parasympathetic nervous system (calming) (rest-digest-heal). The sympathetic nervous system provides the body with energy, stimulation, and fuel to take flight from danger. The parasympathetic nervous system is all about relaxation, which is essential for healing, digestion and restoration. image from @professordaveexplains Sympathetic Nervous System When there is a stressor or trigger, our body senses the ‘danger’, moving into a fight-or-flight response. With this reaction, our adrenal glands are activated, which stimulates the breakdown of the hormone cortisol. Our breath begins to race, our pupils dilate, our heart rate increases, we tense up… prepping us to take flight (or fight) in order to survive, defend, ACT, or freezes from shock. Parasympathetic Nervous System The parasympathetic nervous system is what kicks into gear during downtime, or at least what should kick into gear. This is the natural state our body should be living in when not in state of emergency or danger. Within this state, our heart rate slows down, our breath is calm, our digestion is fluid, and hormones are balanced. All healing takes place within the parasympathetic state; in this state of systemic relaxation our body regulates, restores, detoxifies, regenerates. Signs that we are in a state of “fight-or-flight”: - Tired (but wired), - Not sleeping through the night - Wide awake at peak hours (1-4am) - Digestive issues (excessive bloating, constipation, etc.) - Elevated blood sugar levels - Feeling unable to calm down, or slow down, mentally or physically Our 21-st-century lifestyles have set us up to be sympathetic dominant. BUT! With some basic consciousness around it, practices and positive lifestyle choices, we can easily support our body back into homeostasis. While both branches are working simultaneously, there is always one that is particularly activated. We can become sympathetic dominant by working too hard, receiving toon much stimulation from phones, over-exercising or just being mentally stressed in general (excessive worrying, anger, etc.) Parasympathetic dominant, although rare!, doesn’t mean that you are just in a state of meditation all day long. Some telltale signs are how you feel after a good workout or a massage. Those moments where you feel at ease, blissful, aches and pains lowered (or totally dissolved) and you can think more clearly. Here are 13 effective practices you can do now to make sure your nervous system is regulated and thriving Lets start with some of the lesser-known ones 1. Cleanse your Bowls Deep rotted inflammation is often lodged in some way in the gastrointestinal system. It’s important that we keep the ecology of our gut cleansed, in order for essential biological processes to happen and flourish. Once energy remains stuck, inflammation easily builds up, oftentimes triggering anxiety that can look like inflammatory bowls, or even affecting our ability to relax and decompress. Try consuming liquids, soups or broths often to cleanse easily, and processed foods (like commercial oil, sugar, etc – read “cleanse you liver “ blog for more info) 2. Nerve Tonics + Trosphorestoratives For the seasoned herbalists you know exactly what I’m talking about! These categories of plants are highly nutritive, and do much more than just provide essential nutrients. In herbal medicine, Milky oats (Avena sativa) for example, is considered a nervous system trophorestorative. In basic terms it acts as a super tonic and works to restore and rejuvenate the nervous system. Others trosphorestoratives that deeply nourish and help with deficiency are Nettle seed, Milk thistle, Golden seal and more. [You can find our house tea here with milky oats here.]( 3. Nervines + Adaptogens Many nervines are nerve tonics but not all. All nervines act therapeutically upon the nerves, which nourished and sustains the functions of the central nervous system. And some herbs like [Ashwagandha]( are both a nervine, and an adaptogen. [Adaptogens]( on the other hand, greatly protect us from multiple stressors by modulating our stress response during times of stress. Adaptogens greatly protect from oxidative damage and are very supportive to the adrenal, nervous system and endocrine system as a whole. 4. Good Fats Fat helps create a healthy brain and nerve tissue. In fact, fat is the main ingredient in the insulation of nerves and a large component of the myelin sheath that coats the neurons, which grants us increased cognition, ability to think and move. And, fat is fuel! Dietary fats are needed for the absorption (and digestion!) of Vitamins A, D, E and K. 5. Cold Showers Cold water stimulates our immune system and activates our vagus nerve. This is the largest nerve in our autonomic nervous system and the nerve that connects the brain and digestive tract. Think of it as the communication highway between your brain and gut. The vagus nerve regulates our heart rate and our digestive system AND how each function.*If the vagus nerve is not working optimally, it can lead to slowed motility in the gut, weight gain, anxiety, high-stress, and nutrient deficiencies. This makes it easy to understand the long-term digestive effects of stress, including irritable bowel syndrome(IBS), colitis, and SIBO. [CONTINUE READING ON THE BLOG (for 8 more ways)]( ADAPTOGENS & NERVINES We are big lovers of relaxing and restorative medicines such as our [Dream Tea]( and [Calm Tea]( both composed of adaptogens and nerviness. We also have a plethora of herbs and [adaptogenic]( mushrooms that are immensely helpful in curbing the damaging effects of stress longterm. Our [Qi Energy]( powder is a nutrient dense energy powder that's energizing and grounding (composed of ashwagandha, burdock, maca, slippery elm and more!) Last but not least, a very dear nervous system relaxant and ceremonial companion, [Blue Lotus]( Like a mycelium network, let's connect! For recipes and magic follow [@ANIMAMUNDIHERBALS]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Website]( Copyright Anima Mundi Herbals © 2022 All rights reserved. Our NYC Store address is: 31 Noble street Brooklyn NY 11222 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.