For the longest time, I believed well being was about doing extra. More supplements, extra lab exams, extra exercises, and extra routines. I saved spreadsheets and detailed checklists of all the pieces I used to be attempting 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 superb.
However what really modified all the pieces 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 thought of specializing in sending security alerts to my physique, as a substitute of attempting to pressure it into submission.
This mindset shift reworked 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 really turned attainable. In case 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 important modes: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is answerable 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 answerable 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 alerts 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 holding 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 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 additionally extra delicate issues. Below-eating, over-exercising, poor sleep, loneliness, destructive self-talk, and even publicity to blue mild at night time ship stress alerts to our nervous system.
Security alerts, however, are cues that inform the physique it’s okay to relaxation and restore. These embrace issues like nourishing meals, deep sleep, human connection, hydration, daylight, mild motion, and type self-talk.
Once 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 power, digestion, temper, hormones, and even weight.
Rebuilding Security By means of Diet
One of the vital highly effective security alerts 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 attempting to heal my thyroid and lose weight on the identical 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.
Once 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 a substitute of approaching meals from a mindset of restriction or management, I began asking myself, How can I nourish my physique right this moment? That shift alone introduced noticeable enhancements in my power, temper, and sleep.
Sleep as a Security Sign
Everyone knows sleep is essential, however I didn’t notice how a lot my nervous system was affected by inconsistent or inadequate sleep. As a mother to fairly just a few children, I haven’t all the time 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 relating 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 a giant distinction for me. I observed enhancements in my coronary heart fee variability, resting coronary heart fee, 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 saved it darkish and funky with as little noise as attainable. 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 mild at night time, it’s your buddy throughout the daytime. Pure mild is likely one of the strongest however missed 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 stability. 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 just a few quick walks with my weighted vest or sit on a lounge chair to take in the afternoon solar.
In distinction, blue mild publicity at night time tells the physique it’s daytime, which may disrupt sleep and trigger stress. I began utilizing amber and crimson lighting within the evenings and carrying blue light blocking glasses when wanted. I additionally switched to utilizing heat mild 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 mild 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 widespread however typically ignored stress sign. Once we’re even barely dehydrated, our blood thickens, our power drops, and our physique perceives that one thing is fallacious.
However hydration isn’t nearly consuming water. Our our bodies want minerals, like magnesium, potassium, and sodium to ensure that water to really be absorbed and used successfully. I began consuming 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 assist my nervous system, however I discover extra power once I hydrate with plenty of minerals.
Motion That Feels Supportive
Getting sufficient water is essential, 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.
After 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 workout routines. Now you’ll discover me doing sprints on the monitor discipline.
My mindset has modified so I see motion as one other approach to assist my physique, not punish it. I intention for normal walks, mobility work, and body-friendly methods of transferring 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, the environment nonetheless sends alerts to our nervous system. Artificial fragrances, harsh cleansing merchandise, artificial clothes, and even litter can all act as delicate stressors.
Our internal dialogue issues too. The way in which we speak to ourselves, whether or not with criticism or compassion, has a direct affect on how secure our nervous system feels. I observed that I used to be saying issues like “my physique is attacking itself.”
After I observed destructive ideas, I requested, Would I say this to my baby or my greatest buddy? If not, it didn’t belong in my internal 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 Delicate Alerts
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 essential 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 a giant function in parasympathetic activation, responds to those small, joyful acts.
I additionally started to consider how my house 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 Alerts
Crucial factor I’ve realized is that our our bodies are always on our side. They’re always working to guard us, even when it doesn’t really feel that method. Once we study to speak with our physique as a substitute of attempting to repair or pressure it, all the pieces adjustments for the higher.
In case you’re simply beginning on this path, I’d 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 type 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? Go away a remark and tell us!
