Our nervous system is a vast and intricate network that extends from our brains and branches out, reaching every corner of our bodies, much like the sprawling roots of a tree. It plays a crucial role in many aspects of our lives, from our reactions to everyday situations, our quality and quantity of sleep, to our social interactions and how we cope with triggers, all dependent on its health and functionality.
Our emotional wellbeing, too, significantly influences our daily experiences. If we consistently harbor resentment, fear, jealousy, and other burdensome emotions, they inevitably impact our overall existence, right down to our cellular health. Unfortunately, the modern world doesn't always lend itself to the nurturing of our nervous system health or emotional healing unless we make a conscious effort to do so.
The world is a busy place. The constant consumption of caffeine and sugar, unending screen time, managing side jobs, and the daily grind can all be taxing on our nervous system. Moreover, factors such as economic instability, pandemics, wars, and various other global disruptions add to the emotional, mental, and physical strain. If you've been feeling more on edge lately, you are far from alone. Stress levels are understandably on an upward trend.
However, we're also witnessing a rise in the awareness of self-health management. We now have more resources than ever to comprehend how our mind, body, and emotions are intricately interconnected, and how the health of our nervous system is integral to our overall wellbeing. Interestingly, exercise emerges as a potent tool for promoting nervous system health, enhancing mood, and fostering positive energy. This article will delve into how various forms of movement can help reset your nervous system, eliminate negativity, and empower you to take charge of your health. Shall we begin?
Why Is Resetting the Nervous System Important?
Before we explore further, let's briefly understand this vital system, its operations, and its significance for our wellbeing.
Our sympathetic system is responsible for our "fight or flight" response, keeping us alert and ready to react to threats, thereby ensuring survival. On the other hand, our parasympathetic system, or "rest and digest" state, enables us to relax fully, rest, form emotional connections with others, and digest food properly.
In a sympathetic state, our bodies perceive danger in the environment, even if we're not consciously aware of it. Consider your daily commute. The stress of ensuring you're not late to work, which provides your necessities, is indeed stressful. While it may not equate to fending off a bear, your body still registers it as a survival situation.
Prolonged dominance of the sympathetic state, characterized by high stress, has been associated with nearly every major disease, including cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, this is a state most of us find ourselves in, with rushed meals while checking work emails, extreme multi-tasking, and keeping busy till bedtime, all of which interfere with the functions of the parasympathetic system.
Finding strategies to promote parasympathetic dominance or balance an excessively sympathetic state is crucial to your wellbeing.
Embrace Movement
Exercise is an incredibly potent tool. We are designed to move, and our bodies function optimally when we are regularly active. When we engage in physical activity, our nervous systems reset, residual toxins (like stress hormones) are eliminated, and the release of feel-good neurotransmitters is stimulated, fostering a more positive outlook.
There are numerous ways to get moving, each offering unique benefits. Let's explore a few:
Dance: Dance is a powerful healing tool, offering both nervous system benefits and emotional healing through expressive movement. Various styles of dance can help process past traumas,experience and heal emotions, relax muscles, breathe more deeply, and stimulate energy flow.
Eastern Movement Arts: Practices like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Yoga provide effective ways for self-expression, shifting perspectives, and moving stagnant negative energy out of the body. They are well-known for calming the nervous system, inducing a parasympathetic state, and stimulating restorative brain wave activity.
Aerobic Exercise: Aerobic activities are superb for cleansing the body of accumulated tension and emotions. Increased blood flow and oxygenation stimulate the release of toxins and promote the secretion of feel-good chemicals in the brain. Regular aerobic exercise results in better sleep, improved mood, and deeper relaxation in daily life, all of which are indicative of an active parasympathetic system.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT): This technique involves tapping the body at specific meridian points while repeating affirmations to help improve mood, relaxation, mindset, and numerous other issues. Though not a traditional form of exercise, the subtle movements in EFT are effective at releasing stored emotion, relieving stress, and releasing practitioners from stagnant negative energy.
Laughter: Another intriguing method of kinetic energy release is through laughter. Much like exercise, laughter can also have a profound impact on our nervous system and emotional wellbeing. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, our body's natural feel-good chemicals, which promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. Moreover, laughter stimulates heart and blood circulation and enhances oxygen intake, mirroring the effects of aerobic exercise. It relaxes the whole body, relieving physical tension and stress, and calms the stress response. It's also thought to shift us toward a parasympathetic, or "rest and digest," state. Laughter has the unique ability to quickly bring balance back to the nervous system and decrease the effects of stress. This is why laughter therapy, a practice that promotes the use of humor to facilitate healing, is becoming increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in health and wellness practices. The act of laughing not only dispels negative energy but also invites more joy and positivity into our lives, making it a potent force for emotional and physical healing.
Crying: Crying, much like laughter, serves as an important emotional outlet. Not only does it provide a way to express deep emotions, but it also carries physiological benefits. Tears produced during emotional crying (as opposed to tears of irritation, like when cutting onions) have been found to contain higher levels of stress hormones and other chemicals, suggesting a potential mechanism for biological release. This is different from basal tears (which lubricate the eye) and reflex tears (which respond to irritants). When we cry emotional tears, we might be literally flushing stressful chemicals out of our systems.
Moreover, crying stimulates the production of oxytocin, a hormone often referred to as the 'love hormone' or 'cuddle hormone'. Oxytocin plays a significant role in social bonding, trust, and mood enhancement. This hormone can also promote relaxation and feelings of well-being, which can help balance the effects of stress hormones in the body. Therefore, crying can be viewed as a self-soothing behavior that, like exercise, laughter, and other methods of releasing kinetic energy, helps reset the nervous system and promote emotional healing. It's an important reminder that expressing our emotions, whether through tears or laughter, is a key component of maintaining emotional health and managing stress.
Exercise is undeniably one of the most beneficial activities for your overall wellbeing. It's simple, mostly free, fun, and boasts incredible benefits, including resetting your nervous system and releasing negative energy. A regular fitness practice will help your body recover from excessive sympathetic nervous system arousal and balance it with the calming, soothing parasympathetic system. Movement also stimulates energy flow and frees you from old patterns, enabling you to thrive. Take control of your nervous system health and embark on your path fitness and greatness!
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