Leisure is Softening into the Autonomic Nervous System

Trauma can take up residence in the body due to specific events like a broken leg or auto accident, or, it can result from the repetitive strain and scurry of modern life. I am not defining your trauma. I use the term trauma as short-hand for fascial and muscular tension that becomes stuck due to an overactive sympathetic nervous system. The flight, fight or freeze response can be triggered by emotions, thoughts and events. When the sympathetic nervous system is over-functioning, it holds the body is a state of prolonged tension.

Do you feel like you are rushed off your feet or like you don't respond the way you want to in stressful situations? You know better and want to respond calmly but you are so easily caught off center. If you often feel overwhelmed by stress or anger, you may be unconsciously holding a trauma pattern. The patterns can include localized tightness in the body; calves, thighs, hips, fists, neck, jaw and shoulders; poor digestion, constrained breathing or tightness in the chest; rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, excessive sweating and even frequent urination. All the functions of your sympathetic nervous system can become stuck in active mode. The longer this continues, the less likely it becomes that your body will spontaneously deactivate these patterns. That is where the tools presented below enter center stage.

The Trauma Response can Become Normalized

Here is an important shift in perspective. Repetitive, unhelpful thoughts, poor impulse control and anxiety are often symptoms of an overactive sympathetic nervous system. Think about that for a minute. When your body is in protective mode, your brain is literally starving for oxygen and nutrients (blood). So are your lungs and other muscles. Your heart is working overtime and the rest of your body is shunting all unnecessary (in the moment) processes.

To make matters worse, those of us with these patterns quickly become inured and adapted to them. These signs that our body is slightly off keep showing up day in and day out, night in and night out. We don't stop noticing but we begin to accept them as normal. Cognitive function decreases, and you can't recall anything you don't write down. We accept that we all lose our memories as we get older or we blame it on hormones. Movements become restricted in our bodies. There is no elasticity in certain directions, only discomfort. We accept this as aging. We wake at all hours of the night, to urinate, but especially around three am because our liver is struggling. The liver is important for regulating mood and emotions so its strain shows up as both irritability and nighttime wake-up calls. We assume we are just under pressure or 'stressed' from work but then wonder why we still snap at our children while on vacation.

We shrug and keep going because we don't know how to stop or how to heal. We continue working out, stretching, socializing and drinking alcohol (ouch! -your liver) and caffeinated beverages (more vasoconstriction! -not yay!). We buzz and bump along always running down an endless maze of appointments and events, and we aren't even control of our own bodies or actions. At some point, it becomes too much. Again, we know we need to change but don't know how.

A Personal Story

I've had my shield up for over twenty years of my life. That is even a long time for a hoplite. I always felt strain or more accurately, strains. Everything outlined above is from my personal experience. I went to a Rolfer (basically a heavy-handed massage therapist) for body work. She said, "I've rebuilt your alignment from the ground up and then you keep going back (to your old pattern, I suppose)." I tried chiropractic care, and this made me feel better immediately but it never lasted more than a few days. The problem was not my bones. I tried physical therapy because I thought the problem might have originated with a high-school soccer injury but, the problem was not my strength, conditioning, coordination or agility. I went to a Therapist with the sole intention of being able to control my physiology while triggered or under stress. The problem was not structural or behavioural. It was not even emotional. It was an internal problem, not an external one.

De patterning this trauma in my body happened quite by accident. I was browsing at Black & Red, my local second-hand book store when I stumbled across a simple exercise that helped me tremendously. Before you stop reading, this isn't an ancient secret text and I am not going to charge you money before I share it with you so hang in there. If I do share the title of the book, I may earn a commission if you click or buy from that link.

Before we go further, I must inform my readers that I am not a doctor and I am only sharing activities in which I have engaged that have assisted me in attaining a peaceful nervous system. If you choose to follow these instructions, you do so at your own risk and are aware that your individual results may vary.

However, I want to share the exercise first because I found it unspeakably helpful. I snapped a photo of the instructions at the book store and tried it at home that afternoon. To be honest, I took the photo thinking it might help a friend who has very high levels of neuroticism and anxiety. This completely unmemorable occasion was the beginning of releasing more than half a lifetime of stuck trauma.

The First Practice

• You will need five minutes alone in a quiet room

• Lay down on the floor with your knees bent so your feet are flat on the ground

• Rest your hands on your abdomen

• Take a breath, counting four for the inhale and six for the exhale through pursed lips

• Take your hands behind your head and cradle the base of your skull, where it meets your spine, with your fingers interlaced and thumbs pointing down towards your shoulders

• Move your eyes to look as far to the left as possible and keep them there while you count to twenty

  • You may yawn or sigh or nothing may happen at all and that is OK

• Move your eyes to look straight up at the ceiling

• Move your eyes to look as far to the right as possible and keep them there while you count to twenty

  • You may yawn or sigh or nothing may happen at all and that is OK

• Move your eyes back to the center

• That's it!

You may start to yawn or sigh but not really be able to get deeply into it. Don't be a try-hard. Allow your body's response to just happen. Even half a sigh or yawn is a great sign that your nervous system is starting to relax. It will take time and repetition for the body to soften into to this new state of being. The absolute worst thing you can do is rush or force this process. That is the exact opposite of softening so take your time. Practicing for a few minutes every day is much better than doing it three times daily once weekly.

The magic is that these body-based movements signal safety to the brain, allowing the brain to activate the autonomic nervous system, including the parasympathetic nervous system which shuts down the processes of the sympathetic nervous system. This allows you to rest and digest but also to breathe easily, release tension, slow your heartbeat and process events and emotions.

Our nervous systems are overexposed to noise, light and sound pollution that underly all other stressors like current events (news), and pressing events (work) and then there are the interactions, some of which can be unpleasant and challenging to handle. Ideally your breath will transport you back to center but if not, steal a few moments of privacy and perform this routine to regain your cool. link--Here are a few words to help you out --/link. You do not need to be laying down but it helps initially. Once you have mastered the moves, you can perform them standing, sitting or laying down.

The Second Practice

The second exercise is, of course, more involved but it is really a treasure. You will always need to be seated for this, initially cross-legged on the floor but you could possibly, eventually perform while seated in a chair. I will leave the coordination and execution of that maneouver up to you. The second practice puts your body into a very twisted and vulnerable physical position. Your brain will register that it is still safe. This is what helps you drop your guard and relax.

• You will need five minutes alone in a quiet room

• Sit cross-legged on the floor

• Turn your torso to the left, using your right arm on the outside of left thigh for leverage

• Rest your left hand on the floor behind you and allow it to support you

• Turn your head to look over your right shoulder

• Move your eyes to look out of the far-right corners of your eyes

•  Keep looking left while you count to twenty

  • You may yawn or sigh or nothing may happen at all and that is OK

• Release everything and return to center

• Turn your torso to the right, using your left arm on the outside of right thigh for leverage

• Rest your right hand on the floor behind you and allow it to support you

• Turn your head to look over your left shoulder

• Move your eyes to look out of the far-right corners of your eyes

• Keep looking right while you count to twenty

  • You may yawn or sigh or nothing may happen at all and that is OK

• Release everything and return to center

• Remain here with your arms in your lap and take three deep breaths

• That's it!

You may feel slightly dizzy or light headed and that is ok. Of course, it isn't because your forgot to breath! This sensation is proprioception firing as you map out the parameters of your new, safe environment. There may also be a rush of oxygen in the body that surges your awareness.