nervous system regulation and health: why should I care? expand your capacity for life
Sara Vatore
We are high functioning people. We have businesses, families, homes, jobs, meals to cook, laundry to do, self care to build in. There is a lot of everyday stress that we live in that keeps our bodies and "systems" in an overactive state.
From a very early age we are taught to override our body's needs. This is a pattern that has developed over time reinforced daily by society, our family systems, religion, and community of origin.
NOW, as adults we are overriding the messages from our bodies in order to keep functioning and living. Oh, I will just write one more email. I don't have time for lunch today. I can stay up for another hour so I can have alone time.
This impacts our nervous system.
We want our nervous system and body to be running as efficiently and effectively in order to be living a FULL life with EASE.
When we do not care for this system, things BREAK DOWN.
DYSREGULATION
Maybe it is the nature of how we are living.
From dropping the kids off at school, to working, to food shopping, cooking, picking the kids up, schelping them where they need to go, picking them up again, getting lunches ready, organizing, trying to squeeze in a shower, attempting to find energy to put into connecting with our partners, we orient as a culture towards trying to get things done and pushing it.
Phew.
This impacts our nervous system.
From running a successful business or going back to school or making a career change. Schedules. Self Care. Work. Partnership. Friends. Creative Projects. Self Awareness expansion. Spiritual development. Healing work. OVERLOAD.
This impacts our nervous system.
Maybe it is our patterns. Perfectionist. Doer. Super Performer. Overachiever. Resistance. Fear. Anxiety. Stress. Struggle. Shut down. Disconnect.
This impacts our nervous system.
Maybe we are doing our own work and rapidly expanding our consciousness, really stepping out in big ways personally and professionally. Embodying power and connecting deeply to our truth.
This impacts our nervous system.
When we push too much, override and ignore for long enough, our systems become DYSREGULATED.
DYSREGULATION can look like:
Pain.
Illness.
Fear.
Resistance.
Difficulties releasing old patterns.
Fatigue.
Stress.
Confusion.
Lack of confidence.
Sleep disturbances.
Overriding.
Disconnection.
Shutdown.
Getting sick frequently
Trouble grounding or settling.
Digestion issues.
Challenges processing or sitting with emotions.
Stuck "ON ALERT"
This further impacts our nervous system and perpetuates the inefficiency
Any of these sound familiar?
They certainly hit close to home for me. I have experienced them all for most of my lifetime!
I learned that it doesn't have to be this way and exactly HOW to make the shifts that stick.
REGULATION = CRITICAL for THRIVING
REGULATION= OPTIMAL EFFICIENCY
REGULATION means...I can get stressed out, frustrated, sad, angry, excited, and I can then come out of the physiological response of those states.
WHY is that important? Stay with me for a moment:
When we are stressed, our bodies and systems are working in OVERDRIVE to produce the important survival chemicals.
As mammals these chemicals and responses are SUPER IMPORTANT.
However, we are not designed to LIVE, let alone THRIVE when our system is continuously pumping adrenaline and cortisol.
It is NOT good for our bodies and over time things BREAK DOWN and SHUT DOWN.
In my case, I started getting autoimmune diagnosis and other signals that my body was breaking down, which I was very good at ignoring. Kienbock's Disease, Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, Vulvodynia, Degenerative Disc Disease.
How many more ways could my body communicate to me that something was wrong?
Along the way, even looking back as a kid, my immune system was shot. I was SICK all the time. Weird diagnoses: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Viral Meningitis, I had allergies up the wazoo, Lyme Disease, weird OB stuff, the list continues.
Those were signs my system was not running efficiently.
Pain, discomfort, illness,and emotions are all ways that our body and system communicate that something is needing attention.
We learn to OVERRIDE these messages which cause further DIS-EASE in the body.
GOOD NEWS: IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SO HARD.
In fact, there are things you can do to support the resiliency and capacity of your body to function at the highest level possible!
When we support the health of our NERVOUS SYSTEM EVERYTHING else can function optimally.
When I am REGULATED:
I have energy.
My sleep is restorative.
I process and feel my emotions without being overwhelmed.
I know and hear my limits.
I am connected to my body.
I know my wants, desires and needs.
I can vocalize my truth.
I am comfortable with confusion.
I can rewire old patterns with ease.
I have choice.
I am hydrated and nourished.
I have optimal digestion.
I have a new orientation to pain and discomfort.
I negotiate stress.
I am productive
I am in FLOW.
I feel PLEASURE and JOY
I set boundaries
This is NERVOUS SYSTEM HEALTH AND REGULATION.
Live the life you want with EASE even within the FULLNESS or CHAOS.
So, what now?
Real lasting CHANGE starts with building AWARENESS and having the EDUCATION.
Awareness of your nervous system and connective tissue system and how they operate, supporting, stabilizing and protecting you.
Awareness of what you can do to support these systems to function optimally, so you can live pain free, rewire old patterns, understand your fear, blocks and resistance, and ....
STRENGTHEN your CAPACITY to THRIVE.
Our body is not designed to keep going and pushing through. If we override the messages enough, we can get our body to keep going, but over time things break down.
Learn to INTERRUPT the OVERRIDE and REGULATE your system for optimum health and healing.
If this is interesting to you, or you are called to learn more, reach out with an email and we can set up a consultation. If you feel like you have tried everything for your health and healing and can't seem to crack the code, connect with me!
As a Somatic Coach I work with individuals to support the REGULATION of their nervous systems and help people expand their capacity to LIVE LIFE FULLY with health and ease.