Stress Management

Taking control of the autonomic nervous system to chill out

Have you ever experienced cotton mouth before a public speaking event? Indigestion during a stressful week? What about your heart feeling like it’s going to jump out of your chest before an exam?

If you are a typical human, the answer to one (more than likely all) of these is yes.

For whatever reason, we often don’t consider the underlying reasons behind why these reactions – which are very normal – occur.

The answer predominantly lies within our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).

Don’t worry, today’s post isn’t a lecture on complex neurological pathways, but rather recommended strategies to positively impact your day-to-day stress levels.

Quickly though, the ANS consists of two primary branches:

The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) & Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).

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The SNS – known as the “fight or flight” branch – is linked to alertness and arousal.

The PNS – coined the “rest and digest” branch – is linked to calmness and relaxation.

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If that’s the case, you might be thinking that the PNS is “good” and the SNS is “bad”.

Yet, that’s not the case.

Rather, a high functioning ANS is centered around a balance between the two.

For example…

During a heavy weight training session, we want the SNS to dominate so we can have the motivation, drive, and muscular ability to push through a tough workout.

When we get home from the workout and are chilling on the patio, we prefer the PNS to take charge so we can relax, recover, and enjoy the rest of our day.

Again, it’s about balance.

Unfortunately, many of us struggle to achieve this balance because one or the other is overly active… typically the fight-or-flight branch.

This is a major cause of anxiety and high stress.

The word “autonomic” literally means occurring involuntarily, which suggests we don’t have control over our autonomic nervous system and are victims of whatever our body decides to feel at any given moment.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

We can have a huge influence, and I’m about to explain how.

Let’s go.

Purposeful Exposures

First, let’s dive into something that may seem counterintuitive on the surface.

When we aren’t used to being put in stressful situations, our brains often over-react and our SNS signals to our body that we need to be in a high-anxiety state.

However, we can get comfortable in these situations by “purposeful exposures”.

More simply, willingly putting ourselves in conditions that our brain identifies as threatening.

Over time and with practice (and much discomfort), our brain becomes familiar with this bodily state and realizes that it doesn’t have to go into panic mode.

This is because what was thought to be incredibly threatening in the past becomes a normal occurrence.

So… what are some ideas to practice such a thing?

Literally anything that makes you go into a highly stressful state.

Within a certain limit and safe environment, of course.

Here are some ideas: