The Nervous Balance

Have you ever experienced your heart racing before an important meeting or felt a profound sense of calm after spending time in nature or with people you love and like? That’s your nervous system at work—the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic branches of your autonomic nervous system significantly influence your experiences of stress and relaxation.

The good news is that we can support our bodies in achieving greater balance. No need for perfection, just progress.

The Sympathetic Nervous System: Your Internal Alarm

The sympathetic nervous system serves as your body’s built-in alarm system, activating when you perceive a threat, whether real or imagined. This response is often referred to as the “fight, flight, freeze or fawn” reaction. So, your heart rate quickens, your breathing speeds up, you breath shallowly, you may sweat, and your muscles tense—an incredible survival mechanism for times of danger. Not so helpful when that is how life is lived at all times. Some, maybe even you...wake up feeling like this.

Your body may struggle to distinguish between a life-threatening emergency and a stressful email or something that is not actually a threat at all. If you find yourself constantly managing deadlines, caregiving, or navigating an unsafe world, your sympathetic system might be overly activated. The same is true if you are navigating poverty, food insecurity, sexism, racism, agism, ableism in the workplace, school or even the grocery store.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System: Your Inner Calm

On the other hand, the Parasympathetic Nervous system acts as your rest-and-digest (also, feed + breed) companion, helping your body return to a state of calm after the alarm has been triggered. When this system is in action, your heart rate decreases, digestion improves, and your body begins to heal and restore itself. If attempt to eat outside of a state of calm, you may find yourself with an upset tummy.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System is the state where healing occurs—where we feel connected, present, and better equipped to think clearly and respond thoughtfully.

The aim isn’t to eliminate the Sympathetic System, as it serves an important purpose. It is crucial to your needs as a person. We want to cultivate flexibility so our bodies can transition between stress and calm as needed. And, that we don't enter into the Sympathetic Nervous System as quickly.

Practical Tools for Nervous System Regulation

How can we help our nervous system regain balance, especially in a world that constantly demands more from us?

Here are some straightforward, evidence-based methods to support regulation:

1. Deep, Slow Breathing: Inhale for four counts, pause, then exhale slowly for six to eight counts to signal safety.

2. Rhythmic Movement: Engage in gentle movements like walking or dancing (even if you are terrible at it) to ease tension.

3. Connection: Interact with trusted individuals or pets to activate the parasympathetic system.

4. Cold Water: Use cold water on your face or wrists to create physical changes that promote calm.

5. Grounding in the Present: Use your senses to identify five things you see, four you touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste to center yourself.

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You’re Not Broken—You’re Wired for Survival

If you find yourself trapped in a cycle of stress or shutdown, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It indicates that your nervous system is functioning —and may simply need some support.

Incorporating small, consistent practices can help your body feel safer and more adaptable in responding to life’s fluctuations. Perfection isn’t the goal; start from where you are, with what you have. Progress over perfection!