As we are triggered by uncertainty and events outside of our control, it is more important than ever to bring your body back to calm and Balance over and over again. This menu of ideas, shares easy ways to stimulate your body to move into calm. Each activity is shown to stimulate your vagus nerve, the main communication channel for peace and calm in your body.
Some health care professionals are saying that working with the Vagus nerve is key to your health.
The Vagus nerve is a key part of the Parasympathetic Nervous System: that system that leads to rest and digest, or calming in our bodies. Its job is to dampen down the stress response.
The Vagus Nerve is the 10th cranial nerve (also called the Wandering Nerve) extends from the head, right through the body, to all the major organs. It controls many of our bodies physiological functions, including our heart activity, respiration, and digestive activity.
A few interesting facts about the vagus nerve:
- 80 % of the communication in the vagus nerve travels up to the head, not the other way round
- The Vagus nerve system has a number of different parts to it – it is not all one functional part.
- it oversees a vast range of crucial functions, communicating motor and sensory impulses to every organ in your body
- It is involved in moderating the inflammatory response
- It appears to be involved in your ability to create memories
- It works closely with the heart and with breathing
- It is one of the key ways your gut and heart communicate with your head.
The attached ‘Creating Calm’ menu Is a smorgasbord of options for hacking into the Vagus Nerve and creating calm in your body. We recommend that you select an activity and do it four times a day for a week, and see what impact it has. If after a day or so, you are not enjoying the activity, just swap to a different option.
While habit formation is said to be anything from 7 to 90 days, we know that it is takes persistent effort to really change how your body responds to stress. So, whether you want to feel calm for right now, or create new habits of doing calm in life generally, It will require a commitment from you to take action. And why wouldn’t you? These activities are fun, easy, effective and you can do them with family to share the benefits.
