In this blog post we are continuing to explore what it means to regulate your nervous system for success, peace, love and happiness:)

Let’s quickly recap the 5 benefits of regulating your nervous system and dive into the 3 steps process/dance that goes into that fascinating self-discovery journey:

When our bodies feel safe(r), we are much more capable to:

Have a supportive and encouraging self-talk in our minds
Notice new possibilities and all the ways that the current situation can turn out to be good
Choose what to focus on first to solve instead of being paralyzed by too many options
Notice the worst case scenarios as thoughts (instead of seeing them as inevitability)
Creatively problem solve

Let’s dig in!

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Steps To Regulating the Nervous System (NS)
Navigating the NS States
The Influence of NS State on Self-TalL

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A quick refresher on the 3 states our nervous system moves through in the image below.

The Autonomic Ladder of Nervous System States

Steps to Regulating the Nervous System

Embarking on the path to regulating the nervous system involves a series of deliberate steps. These steps are encapsulated in my favorite nervous system quote of all times:

“With Awareness Comes Understanding And With Understanding Comes Choice”
Deb Dana, “Anchored”

So yes, It's a three-phase process—awareness, understanding, and choice—each step building upon the other to create a foundation for a regulated and empowered life.

Let’s break them down:

Step 0 Educate Yourself - which you just did!

In the previous 2 sections you learnt about what to look for, the three states that your nervous system moves through the day.

But wait!

Just learning the theory about the states is not enough to be able to identify them so in the next section of this blog, we will look at some self-reflection practices you can do (with prompts) to really FEEL INTO those 3 states.

After you have a beginning understanding of your states, applying this knowledge into practice begins by you developing AWARENESS of how you move between those states.

Step 1: Cultivate Awareness

The journey of applying the knowledge you are developing of your nervous system begins with cultivating awareness. This involves attuning yourself to the subtle shifts in your nervous system, recognizing the ebb and flow between states.

As you navigate the landscape within, you will observe how external factors and internal narratives influence your physiological and emotional states. This heightened awareness forms the cornerstone of nervous system regulation.

To dive deeper into this step, we need a separate blog post.

That is also true for the steps following after this one. For now, let’s just grasp the full arc of this journey.

Stay tuned! (sign up for my newsletter if you have not yet, to get updates about my future blog posts where we will explore it all in detail).

Step 2: Foster Understanding

With awareness comes understanding that develops gradually as you observe yourself and begin to note what needs to be present for your nervous system to have the best time doing its job, aka optimally functioning.

At this stage you begin to understand the stories you tell yourself and how they impact your mindset. You learn to recognize the early signs of physiological dysregulation and the body's call for attention.

This phase of understanding lays the groundwork for informed and intentional choices.

Step 3: Make Conscious Choices

Armed with awareness and understanding, it's time to make conscious choices.

At this stage:

- You can choose inner narratives that uplift and empower.
- You can prioritize your physiological well-being, listening to the signals your body provides.
- You can opt for actions and practices that align with your optimal sweet spot.

This phase is about actively engaging with your nervous system, making choices that lead to a more regulated, balanced, and successful life.

After a while these 3 steps: awareness, understanding, and choice become ingrained in how you live and thrive!

The first step to incorporating them into your daily routine is to explore the self-reflection practice below to familiarize yourself with your personal map of nervous system states:

Navigating the Nervous System States

Understanding how we transition between these states is essential for emotional regulation and resilience. Many factors influence this process, including individual histories, environment, and perception.

Navigating our autonomic nervous system states begins with…and you already know it…self-awareness of course!

In this particular case, self-awareness means learning to identify your physiological cues, such as heart rate, muscle tension, and breathing patterns, among others, to understand your emotional state.

Those characteristics comprise all the three autonomic states or landscapes that you can begin to familiarize yourself with in the following practice.

Autonomic “Landscapes”

This practice will guide you through exploring your dorsal vagal, sympathetic, and ventral vagal "landscapes." By becoming aware of how these states change for you, you can better regulate your energy and thrive in your entrepreneurial journey.

Materials Needed:

A quiet, comfortable space.
Pen and journal (optional).
Instructions:

Preparation: Find a quiet space where you won't be disturbed. Sit or lie down comfortably. Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so.
Grounding: Begin by taking a few deep, slow breaths. Focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body. Feel yourself grounding into the present moment.
(a quick note: focusing on the sensations of one’s breathing tends to bring regulating energy to most people, but not for all. If focusing on your breathing is dysregulating for you, focus on the sensations of your body or play some gentle music that can be a soothing and serve as a anchor in the present for you)

Next, intentionally bring to mind a situation or memory that makes you feel safe, loved, or connected. This will help you access your ventral vagal state.

Experiment until you find your way to anchor in regulation. Notice how it expresses itself in your body, perhaps through the feelings of well-being, warmth, or relaxation? Your heart rate may slow, and you might feel a sense of calm.

Take a moment to savor this state.
Jot down your experience.

The prompts to help you guide this exploration:

1. What brings me a sense of safety, love, or connection?

2. Can I recall a time when I felt deeply relaxed and at ease?

3. How does my body respond when I focus on these thoughts or memories? Does my breath, my heart beat change to reflect this sense of calm?

4. Are there feelings of warmth, relaxation, or well-being in my body? What are my feelings that tell me that I am feeling safe?

5. What emotions emerge as I connect with this state?

Next you can explore the everyday experiences of the dorsal and sympathetic states where those states are supporting our health and well-being (as opposed to when they are in their survival roles).

Dorsal Vagal:

Start with exploring the dorsal vagal system that is responsible for digestion and that allows us to slow down and shift gears into a more relaxed state at the end of a busy day.

The dorsal vagal energy also can help us to take a break between our tasks where we can replenish our energy levels even just by taking a couple of breaths. It has a slow and steady beat to it.

You can bring to mind a situation or memory where you were resting, digesting, pausing, being present, still, by yourself or softening in the arms of a loved one.

What images, colors, words, energy do you notice when you are in this landscape when your dorsal vagal system is doing its job while you are still anchored in the sense of safety?

Sympathetic:

Then you can move to exploring the landscape of your sympathetic system, not in its fight and flight response, but in the safe but still mobilizing energy that supports your heart and breath rhythms, regulates temperature, and brings movement to all parts of your body.

What is it like for you to be here? Activated but safely activated?

You can take a moment and notice the ways energy here is similar to or different from the dorsal vagal landscape.

End this exploration by returning back to where you started this practice in the safety of a ventral vagal state.

In the previous practice you started exploring your ventral landscape so that in this exercise here you can stay connected to your safe/ventral landscape while you are getting familiar with your survival landscapes, so that you do not get pulled into survival states.

Take a moment and bring those centering sensations, thoughts and feelings to mind again to re-establish your connection to your regulated state.

If you have not done it already, you can write down a few words about it that you can read later to help come back to that state. Alternatively, as you are connecting with memories of safety, you can take an imaginary token from the land of safety to bring with you.

For example, if your safe place is the beach, you can imagine bringing a (imaginary) rock with you to hold in your hand to evoke the sensations of comfort and security while you are exploring your autonomic states.

And as you continue to stay connected to the sense of safety and regulation, begin your exploration.

Take a gentle dip into a moment when you felt disconnected from the world/yourself.

The time when you felt hopeless, or maybe numb, empty. Notice how this state of dorsal vagal is different from its nonreactive, everyday counterpart. Without judgment, simply observe these sensations.

You might notice feelings of numbness, disconnection, or sadness. This is how this particular state offers its protection through disconnection and collapse.

If you feel like you are being pulled into those feelings too deeply, shift your attention to what you have brought with you to stay connected to the safety and regulation of your ventral state.

The prompts to help you guide this exploration:

1. Can I recall a time when I felt disconnected or distant from others? How did my body respond then?

2. What physical sensations am I experiencing right now?

3. Are there any areas of my body that feel tense or contracted?

4. What emotions or feelings arise as I tune into these sensations?

5. How does my breath feel in this state? Shallow, slow, or irregular?

Write down any insights or sensations in your journal.

Now, gradually shift your focus to any sensations that indicate a heightened state of arousal.

Bring to your mind a time when you were feeling anxious or maybe irritated, rushed, and take a small step into that state (if necessary, refresh your connection to your ventral vagal anchor/token before proceeding).

In this activated state, you might notice muscle tension, a racing heart, or a sense of restlessness, etc. Acknowledge these sensations without judgment. Note if your mind feels alert or overly vigilant.

The prompts to help you guide this exploration:

1. Can I recall a time when I felt very activated, maybe even stressed or fearful?

2. What physical sensations are indicating a heightened state of arousal in my body?

3.. How has my breath changed in response to this activation? Is it faster or more shallow?

4. Do I feel any muscle tension, a racing heart, or restlessness?

5. Are there racing thoughts or a sense of vigilance in my mind?

To complete this practice, come back to where you began which is in the landscape of ventral vagal safety and connection.

The Influence of NS State on Self-Talk/Beliefs

Do you know this saying that gets thrown around a lot (out of the best intentions of course)?

“You do not have to believe everything you think.”

It is great advice indeed, especially for a panicky mind that grabs on to every worst case scenario that is conjuring up. But of course, it is easier said than done, right? Especially if you are in an activated/hypervigilant or dissociated state.

And why is that? It is because our physiological state influences so much how we interpret our reality and depending where we are on the autonomic ladder, our physiology can make it easier or harder for us to be able to access rational thought.

There is a mechanism that is part and parcel of our nervous system that is always scanning our environments, inner and outer, for the signs of danger/threat/something to be concerned about?

It is an unconscious process that is happening in the background at all times called “neuroception”. Its assessments of the situation are influencing our thoughts whether we are aware of it or not.

If we can bring awareness to the process of neuroception and see how it influences our thinking, we can choose how to respond better to the narratives we create in our minds better and create happier more productive moods!

Check out Part 3 of this Blog post to read about:

The influence of the nervous system on self-talk and beliefs through the concept of neuroception
How you can find your person The Ventral Vagal State/Optimal Functioning/Sweet Spot, representing safety, connection, and emotional well-being

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