Modern life moves fast and demands we keep up. This keeps our minds in an overactive state, constantly thinking about the past and worrying about the future instead of residing in the present moment. We work so hard, yet end up feeling like a hamster in a wheel, just running in circles and not getting to where we want in life. Why is this happening?
You are standing in your own way
To understand how, we need to learn a bit about our autonomic nervous system, which consists of two parts: Your sympathetic nervous system is responsible for your body’s “fight-or-flight” response. This system’s activity increases when you’re stressed or in danger. Your parasympathetic nervous system is the “rest-and-digest” part of your brain, responsible for relaxing your body after periods of stress or danger.
Fight-or-flight mode is helpful when you’re being chased by a bear or fleeing a burning building. But these days, many of us are in a mental fight-or-flight mode even when our survival is not in question— think major work deadlines, upsetting news headlines, financial woes, arguments with your partner and more.
The nervous system becomes trapped in this fight-or-flight mode and is unable to access relaxing and problem-solving parts of our brain. Even when we become aware that this is happening, it is hard to break this cycle, as our sympathetic nervous system is continually anticipating danger and feels like it is protecting us.
The good news is, there is a way out
Tap Into the Wisdom of Your Body
Emotional Freedom Technique, better known as tapping, is a branch of Energy medicine based on the Chinese meridian system. It is a mind-body modality that gently reprograms behaviors that are standing in our way. By tapping on accupoints on the body’s energy pathways called meridians while focusing on distrubing events or emotions, EFT helps our brain develop alternate responses to previously upsetting stimuli without automatically sounding the danger alarm. It is a scientifically proven, somatic approach to overcoming mental and emotional challenges, and an excellent method for regulating our nervous system.
By reprogramming our brains out of the flight-fight-freeze response, EFT allows our nervous system to relax and repair, putting us back into the driver seat. Or in other words, we allow what needs to be felt to do so in a way our nervous system can handle, and once that happens, the energy is no longer congested and everything comes into balance once again. No matter what your belief system is, it works. It also works if you do not believe in it at all.
Breathe Into It
Breathwork is the use of Breath Awareness and Conscious Breathing for healing and growth, personal awakening and physical, mental and spiritual transformation. Breathing is the only system in our body that is both automatic and under our control. This is not an accident, but an oppportunity to be an active part in our own evolution. For thousands of years, ancient Eastern medicine practices have used different breathwork techniques to focus and channel the breath in order to increase our overall well-being.
How does this work? Research shows that different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing, and so changing how we breathe can change how we feel. Changing the rhythm of your breath can signal relaxation, slowing your heart rate and stimulating the vagus nerve, which in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and your ability to think rationally returns.
Breathwork is one of the most accessible wellness practices out there. Anyone can do it, regardless of age or other medical conditions, so long as you find the breathing techniques that work best for you.
