Regulating Your Nervous System & The Vagus Nerve

Our Central Nervous System (CNS) is one of the most important systems in the body, particularly for physical and emotional regulation. It is made up of a network of nerves, one of the longest of which is the Vagus Nerve. ‘Vagus’ comes from the Latin word for ‘wandering’ and this nerve is also labelled our ‘unconscious inner brain’.

The Vagus Nerve (VN) is actually a pair of nerves that run from the brain, one down the left side of the body, the other down the right, branching out like a tree. Through that series of nerve ‘branches’, it connects into our heart, lungs, diaphragm, spleen, liver and intestines. It helps to automatically control our heart rate, breathing and digestion, regulating our temperature, inflammation and pain levels, alongside extreme emotional responses, such as fear.

In modern society, we are bombarded with information and can become overwhelmed. We also live in a society that is divided and often controlled with  fear, which is why it is SO important to consciously and practically care for our CNS.

There is a LOT of hoo hah out there on how to ‘reset’ the VN and in my experience, there is no ‘quick fix’ way to do this. In fact, it’s far more effective to work with our entire body somatically and consistently, in order to regulate the CNS and this, in itself, will reset the VN.

The easiest and most direct way to stimulate the VN would be to trace your fingers from the lobe of your ear, down your neck until you can feel the jugular vein and/or cartoid artery in your neck. It’s where you’d automatically put your fingers to locate a heart beat in the neck. Gently massaging this area directly massages the VN, which will send a message to the brain to calm the body down, as the VN is the main nerve of our parasympathetic nervous system. This system supports relaxation and digestion.

Signs The VN/CNS is Struggling

There are certain signs that the VN and therefore entire CNS is struggling, such as:

• Digestive Issues ~ as the VN regulates our digestive system, irregularities such as infrequent stools, bloating or even food sensitivities can alert us that our CNS is under pressure.

• Lack of Energy or fatigue that doesn’t improve with ample rest.

• Emotional Numbness/Over Reactivity ~ experiencing emotional extremes or mood swings can indicate that the VN is under pressure as it regulates our emotions. Extreme mood swings from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other signals an inability to regulate.

However, the above aren’t conclusive as digestive issues can be caused by a bad diet, emotional issues can be caused by trauma or localised stress and tiredness can be caused by a multitude of things.

Therefore, look out for additional signs that your body is deregulated: if you’re under pressure, if you’re experiencing consistent anxiety, if you can’t focus, if you’re jumping at every little noise, if you’re mentally looping round & round in a fearful way, or if you’re snappy and can’t think straight, these are all signs that your CNS is deregulating and that you need to take action to bring it back into balance.

Regulation of the VN/CNS

In my experience, there are several ways to regulate ourselves. However, THE most important step for any of these methods is to DISCONNECT FROM THE ELECTRONIC WORLD with it’s bombardment of information. Turn off all screens and RELAX. You’ll need to do this for a good hour. It takes time to regulate the physical body as there’s a lot going on in there.

It’s also no good doing one of the methods and then immediately picking up your phone or hopping onto a computer at work as you’ll just reintroduce all the stressors to your body before your system has the time to reset. No reading, no telly, no distractions. It’s also easier to physically regulate when we have an empty stomach. To reset our CNS/VN, we MUST be 100% focused on our body and connected to it. We can’t do that if we’re being distracted by anything else. As a strong empath, am sometimes overwhelmed around crowds of people or at social events. I’ve been known to shut myself in the loo whilst out and about, just to get 10 mins peace and quiet to listen to my body and regulate it.

Breath

The most powerful and effective method is BREATH. A very specific breath ~ as we’re looking to calm, not stimulate or bring up emotions within the body. When we’re stressed, our heart rate speeds up, our breathing becomes shallow, our diaphragm judders, our guts tighten and/or churn ~ can you see how stress impacts every organ the VN branches into?

Breathing is free and we can do this anywhere without anyone really noticing. The breath to reset the CNS and VN is simple ~ breath in slowly for a count of 4. A proper, deep, belly breath that fills the lungs and pushes the entire belly out. This releases the diaphragm, which is why it’s important as the VN directly controls the diaphragm. So, it’s the first and simplest signal to send to the VN, which will then instruct the brain to start calming things down.

Then breathe out slowly for a count of 15. You’ll need to purse your lips, creating a pressure or resistance so the breath leaves very very slowly. Otherwise you’ll breathe out too quickly and won’t be able to manage 15. The aim is to stop that diaphragm judder (which most of us can’t even feel) ~ so breathing in deep to move the diaphragm up to release it, then letting it back down super slowly is the way to go. Once you’ve nailed this breathing technique, simply repeat it 3 or 4 times and you will notice how quickly your entire body calms down. A feeling of peace literally descends and we can feel it flowing from our head to our pelvis, following the pathway of the VN. If you’re a bit ‘woo woo’, you can also imagine one of your guides or angels stood behind you, with their hands firmly on your shoulders, assisting your system in calming down.

Nature

Get out in nature and get your bare feet on the ground. This can be on concrete/paving stones/path or grass, the beach etc. ~ not tarmac or a road however as we need to connect to the Earth so our body can soak up ions, which soothes and resets us at a cellular level. If you can’t get your feet on the ground, head towards trees and touch those or lean against one for awhile. Leave your phone at home or in the car so you don’t even think about connecting to the digital World. The amount of people I’ve seen grounding with a phone in their hand is unreal. PUT. IT. DOWN. No earbuds either. The CNS can struggle to regulate if we’re subjecting it to wifi or EMF waves. The focus needs to be on nature, on the feeling of warmth in that earth, beach or tree, on using all of your senses to touch, smell, listen to the birds, waves, running water etc. Consciously earth yourself if you can and if you’re not sure what that is, it’s simply grounding with movement and the below movie is excellent at explaining the science behind it all.

 

Physical Movement

With either of the above methods, move your physical body to stretch out and release the pent up or stressful energy once you’ve regulated. This is where many people fail with regulation ~ they calm themselves down, but they don’t release the negative energy that has built up in the body. So within a few hours, the CNS is under pressure again, even if we haven’t experienced any more deregulation.

If you’ve gone for a walk in nature, you will be calming and releasing simultaneously. However, if you’re out and about, busy or have just done the breathwork or other self soothing methods to regulate, you’ll need to move the physical body. We can do this by gently stretching in whatever way feels comfortable. Get on the floor on all fours or on your back, stretch legs right out, down to your tippy toes. Same with your arms. Move in whatever way releases energy from the hips, neck, shoulders and spine. I sometimes look like a complete loon crawling on the floor, but if you listen to your body, no matter how crazy the position may feel, you’ll feel a ‘pop’ or gentle release of some kind and it feels GOOD.

You can also try tapping, such as EFT, or gentle exercise methods such as Yoga, Qi Gong or Tai Chi. However, if you’re on a budget, breathing and getting outside costs nothing except your time and a conscious decision to regulate yourself.

How to Know When You’ve Regulated

Finally, how to know when you’re regulated again:

• Your heart rate feels slow and steady
• You might yawn, sigh or feel a physical release of some kind
• Your breathing is deep and relaxed
• Your mind is calm, clear and non reactive
• There is a sense of warmth and safety in your body
• Your emotions are consistently stable without swinging between extremes

The best crystals to use are ones that you find really comforting and soothing. I tend to use Scolecite, Lepidolite, Shungite and Blue Lace Agate.

If anyone has anything to add that works for you, please feel free to share below as the more information we all have, the better we can support ourselves and others.

With Love

Krissy

The Clarity Queen