Life can often feel like it’s constantly on fast forward. You’re go, go, go, trying to get everywhere and be everyone at once to everybody. Emails are pinging and the deadlines are looming and the traffic is jamming. And somehow you’re also meant to have a social life. Your nervous system, which is the body’s internal stress radar, is always going to be on high alert.
With all of this happening at once, learning to calm it down isn’t just about Zen meditation, although we do believe that that can help, but it’s about keeping your body and your mind in check. Let’s take a look at 5 solid reasons why giving your nervous system a little bit of love can make a big world of difference.
- Sleep like a human again. If you’ve ever laid in bed staring at the ceiling, or your brain rehearses or conversations from a decade ago, that’s your nervous system stuck in fight or flight mode. When it finally chills out, sleep comes easier and deeper and more restorative. There are simple habits like limiting your screen time or reaching for something soothing like CBD gummies that can make your nights far more peaceful. Better sleep isn’t just blissful, but it improves your immunity, focus, and puts you in a much better mood.
- Using your stress hormones. Cortisol and adrenaline are handy in emergencies, but they’re not supposed to be your default setting. High stress hormones can lead to tense muscles and headaches, and it can also lead to a sense of being wired but tired. Techniques like slow breathing, mindful movement, or a walk in nature can send a signal to your nervous system that everything’s fine. Lowering stress hormones regularly keeps you calmer and happier, and maybe even stops you from yelling at your house plants.
- Boosting your digestion. Your nervous system is intimately tied to your gut, and when stress dominates, digestion slows. This can lead to feeling sick, bloating and cramping. And calming your nervous system helps your body to digest your food more efficiently. That means fewer afternoon slumps and more pep in your step.
- Sharpening your focus. It’s not easy to concentrate when your mind is spinning a million directions. A stressed out nervous system makes it almost impossible. Tasks that felt impossible feel doable when you learn how to calm yourself down. Suddenly you’re able to be present in conversations instead of mentally planning a grocery list while nodding along.
- Improving your mood and your resilience in life. A chilled out nervous system makes you more resilient to life’s curveballs and they get thrown at you often. Upsets will feel less catastrophic, and irritations are easier to shrug off. The smaller winds feel genuinely satisfying. But this doesn’t mean you’ll never get stressed. It just means that your body and your mind recover faster and bounce back with a little more grace.
Taking care of your nervous system is like giving your internal engine a tune up. It’s not something you do want, It’s a lifestyle choice.
