Breakthrough Anxiety: Your Nervous System Toolkit

Let's start with understanding what the vagus nerve is and why it's so essential regarding anxiety. If you've been trying to talk your way out of anxiety, this will help you to understand why that hasn't been working. Polyvagal theory is your missing key; this course lays the foundations for tapping into this all-important nerve.

Did you know a simple eye movement can instantly reduce anxiety? I often use this in my therapy practice because of how effective this is. This is because your vagus nerve runs around the back of your eyes, so this practice will send the message to your body that you are safe. Hence it can help to take you out of fight or flight mode.

Simply stimulating points in your ears can quickly reduce anxiety. This is because that all-important vagus nerve runs through your ear (as well as other important acupressure points). This lesson teaches you another area of your body you can use to soothe anxiety. The beauty of these practices is they can be done anywhere at any time.

Having this breathing technique in your toolkit is essential, especially if you struggle with panic attacks. This is because 4-8 breathing can be adjusted based on how anxious you're feeling. Breathing out for longer than you breathe in, gives your body the impression that it's safe (otherwise you'd be shallow breathing to get ready to fight or flight). In a way, this can trick your body into believing it's safe, even if you feel anxious.

This practice is such a beautiful go-to especially when anxiety is making you feel vulnerable. When you're learning how to self-soothe or have experienced past trauma, the butterfly hug can help. Again, like all these practices it's not just because it sounds nice that we do it. It's because of the science and psychology behind it. This uses bilateral stimulation to calm your nervous system.

We're back at the ears again today, focusing on another area the vagus nerve runs through. As you're doing this practice see if you can imagine that all important nerve being stimulated and visualize your body receiving the signal that all is safe and well. Remember on a biological level that is literally what happens when we activate the parasympathetic nervous system. And if nothing else, enjoy this soothing massage.

I've sat with clients in my practice who know they could benefit from breathwork but have many negative associations with it. That can be due to panic attacks, shortness of breath, memories around breathing, fears, etc. This is when I tell my clients to forget about focusing on breathing if it feels too triggering. In this practice,e we're going to pay attention to belly movement, which will train your body for deeper breathing. As and when you feel comfortable, you can team this with your breath and I'll show you how. However, the belly movement alone will deepen the breath without you necessarily realizing it.

We get into vagal toning in this practice. Stimulating the vagus nerve takes on many forms and today we're going to look at sound and vibration in the body. A simple practice to use humming as an effective way to calm your body in moments of anxiety. As with all these practices, it's great to use them when you're not always feeling anxious too, as it helps your body to 'regulate regularly'.

We're staying with sound and vibration today but teaming this with the breath. I find this is a great go-to when I have a lot of nervous/excess energy that's built up. Remember what's so powerful about this is you don't need to find a spare 30mins in your day to do it. Once you get the hang of it you can do this sitting at your desk, out for a walk, on the bus, etc.

Tapping is a practice that uses bilateral stimulation to activate both sides of the brain. Bringing your focus into your body like this when you're feeling anxious is a sensory stimulation that can effectively calm your body. Again it helps the parasympathetic nervous system to step in, giving your body the signals that it is safe.

I think it's always helpful to have a visual tool as part of your go-to's, as it can instantly provide a calm focus. The breathwork in this practice itself will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, while the candle visual will help you in moments of anxiety, when it feels hard to remember how to calmly breathe.

You can add all the practices in the world to your toolkit but if you then go straight back into fast-paced, anxious stimulation, you'll continue to fire up your nervous system. In this practice, we'll learn how deliberate, slower-paced movement can keep your nervous system regulated throughout your day. Well done for making it to the end of this course! I'd recommend going back to try your favorites, making a personal toolkit, and teaming this with my other anxiety courses.