Rest And Digest
Learn how to pump the brakes.
Happy July 4th! I hope you’re taking time this long weekend to relax and enjoy some BBQ.
Resting and digesting is a good thing, especially for a go-getter like yourself. Your body needs it because of all the stress you’re constantly under.
In fact, before the grind kicks back up again, let’s talk about what happens in your body when you’re under stress.
If you know what’s going on inside, it can help you deal with whatever’s going on outside.
When it comes to stress, there are two systems in particular that you should know about: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
You may already know about the SNS since it is responsible for the infamous “fight or flight” response. What you may not be as familiar with is the “rest and digest” response that’s controlled by the PNS.
(You’ll often hear a car analogy to describe the SNS and PNS: if the SNS is your gas pedal, the PNS is your brake.)
The PNS helps your body maintain homeostasis (i.e. resting state). It keeps everything running smoothly.
Thanks to the PNS, you’re able to breathe, digest food, and get aroused. In other words, it helps you do really important stuff.
These are also the types of activities that you don’t have much time to think about when you are under stress.
Stress kicks the SNS into high gear. The SNS revs up your body so that you can tackle whatever’s in front of you - an irate boss, an oncoming car, or a crying baby.
You need the SNS in situations like these. The problem, though, is that most of us are dealing with chronic stress. This means that the SNS is turned on all the time.
And if the SNS is always cranked up on high, that means your body isn’t able to go back to its normal resting state. This is why chronic stress leads to issues like weight gain, high blood sugar, sexual dysfunction, and more.
But there’s good news. You have a way to tone down the SNS, and that’s by turning up the PNS.
You can get a handle on stressful situations by activating your body’s parasympathetic nervous system.
Normally the PNS keeps your body running without you having to think or do much about it. Sometimes, though, you need to manually override this autopilot mode.
Breathing is a good example of this.
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that, before reading that last sentence, you weren’t thinking much about your breath. That’s because you were on autopilot.
But I bet now, you’re much more aware of your breath. In fact you may even be controlling how you inhale and exhale. That’s you pumping the PNS brakes.
Breathing techniques are a great way to activate your PNS and hence dampen your SNS. They’re a popular tool in stress management because they are simple yet effective.
Knowing that your body has the ability to counteract stress can be life-changing. The PNS is a reminder that although you may not be able to control the stress in your life, you do have the power to create some space from it.
As you go through your week, think of ways you can pump the breaks. Will you practice Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breath? Will you do a Headspace meditation? Will you start a gratitude journal?
Give yourself some breathing room to explore.