Soothing Your Nerves
In the world of spirituality, it may seem odd to bring up a special nerve – the vagus nerve - the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. This system is a network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger. It also helps run life-sustaining processes, like digestion, when you feel safe and relaxed. The parasympathetic part of your autonomic nervous system balances your sympathetic nervous system. While your sympathetic nervous system controls your body’s “fight or flight” response, your parasympathetic nervous system helps to move your body back into a state of rest. It takes over your body’s automatic responses, like breathing.
My initial health issue was irritable bowel syndrome. As we were working to get my colon under control, I began noticing that during flares, I became depressed. Through research and working with an understanding gastroenterologist, I learned about the connection between the colon and the brain, known as the gut-brain axis. We discovered that when I was in a stressful situation, I would quickly go into a fight or flight response pattern, a behavior my body learned from my chaotic childhood. To break this vicious cycle causing me so much pain, I turned to meditation and muscle relaxation techniques provided by a gifted physical therapist.
I also learned that my body wasn’t producing enough cortisol. Cortisol is the steroid hormone that your adrenal glands produce and release. It affects several aspects of your body and mainly helps regulate your body's response to stress. If you're having problems managing stress, make certain to have your cortisol levels checked.
The body you selected for this life comes with its own unique challenges that are part of your soul’s journey. Medical challenges help with our growth toward self-actualization. This is particularly important to remember when an illness attacks our physical and mental states. Review my blogs, such as the one on breathing techniques, to learn more ways to calm your body. All the blogs in this series have been selected specifically to guide you through life’s trials