THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM HAS TWO BRANCHES
- Sympathetic - too much time in this system is very unhealthy and inevitably what i spend most of my time dealing with when i train my clients.
- Parasympathetic - rest, digest and rebuild...gooooood
The sympathetic nervous system sounds like it has a calming influence, but in fact it’s the complete opposite. The sympathetic helps to prepare the body to defend itself by activating glands and organs. This is called the
Fight or Flight response. More appropriately fight, flight, freeze, food and fornicate.
I want you to read the next paragraph and think about a normal day at the office, potentially you are having dramas with a work colleague or boss does this sound like you?Nerves send more blood to the muscles and the brain. The heart rate and blood pressure increase, whilst blood flow to non-essential organs and the digestive system decreases. When you’re experiencing a
Panic Attack or high anxiety this is basically what’s happening. The thyroid and adrenal glands are activated to provide energy to run or fight. That’s we you may feel your heartbeat, your mouth goes dry, difficulty in swallowing, etc. Stress, panic and nervousness is what you feel when the
sympathetic nervous system ‘kicks in’.
If the sympathetic nervous system is constantly being activated it is not good for our bodies. The body’s energy should be used to provide nourishment, repair the body, elimination of waste. But if most of our energy is being used to prepare us to fight or run we start to feel run down.
The adrenaline rush of a panic attack is always followed by a feeling of being tired and irritable as the body is depleted of resources, so doesnt this sound like a normal day at the office?
There is an answer to this ……………..The parasympathetic nervous systemThis is concerned with healing, nourishing and regeneration of the body. Its nerves stimulate the immune system, digestion and organs that promote wellbeing.
The parasympathetic nervous system can be activated by relaxation, rest and happy/positive thoughts. This is promoted by a balanced life and looking after oneself. If you can do this, it will promote your body to heal itself.
If you can activate the parasympathetic state as much as possible its helps to heal ill heath, both mental and physical.
At certain parts of the day or after a hard day’s work you may feel fatigued or lethargic. This is not something you should fight or believe is unhealthy. Rather, it indicates a state of rebuilding and repair in progress.
So i said at the start of this your sympathetic nervous system is affecting your work, for a LOT of people it is very negatively.
Read on......
At the office you may be always thinking about what other people are thinking? or is your job safe? will you be able to keep a roof over your head? does your boss think you are a liability? will your partner stay with you if you became unemployed? will you have enough money to feed and house you and your family? and lots of other concerns.
Because as a species we beleive that we need warmth, shelter,family and food to survive if we are concerned over any of them WE PHYSICALLY CANNOT help spending too much time in the wrong nervous system. Because we feel threatened and our sympathetic nervous system is running the show our modern conscious thinking brain doesn't FUNCTION very well if at all.
This is why around your boss who you believe hates and doesn't respect you, you always seem to be messing up. Or if someone thinks you are bad at your job, around them you are.......
Or when going out on a date and meeting someone new you are really clumsy and can't think straight.
Lizard brain in command (nervous system) then concious brain or frontal lobe follows.
Righty HoIts' not all doom and gloom though, it is difficult to change how we feel at work or around our boss but not impossible. I am not going to give you all the answers here but i will give you a project which could have a profound effect on your work, life and nervous system.
Also there are some great tips and tricks to pop you straight back into the healthier nervous system (try deep slow breathing it's amazing and can magically improve function and remove pain too).
"The Project - you have nothing to lose, please make this your job this month"Does your boss hate and under appreciate you?Is it all in your head?Does your boss have communication issues?Spend the next month asking your Boss, Bosses as many questions as you can in order to find out everything you can about them. Use every oportunity to find out about families, hobbies, likes, dislikes and anything else you can.
At worste you have built some rapport wich will improve your working environment and nervous system(LIFE).
At Best you will learn a lot about your boss, find out why he/she is acting the way they do and potentially understand and help them. Learn a lot about yourself, build confidence and self esteem. Start to remove the
threat (your boss) negatively effecting your nervous system and start slowly feeling more relaxed and comfortable which inevitably puts your lizard brain into the correct nervous system which will help you live a longer healthier, happier life.
The above tip has been used and designed by some of the best business brains and NLP (neuro linguistic programing)gurus around so give it a go.
If you would like any help or advice with fitness, health or stress please just ask.
Glenn(loves talking about stress and the nervous system) Hill
