Befriend Your Nervous System
A regulated nervous system makes you better able to make good decisions, handle stress, and navigate complex work environments.
Your breath is the only part of your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) that you can consciously control. Think about it - can you tell your heart how fast to beat, or ask your digestive system to speed up or slow down? If you’ve ever had emergency diarrhea, you definitely know the answer.
When we have a natural response to something like stress, we tend to take short, shallow breaths. When we’re scared, we tend to take bigger inhales than exhales. It doesn’t actually matter what the stressor is, or if we even consciously recognize it – the ANS is on it.
Our ANS has two main parts: the sympathetic (fight/flight/freeze) and parasympathetic (rest/digest).
Fight, Flight, Freeze
Those automatic stressy short, shallow breaths or bigger inhales than exhales send signals to the nervous system that we’re in danger, and the body responds accordingly: tight muscles, shut-down digestion and reproductive systems, tunnel vision, etc.
These natural responses to stress are an evolutionary boon that has helped keep humanity safe for ages. In earlier times (and for most of humanity), when we were in imminent danger, like say being chased by a bear, our Sympathetic Nervous System would kick in before we even had time to consciously register the threat – and it would choose to prepare the body to fight, flee, or freeze based on the information available and the best chances of survival.
In this scenario, the nervous system may choose to:
Fight. Say the bear pops up right in front of the human, and there’s nowhere to run. It’s not a great option, but it’s the best in the given situation. The human’s shoulders and hip flexors would tighten (ready to punch or kick), unnecessary systems (digestion, reproduction) would shut down to send blood flow to the needed areas (muscles), and the human’s pupils would dilate so they could absorb as much information and light as possible.
Flight. Say the bear pops up right in front of the human, but it’s facing the opposite direction and is not yet aware of the human. The bear is still an imminent threat, but there’s a little more time and a clear path out. The nervous system may choose “flight” as the best option for survival in this situation. A similar response to “fight” would happen, allowing all energy to focus on running muscles to get the human out of danger and into safety.
Freeze. Say the bear pops up right in front of the human, but doesn’t seem agitated. The human’s nervous system may choose to shut the whole system down in the hopes that the bear won’t see the human as a threat. At this point, even if the human wanted to move, they probably wouldn’t be able to – the nervous system has shut down the muscles as a protection.
Now, all of these responses are super smart and trying to keep us safe. They are also intended to function only for a few minutes at a time, then shift back into the Parasympathetic Nervous System, aka rest/digest.
Rest and Digest
Your Parasympathetic Nervous System is intended to be your natural state. This is where the digestive system functions ideally, reproductive organs are available at a moment’s notice, and muscles are relaxed and tension-free.
Sounds nice, right?
We have evolved to have this automatic switch to the SNS (flight/flight/freeze), but have not evolved to keep up with modern stressors. While human stressors used to be urgent and life-threatening (see: bear), modern human stressors also include ongoing stressors like forgetting a work assignment, having too many meetings, and dealing with poor leadership.
These modern, ongoing human stressors are often also invisible. We can’t punch a pandemic. We can’t physically run from poor leadership. Even if you hold very, very still, your boss will still see you.
Because we tend to spend an extraordinary amount of time in the stressed fight/flight/freeze response, we can develop chronic pain, tension headaches, digestive issues, reproductive issues, physical imbalances, and more. This kind of chronic tension can also have long-term impacts on our sleep, emotional regulation, and interpersonal skills. No good.
Regulate Your Nervous System
Alongside working in offices and with large, medium, and small business, I have worked at about a dozen gyms, yoga studios, and offices as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist.
Through working with thousands of people from all walks of life and through all kinds of business situationships, I have found some super helpful practices for keeping your center through it all.
Breathe
Since we can control our breath, we can use it to intentionally signal to our nervous system that this bad leadership we’re dealing with is not actually a life-or-death situation (even though it might feel that way).
The next time you feel overloaded, stressed, or like you want to run away from (or punch) your bad leader, try this simple breathing exercise:
Find a reasonably comfortable and supported seat, in your office chair, on a couch, in your car, or on the ground.
Look down or close your eyes.
Notice what your breath is doing without asking anything from it:
How fast/slow is your breath?
Is your breath even, or does it change breath to breath?
Where do you feel your breath in your body? Chest? Ribs? Belly? Somewhere else?
Is it easier to breathe through your nose or mouth?
Now see about how long it takes you to inhale and exhale. Count how long it takes you in each direction without adding any strain or effort.
If it feels ok, add an extra second to your inhale and 1-2 to your exhale. E.g. If your natural breath is about 2 seconds inhale, 2 seconds exhale, try 3 seconds in and 4 seconds out.
Take 5-10 rounds of breath with this new rhythm. Options:
Pause here and notice how you feel.
Try adding another second to your exhale. e.g. 3 seconds in, 5 seconds out. Repeat for 5-10 rounds, then pause and notice how you feel.
Move
I hear you - it’s really hard to fit in a full workout or yoga practice during a work day. But dear reader, I have good news for you: Moving a little bit can go a long way. When you notice your shoulders getting tight or your belly getting tight, take one minute to do one of these simple resets:
Stand up. Come on, it’s good for you.
Go for a quick walk around the office or, even better, outside.
Stretch at your desk.
Lean back in your chair and roll your shoulders back.
Reach your left arm overhead and lean to the right - take a breath. Repeat on the other side.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee (the dad sit). If you have room, lean forward a little. Take a couple breaths. Repeat on the other side.