Do you have a hard time calming down once your body is in high gear, whether it be from stress, fear, or excitement? Do breathing exercises not really seem to work for you? In order to move from stress to rest, it may be helpful to familiarize yourself with what your body feels like when both your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are at work. Whoa, what does that even mean? Good question. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems make up our autonomic nervous system, which controls many of our bodily functions that we often don’t think about: breathing, digesting food, regulating blood pressure, etc.
When we are in a relaxed state, the parasympathetic nervous system is doing its job. But we can’t live forever in that state – our body needs to adjust in response to stimuli. Think of a dog’s ears perking up when it hears a sound – that’s our sympathetic state preparing to kick into high gear. You may have heard it described as our fight or flight response. When we are in a state of arousal, our sympathetic nervous system is doing what it needs to do so that we can rise to the occasion. Our body adjusts and responds based on the stimuli it’s receiving and the information the brain is giving it. Ideally, we should be able to transition in and out of these states without thinking about it. However, if we have experienced trauma or chronic levels of stress, it may be difficult for our bodies to return to a state of relaxation. In order to move from stress to rest, it may be helpful to become familiar with how your body feels and responds when in both the parasympathetic and sympathetic state.
The following mindfulness-based exercise can help with that familiarization process. You’ll first want to find a comfortable place – maybe on your living room floor, a yoga mat, or sitting up in your bed.
Bring to your mind a memory or place that makes you feel relaxed. Is it the ocean? Is it the kitchen of your grandmother’s house? Is it an embrace by a family member or loved one? Is it sitting under a large tree in a national park? Wherever or whatever or whoever it is, go there. Go there fully. Let your body feel the embrace, smell the food your grandmother is cooking, feel the waves crash over you. Sit in silence for as long as you can so that your body has enough time to really adjust to this state. Now begin to notice what is happening in your body. What does your breath feel like? Where do you feel your breath? How slow or fast is it? Are you rocking or staying still? Are your muscles tense or relaxed? Take note of any and all sensations in your body during this time.
When you’re ready, begin to transition to a more negative memory or place. Do not choose a particularly traumatic memory, but something that is more benign. Maybe it’s a difficult interaction with a partner or a toxic work environment. Whatever it is, make sure it’s not too terribly triggering. Once you’ve chosen something, let your body go there. Recall the sounds of your office, feel the tension in your body when you were arguing with your significant other, etc. What do you notice? What’s your breathing like? Do your fists clench up? Let yourself stay there as long as you need in order to take note of those physical sensations and experiences.
Now, transition back to the relaxed state as described in step one. Notice again what is changing. What feels difficult or easy for you during this transition? Do you feel leftover tension in your jaw? Does it feel difficult to get your heart rate or breath to slow down? How long does it take? Do you find yourself rocking or moving your body to focus on slowing your breath or are you still? Practice going back and forth between step one and step two as a way of familiarizing yourself with what your body feels like in those different states.
Practicing this mindfulness-based exercise can help you understand what you need to move from stress to rest. The hope is that you can begin to notice when your body needs to feel safe. Often times, feeling safe is not a gushy relaxed feeling, but more about control or empowerment. And sometimes, feeling completely calm may feel triggering for those who have experienced trauma. What does calmness feel like in your body and what memories or images help you arrive there?
There is no right way for our bodies to go from stress to rest. For some, the image of being warmly hugged might help the body relax and for others it might feel unsafe or triggering. And so, this exercise is not about reaching an abstract notion of calm in the body, but learning what your body needs and how your body responds while in both the sympathetic and parasympathetic state. This will hopefully give you insight into how you can ground yourself and return to a place of rest in your body.
You can self schedule an in-person or virtual therapy session at the Center for Growth by calling (215) 922- LOVE (5683) x 100.
Our Guarantee: If after your first session you are not sold that you are working with the right therapist, do not hesitate to call our intake line at 215 922 5683 x 100 or Alex at (267) 324-9564 and ask to be rescheduled with another therapist. The choice of how you want to proceed is yours. Our only goal is to support you in becoming the best you possible.
For your convenience, we have brick and mortar offices and work with clients virtually in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Physical Therapy Office Locations:
Ocean City Therapy Office 360 West Ave, Floor 1, Ocean City, NJ 08226
Mechanicsville Therapy Office 9044 Mann Drive, Mechanicsville Virginia, 23116
Society Hill Therapy Office 233 S. 6th Street, C-33, Philadelphia PA 19106
Art Museum / Fairmount Therapy Office 2401 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 1a2, Philadelphia PA 19130
Providence Therapy Office 173 Waterman St. Providence, RI 02906
Fayetteville Therapy Office 101 Devant Street #606, Fayetteville GA 30214
Santa Fe Therapy Office, 2204 B Brothers Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Telemedicine Therapy Locations: We have therapists who are licensed to work in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia and Pennsylvania
Therapy Services Offered in Fayetteville, Ocean City, Mechanicsville, Philadelphia, Providence, Santa Fe:
Individual Counseling and therapy
Couples Counseling and marriage counseling
Teen Therapy and Adolescent Therapy and tweens and child counseling
Family Therapy and multi-generational counseling
Art Therapy and Counseling no art skills needed
ADHD Therapy and ADD, Dyslexia, Autism, Tourettes counseling
Anxiety, Panic, OCD Therapy and worry and fear support
Breaking the cycle of Codependency and being your own person
Overcoming Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain .
Depression Therapy and sadness, gloom, and upset support
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Therapy is a particular style of therapy designed for people with problems affecting their nervous system, how the brain and body send and receive signals.
Grief Therapy and loss, End of A Relationship, rejections, pregnancy and loss and therapy
Mindfulness Based Therapy and spirituality based therapy
Narcissistic Abuse Recovery child of, parent of, spouse of, sibling of a narcissist.
Sex Therapy and sexual function & dysfunction, sex addiction, sexual orientation and gender identity support
Trauma Therapy both emotional and sexual abuse, complex trauma, PTSD counseling
Divorce support
Affairs, Infidelity, Unfaithful, Cheating counseling
Parenting therapy
Personality disorder treatments Narcissist, Borderline, Histrionic
Setting Boundaries and identifying ones own Core Beliefs
Just name some of the Mental Health issues that we work with. Our goal is to help you Change and Achieve Your Dreams
