Navigating Nervous System Health Problems: A Holistic Guide to Restoring Balance and Vitality

Uncover the Key to Healing, Resilience, and Whole-Body Wellness Through a Comprehensive Approach to Nervous System Care

The Nervous System is getting a lot of air time lately, and this is for good reason. The vast majority of us are moving through life right now with our nervous system health hanging on by a thread.

Check-in with yourself right now. How are you feeling? Anxious? Tired? Wired? Or calm, content and relaxed?

It is rare that most of us even take a brief moment like this throughout the day to notice how we are actually feeling, and what our body needs from us.

So what is the cause of so much nervous system dysregulation for so many of us? The answer to this question is multi-layered.

Feelings of stress, overwhelm, urgency, and over-connectedness are common in the modern world. Being connected to thousands of people via the internet, witnessing the atrocities being broadcasted (and often live streaming in real-time) on various media channels, and feeling like you need to respond immediately and be on-call for others 24/7, can leave you feeling and your nervous system feeling completely fried, depleted and disconnected from yourself and your own energy.

Some other causes for a strung-out nervous system include unresolved trauma, nutritional deficiencies, chronic stress, and major life events that are inevitable in our human experience, such as the death of a loved one, losing a job, or going through a breakup.

Most of us, most of the time, are operating from the masculine energy (yang), and leave little time for the feminine energy (yin), because of the fast-pace of modern life. You can see that this has the potential to throw the delicate balance of the nervous system out.

While this is common, it is not normal, and it doesn’t have to be your story. While it might take some rewiring of old patterns and habits, it is possible for you (and all of us!) to remember how to be human again.

Get to know your nervous system

The nervous system is broken into two parts - the peripheral and central nervous systems. The central nervous system runs through the spine and the brain, while the peripheral system runs throughout the rest of your body.

There are two main states that the nervous system resides in - sympathetic and parasympathetic. Sympathetic, otherwise known as the fight or flight response, is where most of us reside most of the time. This is when we are “on”, where we are doing all of the things. And this is great because it supports us to get all of the things done. But where we can run into trouble is when we don’t allow us to balance this out by spending time in our parasympathetic, which is the rest and digest state. It is here in the parasympathetic that you can experience deep peace and healing.

The nervous system is connected to all other systems in the body, and this is why it is so vital for us to care for it as best as we can.

How do I know the state of my nervous system health?

There are some common signs and symptoms to look out for when it comes to the state of your nervous system health, which I will share with you in a moment. Ultimately, this will require you to become extremely self-aware to know when the balance of your nervous system may be a little off kilter, as this will be different for all of us given our unique make up and life circumstances.

Some common signs to look out for include:

● Gut and skin issues
● Heart palpitations and shaking hands
● Feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and stress
● Sensitivity to stimulants such as coffee
● Weight gain or loss
● Feeling jittery, scattered or agitated
● Sleep disturbances
● Changes in mood, mental health, or behavior that is out of the ordinary
● Physical, mental or emotional fatigue

These are just some of the ways that you might identify an imbalance with your nervous system. Remember that this will be unique to you, and it is a beautiful invitation for you to get to know yourself at a deeper level.

How to nourish your nervous system

There are a myriad of ways that you can support your nervous system, both as a daily self practice, and with the support of qualified practitioners.

Ways to nourish your nervous system:

• Stress management
• Prioritising quality sleep
• Ensure you are getting adequate nourishment through your nutrition
• Mind-body practices such as yoga, meditation, breathwork, yoga nidra, qigong and tai chi
• Finding meaning and purpose in your life
• Doing work that you enjoy
• Fostering loving, supportive and encouraging relationships
• Creating a safe and healthy home
• Journalling to capture and process your thoughts and feelings
• Putting loving boundaries in place
• Exercise (note: if you are experiencing extreme nervous system dysregulation, strenuous exercise can exacerbate the issue, so go gently)
• Creating financial safety and security
• Scheduling rest, down time, and time for self-care
• Spend time connecting with nature and with loved ones

Modalities for the nervous system:

While there are many things that you can do to nourish your nervous system on a day-to-day basis, sometimes it can be extremely beneficial to gain support from a qualified practitioner that will guide you towards optimal nervous system health.

The good news is that there are many modalities that can support you with this. Which one you choose is up to you. Feel into what resonates with you, and what is calling you. If you are brand new to this work, you might like to try a few out and see what works best for you.

Ideally, you can approach it from a physical, emotional and energetic standpoint, making all of these modalities complementary to one another.
If you are unsure of where to start to nourish your nervous system, the state of your nervous system health, or if you just really desire support right now, this is the perfect time to call it in.

Below are a few modalities that can support you with your nervous system:

Physical:

- Naturopathy
- Nutrition
- Yoga / breathwork
- Exercise
- Functional health practitioner
- Massage / touch therapy
- Acupressure
- Aromatherapy
- Herbal medicine

Emotional / Mental:

- Counselling, psychology & therapy
- Meditation
- EFT (emotional freedom technique, also known as tapping)

Energetic:

- Reiki
- Acupuncture / TCM
- Sound healing
- Kinesiology

This is not an exhaustive list by any means. There are a multitude of modalities that can support you and your individual needs. As mentioned earlier, some ways to know which way to go in terms of which modalities are right for you include getting personal recommendations from friends or family, noticing what you feel drawn to, and to simply try a few out for yourself!

Nutrition and herbal medicine to support the nervous system:

We can always turn to nature to show us the way to healing. Nature has provided everything that we need to live a happy, healthy and abundant life, and this includes the health of your nervous system.

In terms of your nutrition, some simple yet profound things to consider are:

• Ensuring that you are actually eating enough high quality, fresh, nourishing food
• Aiming for a balanced plate of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats
• And speaking of protein, ensuring that you are eating enough protein. A lot of us (especially women) aren’t meeting the daily protein quota, which are the building blocks for our body.
• Ensure you are consuming a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. This will give you the best chance of getting everything that you need from your food, includes a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, which is especially important for menstruating women

If you are sensitive to stimulants such as coffee, or are currently experiencing severe nervous system dysregulation, I would also avoid coffee for the time being. You can substitute with cacao or delicious and nourishing herbal teas instead, and allow your nervous system time to heal.

Herbs that have an affinity with the nervous system and offer nutritive qualities:

- Nettle
- Rosehip
- Ashwaghanda
- Liquorice
- Ginseng
- Oat straw
- Rhodiola

(please seek advice from your herbalist or naturopath for the right herbs to suit your needs).

If you are deep in a nervous system dysregulation situation, please know that it is possible to restore yourself back to greater balance and harmony. I have been there myself, more than once, and using many of the practices and modalities listed here, I have been able to restore harmony once more.

As you can see, there are many ways that you can optimise your nervous system health yourself on a daily basis, allowing you to be pliable and adaptable when facing the inevitable stressors that life sends your way at times.

The goal is not to always remain fully zenned out in the parasympathetic nervous system, but rather to develop a healthy and pliable nervous system that can adapt to the ever changing circumstances of life.

Know that you can always lean on the support of a trusted and qualified practitioner when you need that extra support. That is what we are here for, and we love nothing more than supporting you back to greater health, happiness and harmony. Working with a practitioner allows you to gain the personalised support that you need to heal and thrive.

Wishing you all the best with your journey to nervous system health, healing and harmony.

If you are feeling called to work alongside me to optimise your nervous system health, and your overall health, I’d love to support you.

There are two branches to my work including energy medicine sessions, which focus predominantly on healing and optimising health through an energy lens using reiki healing and yin yoga techniques, and holistic health coaching sessions, which looks at your life as an entire ecosystem, with a large focus on physical wellbeing, also coupled with emotional, mental and energetic wellbeing.

Both sessions include a comprehensive deep dive into your personal situation for me to gain a deep understanding of how to best support you. From there, you receive either an energy session or a holistic health coaching session that is crafted specifically for you and your needs at the current time.

It would be my honour to support you on your journey. You can book your session via the Bodhi website. Both in person and online sessions are available. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me.