Using a visualisation to regulate your nervous system.
Where ever we take our mind to, or where we allow it to go, our body will follow. That’s why, if you think about something terrible, you may notice that you hold your breath or that your body feels tense… Our body doesn’t differentiate between what is real or perceived and whilst that can be a huge problem for some, it is also an opportunity to use it to help us feel better.
Think about your answer to this question for a moment, take a minute or two:
If you could go anywhere right now, real or imaginary, where you would feel safe, calm or neutral - where would it be?
What do you notice about how you feel when you think about being in that place?
What do you notice about the quality, depth or fulfilment of your breath?
What do you notice about your muscles, are they tense, relaxed or something else?
You may not notice anything, and that’s OK - these things take practice and can depend on what you’re holding in your body when you start, and how familiar it is for you to look inside in this way. Practice in doing things like this, to regulate your nervous system and create space from stress and chaos, is so very important. Each time you do it you develop the following things:
Your awareness in your own mind and body (positives and challenges)
Your ability to create space to feel more calm, grounded or neutral
Your neural circuitry linked to putting on the emotional break, and therefore your ability to self-regulate
Your system’s time spent out of fight or flight and in rest and repair (where the good chemicals can flow, e.g. dopamine and serotonin, where digestion can be more effective and cells can serve your body better)
Here is how to maximise the impact of using visualisations to regulate your nervous system:
(remember that you can add anything into your visualisations that serve you well e.g. your favourite people, drinks and food)
Spend time thinking about what you can see in your visualisation. What can you see that is near and far?
What can you hear? What are the sounds, is it nature, is it running water or the sound of wind and rain? Can you hear voices, music or singing? Which are close by and which are in the distance, notice the differences.
What can you smell? Is it your favourite food to eat, incense or the smell of the damp ground?
What can you feel? What does the temperature of the air feel like on your skin, or is the bag you hold or the grass beneath your feet?
What can you taste? Maybe it’s a taste that comes from what you can smell, or that drink you’re sipping?
I encourage anyone that feels stress or chaos, and who feels a sense of life happening to them, to do this as often as they can to create some space for their mind and body to rest. When our nervous system is resting (which is different to vegging in front of the TV), our cells are more functional, so we fight disease and virus's better, our body gets a break from stress hormones and instead can absorb dopamine and serotonin, for example. We are less likely to crave, more likely to have better sleep and have the motivation we need to do what we want.
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