Written by: Masha Shapiro, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Picture this; you are driving down a long, beautiful road when suddenly, a car cuts you off. You start sweating, trembling, and feel your heart beating rapidly. Although these sensations are unpleasant, they are part of our sympathetic nervous system response, which alerts us that danger may be imminent. While responses like this may be life-saving when we need them; other times, our nervous system sets off a faulty alarm bell when we feel anxious.
In either of these cases, these experiences are likely to be stored in your nervous system. Our nervous systems are made up of two parts: the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) and our parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest). While our sympathetic nervous system informs us of potential threats, the parasympathetic nervous system allows our bodies to return to the previous level of homeostasis we had prior to experiencing a stressor. Moreover, when we are exposed to chronic periods of stress over longer periods of time, our nervous systems tend to become over-adapted to stress. Thus, the more over-adapted to stress we are, the more challenging it becomes to regulate our nervous systems.
When we experience a stress response, our amygdala (emotional processing center) knocks our neocortex offline (regulates our ability to think clearly) which then causes of all of the muscles in our bodies tighten simultaneously. To reverse engineer this process, only one simple step is needed—going limp in your body. In fact, in a relaxed muscle body, it is physically impossible to experience stress. This process can be achieved in one of the three following ways:
Tense all of the muscles in your body for 5 minutes and then fully release them.
Drop your shoulders down into your stomach and feel your chest cavity expand.
Perform a Kegel (squeeze the muscle associated with holding your urine for 5 seconds.
Notice the difference between a relaxed muscle body and a non-relaxed muscle body. This process is known as autonomic nervous system regulation and the more you engage in going limp, the calmer you will feel and the more your nervous system will regulate.
Masha Shapiro, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Masha Shapiro is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York and is the owner of We Rise Mental Health Counseling Services, PLLC. Masha is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy. Masha has been recognized as an expert in her field and has been on numerous podcasts discussing mental health. Masha is a triple-certified trauma therapist, holding certifications as an Individual Certified Trauma Specialist, a Complex Certified Trauma Professional, and an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist. Masha also specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, self-esteem issues, perinatal mood disorders, couples counseling, and narcissistic abuse recovery services. Masha works with the body through a somatic lens.
