Beatha Coaching

In my previous post, here, I introduced polyvagal theory and the role that our autonomic nervous system plays in stress and burnout. Burnout and stress have profound physical, emotional, and mental effects because our nervous system is constantly sending information up to the brain to affect the signals being sent to the rest of the body. So one of the principal ways by which we can support ourselves in times of stress, and help to relieve chronic stress and burnout symptoms, is to pay attention to our bodies in ways that help soothe our autonomic responses and support health and wellbeing. I’ve called them boring, because they are the obvious, sensible things we all really know we need to do, but which tend to get relegated as less important in the middle of stress and overwhelm.

In the terms of polyvagal theory, what I am introducing here is the concept of regulation. If you imagine a sandwich, or a cake if you prefer, the filling in the middle of the two layers is what we can term our zone of regulation, also sometimes referred to as the window of tolerance. Here is where we are operating at our best, in a calm and grounded way, with creativity and secure emotional attachments, able to engage in complex higher processing skills. In this zone, our ventral vagus nerve, the branch that runs through the muscles of our face and down to our hearts, is predominantly responsible for determining what signals our brain receives. If we feel under threat, or require extra energy to deal with a challenge, our sympathetic nervous system takes over and spikes us into the upper layer of the sandwich, where we are active, energised, and perhaps also anxious or aggressive depending on the threat. In a well regulated individual, once the threat or challenge subsides we drop back down into a calm state again. If, however, we are under threat too long or cannot influence the outcome, the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve may trigger us to drop further into the bottom layer, and we freeze or zone-out as a coping mechanism. Remember that neither state is undesirable in the right context, they function to protect us and apportion our energies according to our needs. Regulation practices are about managing spikes of activation that are happening too frequently, going on for too long, or causing distress, so as to bring us back into the window of tolerance more easily.

1. Breathe

Our breath is one of the most effective tools we have for regulation. One of the functions of the vagus nerve, often called the vagal brake, is to connect with our heart and help maintain a steady and appropriate release of energy. With every inhale, the vagal brake releases slightly allowing the heart rate to speed up, and on the exhale, the vagal brake reengages and the heart rate slows back down. We can use this in times of high stress and anxiety to consciously encourage a racing heart to slow down and return to a resting rhythm. This, in turn, sends signals to our brain that we are safe. The key is to slightly extend the exhale longer than the inhale. You can try this Breathe and Relax exercise I filmed between meetings last week. Or try the following:

Sit upright in a chair, feet planted on the floor and back straight. Close your eyes or focus them on a relaxing image, out of the window, or down at the surface of your desk. If you like, you can place a hand on your chest and another on your belly to help feel into the rhythm of your breathing. Breathe in slowly in a controlled way for a count of 4,5, or 6 – don’t force it, just breathe to the natural resting expansion of your lungs – then breathe out slowly, counting again to 4, 5, or 6. If you can, breathe in and out through your nose, or in through your nose and slowly out of your mouth. Breath in this way for a few rounds, and then slightly increase the time of the exhale, eg – to a count of 6, 7, or 8. Keep going for 10 or more breaths, increasing the length of the exhale gradually and naturally. Practicing this breath regularly will make it easier to drop quickly into a more restful state when you feel anxious and overwhelmed.

2. Move

Exercise and movement is another really simply way by which we can help to relieve stress and bring our bodies back into regulation. Movement can work in two ways, depending on whether you are feeling agitated and tense, or frozen. In both cases, kinetic engagement with the body helps to trigger a change in the signals being sent to the brain, helping us to move back into our window of tolerance. Exercise of any kind releases endorphins, which reduce pain and increase feelings of wellbeing, and reduces levels of adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones responsible for keeping us in a state of fight/flight.

If you are feeling busy, tense, overwhelmed, angry or tetchy, a regular rhythmic exercise that requires some coordination but isn’t exhausting, such a walking, swimming, or vinyasa yoga, can calm sympathetic activation and shift your mental state into a more regulated mode where you are better able to think creatively and find solutions. Strong feelings of agitation might be better responded to initially by more aerobic exercise like running or a strength workout, before moving into stretching and deep breathing to calm and slow the nervous system. However, if you are in freeze, feeling numb and dissociative, with heavy unresponsive limbs and low energy, slow breathing and calming movements is unlikely to help much. Instead, polyvagal theory suggests deliberately activating your sympathetic nervous system through shaking, dancing, splashing cold water on your face and neck, running up and down stairs, and similar activities designed to shock you awake and force a response. Once you enter a more alert state, going for a brisk walk or engaging in another activity where you are in movement and slightly out of breath can keep you in touch with your body and moving back out of the freeze state and toward regulation.

3. Connect

The role of social connection via the ventral vagus nerve is one of the core contributions to neuroscience and its clinical applications made by polyvagal theory. The work of Stephen Porges and others identified that the ventral branch of the vagus nerve, running directly through the muscles of the face, throat and ears, operates in direct sympathy to the voices and facial expressions of the people we are around. If you think of a baby being held by a safe, loving parent with only their best interests at heart, the infant is constantly gazing at the parent’s face and responding to the expressions, tone of voice, and sensation of being held. It is these early life experiences which generate feelings of safety and security and allow us to rest (you can also deduce the impact which early life trauma can have on the nervous system if these formative experiences are negative rather than positive). Secure and positive social engagement is therefore a key tool for activating our parasympathetic nervous system, and conversely when we don’t feel socially safe and connected regulation is likely to be more challenging.

Of course, when we are stressed or experiencing burnout, social connection can be one of the first things to go from our calendars, either because we feel too busy, or because we can’t face the thought of making an effort to be around other people (introverts, I hear you). However, social connection does not need to mean a huge commitment of time or effort, rather it is the quality of the interaction which matters. In other words, if we can connect with safe, loving people whom we feel warm toward and we tend to be relaxed around, even if by a simple phone call, our vagus nerve will be activated to bring us back toward regulation. The principle of co-regulation, coincidentally, is also one of the foundations of coaching and counselling – by generating a safe, responsive listening environment the coach or therapist is helping the client to move back into their own zone of regulation, where insights and solutions can be found. So even if you can’t face talking with friends or colleagues about your stress, you can still access connection with a coach or counsellor.

4. Eat

DISCLAIMER: the following advice is not intended for readers with a history of disordered eating. Please skip this section and continue to practice your own healthy food habits.

Healthy eating, of the kind your granny taught you, is one of the best ways to support yourself in stressful times. Specifically, eating with your gut health and your immunity (which in reality are deeply connected) in mind. When we are overwhelmed, stressed, or sad, our eating patterns can become disrupted. We eat at strange times, eat random snack foods, live on bland easy to grab meals, or simply don’t eat enough. This can produce changes in our gut flora that result in unpleasant upsets, and increase our susceptibility to colds and flu. Gut health and tummy problems can also be a significant indicator of our mental and emotional wellbeing – remember that the vagus nerve runs deep into our intestines. Stress and anxiety, the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, can frequently be identified by changes in our bowel habits, feeling or being sick, bloating, indigestion, all the fun things…

Eating as wide a variety of foods as possible, with lots (and lots) of fruit and veg, keeping the skins on and majoring in those dark leafy greens granny liked so much, is the best way to support our immunity and gut health. Add whole grains (fibre!), fats like olive oil, proteins like beans (more fibre!), and some fermented or live foods like yogurts, and you will be very effectively contributing to your regulation. Eat regularly, even if you need to set an alarm to remind yourself, and don’t forget to drink water.

5. Engage

Engaging our senses is one of the most basic grounding tools we can use when we are feeling panicked or dissociative. Grounding is a form of regulation, designed to bring us back into the present moment and out of traumatic memories or overwhelming thought spirals and physical sensations. For example, try this simple grounding exercise:

Sit on the floor with your behind and spine pressed against a wall and press your hands flat onto the floor on either side of you. Take a few deep breaths and notice the sensations of having firm supportive surfaces beneath and behind you. Look around the room and, out loud, name five things you can see; name five colours you can see; name five textures you can see; what about five things you can hear, or smell? Don’t worry if the words seem muddled or sluggish at first, keep noticing that you are safe and secure in the moment, and keep naming things you can identify through your senses, until your heart rate reduces and you are back in the present moment.

Regulation through engaging our senses is also something we can practice on a daily basis by spending time outside. In addition, getting outside everyday has some significant benefits for protecting our bodies from burnout. Natural light is one of the best ways in which we can support a healthy sleep cycle, which often becomes disrupted when we are stressed or anxious. Early morning exposure to natural light, even for a few minutes, triggers the brain to stop producing melatonin, the sleep hormone, helping us to wake up and feel more alert. More importantly, though, melatonin production is regulated on a predictable clock, and will start ramping up again about fourteen hours later, telling our brains and bodies that it is time to get sleepy. This is especially important when we are experiencing stress, because melatonin helps to counteract cortisol, taking us into a rest and digest cycle. Exposure to natural light in the middle of the day also fuels our vitamin D production, which is essential for a robust immune system.

Psychologically, being outside in nature, whether the countryside or an urban green space, has profound effects on our nervous system. As Ethan Kross discusses in his book Chatter (2021), just looking at photographs of the natural world has demonstrable effects on brain chemistry, triggering the release of stress reducing hormones. Actually being outside has even more profound effects, reducing blood pressure and heart rate, lowering cortisol levels, and also increasing activation in areas of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for creativity, problem solving, and mood management. Participants in studies who walked or gardened in nature daily had improved concentration and lower rumination, a marker of anxiety.

If you feel that you only have the capacity to add one of these five regulating practices at the moment, I would encourage you to prioritise time outside. Not only does it have the significant benefits for mental and physical health outlined above, you can also easily combine being outside with some gentle exercise and deep breathing. You might even like to invite a friend to join you and get some social connection in too. By the by, the calming effects that images of nature have on our nervous system is the reason why I use my photographs from my own walks on this blog.

Which of these regulating practices do you use regularly, or might you start using to support yourself? Comment below or get in contact with me with twitter or LinkedIn. To get this post, and everything else I write on this blog, delivered directly to your email inbox, please click like and follow below.

I provide specialist coaching for academics that focuses on stress, burnout prevention and recovery, as well as other workplace issues such a marginalisation and career planning. You can find out more by following the links above or by emailing me an enquiry at francesca@beathacoaching.org. I offer financial arrangements and half-price packages for anyone in precarious employment. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.