Why the vagus nerve is the key to fighting stress

Stress StressThe vagus nerve plays a critical role in stress regulation and feelings of safety, according to both Brad Lichtenstein, ND, BCB, at The Breath Space in Lake Forest Park, Wash. and Courtney Snyder, MD, a holistic psychiatrist in private practice in Louisville, Ky. Known as the "great wandering protector” of the body, it starts in the brain stem and extends all the way down through the colon, affecting most body systems, according to a 2017 article in Gastroenterology. Like a superhighway, it transmits information back and forth from our organs to our brains and vice versa. “The vagus sends signals down to the body to help regulate digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure, inflammation, and more. It also sends signals back up to the brain about what is happening in the body,” said Lichtenstein. According to Lichtenstein, vagal tone — the health of the vagus nerve — is reflective of the ability to relax, which is a critical counterbalance to sympathetic nervous s…

So Much Info Available Such Little Success

So Much Info Available Such Little Success Today more than any other time in our history there has never been so much information available on how to create, grow and maintain a really successful business. Information encircles almost every type of entrepreneurial pursuit imaginable. There are books, webinars, and courses available with great content, presented in a readily digestible systematic manner that’s easy to comprehend. Yet there is such little success that comes from it. Part of that could be not everyone completes the book or the training. Then of the people that do complete the training, many take little or no action to create the meaningful result that were wanting to achieve. The few people that are consistently able to take action with their newly acquired knowledge do achieve amazing results. So it’s not that there was anything wrong with the training which was provided it was provided equally to all. Yes, there’s always things that…

6 Reasons to See a Therapist

6 Reasons to See a Therapist People go to therapy for various reasons, such as major life transitions or unhelpful thoughts. But it varies from person to person. Through therapy, a mental health counselor can help you work through difficult feelings or stressors that may affect your day-to-day life. The approach is very collaborative and depends on your relationship and your therapist. When choosing a therapist who is right for you, consider thinking about what your deal breakers are, qualities that are important, and any other characteristics you value. One thing to keep in mind when seeking help from a therapist is that it may take several months and help from different therapists along the way. You should never feel obligated to stick with one therapist when you feel they are not the right fit or it is time to move forward with someone else. All that matters is that you begin therapy when you’re ready and trust your intuition. How you approach your treatment is your cho…

When Work Life is Isolating

When Work Life is Isolating We so often bustle about doing the daily routine and do not even notice that we (most days) are not contributing enough time to taking care of ourselves. A big part of self-care is community — socializing with others. When you work from home or are tied up in an office all day long, you are not out interacting with other human beings and life on Earth. Of course work is important, but so is your mental health, and even individuals who prefer a quiet, isolated environment usually need interaction with others, or at the very least, with nature. When we are cut off from others, we are cut off from humanity and togetherness. We are cut off from the healing powers of love, kindness, communication, nature, and sunshine. We can get in a habit of relying on only ourselves to keep our mental state thriving, and this becomes problematic when we are not at our best or most balanced and the scales tip into feelings of isolation, depression, and lack of fulf…

The Best Strategies for Parents to Boost Their Mental Health

The Best Strategies for Parents to Boost Their Mental Health Feeling out of sorts? Mental health pros share their tips for simple changes with big benefits. You know that caring for your mental health is vital. But, as a parent, you’re also limited on time and energy — resources that have only shrunk since the pandemic started. And yet, with a bit of intention, you can absolutely tend to your mental health — even with a demanding career, little to no childcare, and 1,000 other tasks you need to complete. Here are the best (and totally doable) mental health-boosting strategies, according to psychotherapists. Care for your basic needs These basics include eating regularly, eating nutrient-rich foods, and moving your body, says Laura Torres, LPC, a psychotherapist in Asheville, North Carolina. To actually make this happen, she suggests carrying a snack and water bottle with you wherever you’re going and eating when you feed your kids. You can also participate in fun physical …

4 Benefits of Sports Massage For Runners

4 Benefits of Sports Massage For Runners Scheduling a massage can be a great way to generate relaxation, alleviate aches and pains, and calm you mind. When looking at the full scope of services that are available from any professional massage therapist, it can be overwhelming to understand all of the different types of massage techniques that are out there. Sports Massage is a technique that is specific to athletes or anyone who has a physically active lifestyle. This technique should be selected when you have experienced an injury due to playing sport or training for an event. Runners especially need to get sports massages regularly while training for races. This technique is not just for treatment of injuries; it also provides relief before, during and after physically demanding athletic activity. We all go through a lot of stress every day. The life of an athlete can be even more stressful than average, both physically and mentally. Every day they go through a strict work…

Biofeedback Therapy

Biofeedback therapy is a technique that trains people to improve their health by controlling certain bodily processes that normally happen involuntarily, such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and skin temperature. Patches, called electrodes, are placed on different parts of your body to measure your heart rate, blood pressure, or other function. A monitor is used to display the results. With help from a biofeedback therapist, they will describe a situation and guide you through relaxation techniques. The monitor lets you see how your heart rate and blood pressure change in response to being stressed or remaining relaxed. Initially, you will use the monitor to see your progress, but eventually you will be able to achieve success without the use of a monitor or electrodes. Biofeedback is an effective therapy for many conditions, but it is primarily used to treat high blood pressure, tension headache, migraine headache, chronic pain, and urinary incontinence. Biofe…

EFT Tapping

EFT Tapping means "Emotional Freedom Techniques" and is a powerful self-help method based on research showing that emotional trauma contributes greatly to disease. Clinical trials have shown that EFT tapping is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body can often rebalance itself, and accelerate healing. EFT uses elements of Cognitive Therapy and Exposure Therapy, and combines them with Acupressure, in the form of fingertip tapping on 12 acupuncture points. Over 100 papers published in peer-reviewed medical and psychology journals, including dozens of clinical trials, have demonstrated that EFT is effective for phobias, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, pain, and other problems. Pain Relief With EFT The results of EFT for pain management are often long-lasting, especially when you tackle the emotional issues that often exacerbate pain. EFT address…

Empowering Yourself with Your Fertility

I want to share my journey of empowering myself by virtue of accepting the fact that I am a woman and that is an incredible thing! Like many I had a rocky introduction into this world of fertility. Fear based and entirely focused on not making the mistake of getting pregnant at a young age. This message sunk in and stung as I felt the ramifications ripple through me from taking hormonal contraceptive pills. The understanding became that my fertility was something to be feared. It was best to lock it away, shove it down, control it.

On the progesterone pill or POP as it is known, my womb shut down. No menstruation, no highs or lows. It felt like the female aspect to my being flat lined. At this time, I had only been menstruating for a few years and I was at the beginning of my journey of experiencing making love. For that part of me to shut off at that time in my life was desperately disorientating. It left me…

The Law of Attraction

Take a moment to think about something you would like to manifest in your life…

What does it feel like?

What does it look like?

Fill in as much sensual detail as you can about this manifestation. Expanding out to how it would change your life and the lives of the people close to you. Seeing this manifesting in your life, envisage the ripple effect that it will cause. Breath and close your eyes to sink into this daydream.

Welcome back. You have just manifested something you desire. All things are created first in this space. I am resistant to giving this space a name, but one could call it the thought space, the dream space, or your imagination. What brings your dream from your imagination into your reality is two things. Repetition of the thought and belief in the inevitability of it happening.

What is so interesting is that you are already an expert! You have…

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