Is Fibromyalgia Progressive?

Is Fibromyalgia Progressive?

I recently read a post on twitter by My Name is Fibromyalgia that says that fibromyalgia is progressive. And goes into details of the 6 Stages. It is a good article and quite dire. 

It makes me sad when I read posts like this as it projects a negative future for “most” cases of fibromyalgia. It makes me sad because I know many people with fibromyalgia, maybe even most, will go down this path.

Because I know there are options that can change the trajectory. It makes me sad that so many men and women with fibromyalgia are suffering and can’t, don’t or won’t believe that the possibility of improving their health exists.  Or don’t even consider it as a possibility.

It is a bit scary to write and share this, as sometimes people with fibromyalgia will be offended by my belief that we can improve.  And I truly don’t like to offend people. One of my worst fears is offending others. 

Yet, I have written and posted this because I need to share my experience and hopefully plant some seeds of hope that you can improve. You don’t have to go down the road of progressively getting worse. You can turn around your health and improve. 

 

I know there are options

My fibromyalgia symptoms began in my early childhood. I was told the pain I was experiencing was normal, so nothing was done. It also created the belief in me that being in pain was the norm. 

It wasn’t until after I graduated from college that I realized that what I experienced wasn’t the norm. I had taken a backpacking class and the final session was to backpack up the side of a mountain and camp overnight.   Halfway up the mountain, I had to stop because my shoulder was in such severe pain.  I was carrying a camera on that shoulder.  I stopped and watched the other people continue up the trail. In that moment, I knew that there was something very different about me. That the pain I was experiencing was not normal. No one else on that trail with me was in severe pain. 

My fibromyalgia started in childhood and slowly but progressively got worse. By three years out of college, I was in severe pain, depressed, anxious, severe IBS, fatigued and had severe interstitial cystitis and suffered from insomnia. It was so bad that I ended my job as a CPA to find solutions to my health.   

Over the next 40 years, I studied and immersed myself in holistic health and spirituality. 

I was really sick. For 14 years, from age 34-48, I lived with my parents as I couldn’t work enough to support myself. 

 

And I have improved. Greatly. 

Many of my fibro symptoms are gone completely. Others are mild. Some I am still working on. Here is a summary: 

Mild: Pain, depression, anxiety – comes and goes.

Rarely: Brain fog

Gone: Insomnia, fatigue, interstitial cystitis

Some symptoms that came on later: itching and burning skin was very severe for a while-now rarely occurs and if so, very mild. 

Right now, the IBS is the greatest challenge, but improving. 

I have come so far since those torturous years when I was living with my parents. That is when the pain, fatigue, insomnia, depression, and anxiety were at their worst.  I literally wanted to die. I didn’t want to continue living in so much pain. 

I am not completely free of fibromyalgia. It still limits me. But I am soooooo much healthier.  One of my biggest problems is that now that I can do more, sometimes I push myself too much, which can flare up old symptoms.  But, as I balance my work with play and rest, I don’t flare up as often. 

All this is a result of what I learned and experienced in my studies of holistic health and spirituality. They go hand in hand. 

 

It is Your Choice

You get to choose. With a strong intention and commitment, you can improve your health. It can be a challenge, but it is worth the effort. 

 

5 Stages of Moving Beyond Fibromyalgia

Below is an article that I wrote several years ago and re-posted last year. I am including it here as a reminder of what is possible.  If anything, I invite you to consider the possibility that you can improve your health with some guidance, intention, and commitment. 

5 Stages of Moving Beyond Fibromyalgia

My goal in life was to move beyond the experience of fibromyalgia.

As I moved through my experience of living with fibromyalgia, with that as my goal, I noticed 5 distinct phases that I went through. They were, in essence, 5 steps of empowering myself in relationship to fibromyalgia. These steps are:

  1. Understanding Fibromyalgia
  2. Living with Fibromyalgia
  3. Managing Fibromyalgia
  4. Rebuilding your Health
  5. Life beyond Fibromyalgia.

Understanding Fibromyalgia

In the simplest of terms, fibromyalgia is an experience of multiple physical, emotional and cognitive symptoms including (but not exclusive) to widespread pain, heightened and painful response to pressure, fatigue, sleep disturbance, joint stiffness, difficulty swallowing, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, bladder abnormalities, numbness and tingling, brain fog, depression, and anxiety. The exact symptoms and severity of symptoms vary from individual to individual. Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2-4% of the population and effects 9 women for every man. The term “fibromyalgia” literally means “muscle and connective tissue pain”.

It is said that there is no cure for fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is not fatal. My experience is that the symptoms do increase over time if not managed and addressed properly. Diagnosis can be difficult and even after diagnosis, finding a practitioner that truly understands fibromyalgia is rare.

 

Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Generally medical treatment for fibromyalgia is management of symptoms via medications and lifestyle management. In the holistic arena you will find acupuncture, herbal treatments, “miracle cures”, chiropractic treatments, diet and exercise recommendations galore, and many countless modalities. All of these have their place.  

Personally I think that rather than focusing on treating or healing fibromyalgia, we need to focus on healing the individual. I believe that the underlying cause of fibromyalgia is different for each person so the idea of healing or treating fibromyalgia or the individual symptoms may bring some temporary relief, but do nothing to create permanent or lasting change. Treating symptoms only can detract the attention from identifying the underlying cause and thereby making real progress.

 

Living with Fibromyalgia

Living with fibromyalgia is a difficult endeavor. In my experience, the symptoms can change radically from day to day, leaving me unsure of what I would be capable of accomplishing on any given day. Fibromyalgia can impact every area of your life including career, family, relationships, hobbies, finances, and self-esteem.

It is difficult if not impossible for someone who does not have fibromyalgia to understand what you are experiencing. Many times I heard, “it is all in your head”, “everyone experiences pain”, “you’re just too sensitive”, or “just get over it”. 

People rarely understood why I couldn’t keep up with everyone else or often had to say, “I am just going to stay home” simply because I needed to rest. Many times, I would push myself to do more than my body could handle, and end up in extreme pain and miserable. 

Truthfully, it took me years of suffering before I understood how to live with fibromyalgia. Trying to push through isn’t helpful. In the years that I did that, I did more damage to my health and paid dearly for it.

 

Managing Fibromyalgia

Slowly, I began to listen to my body and understand the limitations that it imposed on me. When I fought the limitations, I suffered. As I learned to respect my body and the messages it sent me, I began to be able to manage my symptoms so that they were tolerable and that I could maintain a consistent level of functionality.  

By listening to my body, I found foods that were more supportive and exercise routines that worked for me. I discovered how much sleep I needed and what would disturb or enhance my sleep. I found the kind of regular schedule that would support me in keeping the symptoms at a tolerable level. I discovered what kinds of activities I could engage in and others that I needed to avoid. I could tell when my emotions and anxiety were spiraling out of control and learned ways to pull back to take care of myself. I found tools that helped my body to relax and release pain and tension.

As I listened, I began to hear more. I became aware of unresolved emotional experiences and how to release them. I learned to listen to my mind and become aware of the kinds of thoughts I fed to myself and then began to slowly re-script my inner dialogue. I learned to how to take care of myself the times that I was severely depressed. I learned how to take my power back and communicate effectively with others.

I think I have learned more from listening to my body than from any book I have ever read. Although, the outside information was valuable and if I asked for it, I would receive information that was helpful to me. I found that most medications did not work for me so I chose a more holistic approach.

(This doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t take medications. Sometimes they are helpful in managing symptoms while releasing underlying causes.)

 

Rebuilding Your Health

Once I accepted the limitations that fibromyalgia imposed on me and learned to manage my experience, I was in a more stable position. From there I could begin to research and experiment and look for the underlying cause of my symptoms.

I had the belief that I could heal myself and I needed/wanted to do that. With this approach, I have been able to root out the underlying causes of my fibromyalgia and put myself on the road to healing. Finding the underlying cause was one step, applying the needed protocols to my life a second step and then re-balancing, detoxing and rebuilding my body was the third step.

Out of my own experiences, I have pulled together the tools and methods that work most effectively as well as an understanding of how to evaluate others as to how to guide and support their exploration.

 

Life Beyond Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can be an all-encompassing experience. It can become the center point of our life. While dealing with fibromyalgia, it can be helpful to remember that it isn’t the whole of our life or the whole of who you are. We need to find outlets for ourselves and our expression that bring love, peace and enjoyment into our lives while on the journey to healing. We also can look beyond the experience of Fibromyalgia and see or envision ourselves whole, healthy and fulfilled.

As a result of having fibromyalgia I explored areas of myself and experiences in my life that have brought me great peace, contentment, empowerment and inner strength. I am a more whole and complete person as a result of my illness. I have learned a great deal about human behavior, health, wellness and spirituality. I have found my own unique voice and each day give way to my authentic self.  This is a result of the inner work that I did along the way.

I am grateful for this and love the person who I have become. Healing all parts of myself, physical, emotional, mental, expression and spiritual, became the journey. That journey will continue as I grow and evolve.

 

My wish for you

When I talk with women who have fibromyalgia, I can fully relate to their pain and their experience of fibromyalgia. I have no doubt of the real pain, physical, emotional or mental that they experience. I was there. While I didn’t experience exactly where you are and what you experience, I know what it is like to be in massive pain and suffering on all levels.

My wish for you is that you find your unique path to the experience of Beyond Fibromyalgia. My commitment to you is to share my experience and what I have learned in my long and agonizing journey with fibromyalgia. I often think that if I knew then what I know today, I could have saved many years of pain and suffering.

I will continue to offer free information and reasonably priced offerings to assist you on your journey to wellness.

Feel free to ask for assistance. You can reach out through my contact form.

May you be on a journey to beyond fibromyalgia,

❤️Bindu

Where are You? Where do you want to be?

Where are You? Where do you want to be?

Honestly, that is a very vague question.  So, let me clarify.

The real question is, where are you in regard to your nervous system and how does that impact your life experience and fibromyalgia?   And what can you do about it?

Our Autonomic Nervous System controls much of the activity in the body.  It has two branches, the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System and the Enteric Nervous System. 

Today we will focus on the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System.   Both have a direct connection to the organ systems in your body. 

In a healthy person, these two nervous systems balance each other.  The Sympathetic gets us up in the morning and keeps us moving during the day so we can function in the world.  The Parasympathetic nervous system slows us down so we can sleep, and the body can rest and repair.   They both are connected to the organ systems in the body to make sure they function properly and can rest, repair and rejuvenate. 

The two naturally work in harmony with each other to keep us healthy. 

When we have experienced trauma, negative life experiences and ongoing stress, the automatic nervous system becomes disregulated.   We can become stuck in either the sympathetic or parasympathetic or take wild swings from one to the other. 

Why is this important to know?

For women with fibromyalgia, this is important because a dysregulated nervous system can be a contributing factor to our fibro symptoms and/or can block healing and recovery from fibromyalgia.

If you know “where you are” meaning “where is your nervous system”, you can take steps to regulate your nervous system and bring it back into balance.  That is a big step in fibromyalgia recovery. 

Your nervous system can be in a state of Sympathetic Dominance, or Parasympathetic Dominance, or swing wildly from one to the other. Or sometimes both are activated.  Or it can be in a balanced or regulated state.

The lists below for each state will provide information for you to consider as you observe your experience.  This will help you to understand where your nervous system is.

Sympathetic Dominance

If your sympathetic nervous system is dominate, you will be in a state of hyper-arousal or fight or flight.  Some of the signs of being in Sympathetic Dominance are:

Signs of hyper arousal: 

  • Fight, flight
  • Overwhelm
  • Rigid and inflexible
  • Impulsivity
  • Tension
  • Anxiety, panic
  • Insomnia
  • Defensiveness
  • Restlessness
  • Intrusive Imagery
  • Phobias
  • Self-destructive behavior
  • Addictions
  • Overeating or restricted eating
  • Obsessive rumination
  • Rage, irritability
  • Emotional reactivity
  • Exaggerated startle response
  • Feeling unsafe

Parasympathetic Dominance

If your parasympathetic nervous system is dominate, you will be in a state of hypo-arousal aka Shutdown or Immobilization.  Some of the signs of being in Parasympathetic Dominance are: 

Signs of Hypo-Activation 

  • Shutdown
  • Reduced Awareness of Sensation
  • Emotionally numb or flat
  • Unable to think
  • Dissociation
  • Memory impairment
  • Sleepy/unable to stay awake.
  • Spacy
  • Withdrawn
  • Unable to actively defend yourself
  • Collapsed
  • Fainting
  • Unable to Move
  • Reduced Physical Movement
  • Lethargy / No energy
  • Disconnected
  • Depressed
  • Passive
  • Ashamed
  • Less Verbal
  • Disappearing

Signs of a balanced nervous system

What you may not know is what it feels like to have a normal balanced nervous system, that easily flows from one to the other as needed as your move through your day. If you have had trauma, ongoing stress, or negative life experiences in early childhood, you might have never experienced a balanced nervous system.  I certainly didn’t. 

What is the experience of a balanced nervous system?

  • You can feel your emotions and think about them at the same time.
  • Feelings and experiences are tolerable.
  • Access to compassion and empathy – toward yourself and others.
  • Ability to learn.
  • Able to be present.
  • Able to be curious about your feelings rather than reactive, defensive, or judgmental.
  • Feeling grounded and calm
  • Able to feel connected in a mutual relationship.
  • Creative
  • Courage
  • Confidence
  • Clarity
  • Contentment
  • Inner Peace

Where are you?

As you read over the lists, what resonates with you?  Which state or states do you experience frequently.  Here are some questions to consider: 

  1. Do you relate to one list or both?
  2. Do you swing from one to the other?
  3. Do you have normal healthy swings from sympathetic to parasympathetic?
  4. Do you have large dramatic swings from sympathetic to parasympathetic?
  5. Do you stay stuck in one or the other?
  6. Are there people or events that will trigger either hypo (parasympathetic) or hyper (sympathetic) activation?
  7. If you become triggered into one or the other states, can you get yourself out?

Keep in Mind . . .

Keep in mind that you will naturally have ups and downs in life.  The nervous system will keep moving from parasympathetic to sympathetic naturally.   And that both are needed to navigate the normal, natural ups and downs of life.    The problem is when one or the other dominates and we get stuck or have wild swings from parasympathetic  to sympathetic.    

Take sometime this coming week to become more aware of  “where you are” in relation to your  nervous system as you go through your day.   Print out the lists and post them where you can see them or carry one with you.  

Awareness is the first step in creating change.  Simply by being aware of where your nervous system is will begin to create change.  Over the last several blogs and newsletters, I have provided some simple practices that can bring you to a balanced nervous system.  The change can be subtle, and it can take some consistent practice over a period of time. 

Also in my upcoming programs, Reconnect with Your Calm Inner Presence and An Introduction to the Integrative Wholeness Experience, we will go more deeply into how to create and maintain a balanced health nervous system. 

Stay tuned. 

May your nervous system be balanced and healthy,  💕Bindu

Your Inner Radar

Your Inner Radar

Your Inner Radar


We all have an inner radar.

Our body was designed to survive.  Part of our inner survival mechanisms is to constantly be scanning our inner and outer environment and even other people.  This is called neuroception.

It is the way our nervous system listens to the world within our self and outside of our self.   Your nervous system is constantly perceiving the world inside and outside.

It is listening to what is happening in your body, heart, lungs, digestive system, your muscles.  Also, your emotional state and your mental state.

It also perceives what is going on around you.  Sights, sounds, smells, movement, and sensations.

Your nervous system also perceives other people and what is going on inside of them.

There is way more going on inside and outside than our mind can capture, understand, and integrate.


Why is this important?

Especially when it comes to our health and happiness. 

When your nervous system perceives a threat, it automatically responds to that threat.  Your fight or flight or freeze or shut down kicks in automatically.  Your body is preprogrammed to keep you safe and alive.

When your nervous system perceives safety, it relaxes and allows the body to relax.


Impact of trauma on neuroception

When we have been traumatized, the neuroception can perceive potential threats based on your past experience.

For example, a big burly man with red hair and a yellow shirt hurt you or traumatized you when you were young.   Your nervous system may send you into fight or flight or shut down any time you see a big burly man or a man with red hair, or the color yellow.

Even if there is no real threat in your current environment.  This leads to anxiety and stress even when there is no real threat.

This neuroception is also listening to what is going on in your body, so if you have suppressed emotions your nervous system will activate fight or flight or freeze or shut down almost continuously.

This is a factor in anxiety disorders and severe depression.


The question becomes, “What can we do about this?”

This is where mindfulness and practices that calm and balance your nervous system can be helpful.

Mindfulness is the practice of being present with what is really happening in the moment, in our environment and in our body.

So, if you are being mindful, you will notice your anxiety level rise.  You will also notice what is happening in the environment outside of you.  And you can evaluate your environment to see if there is a true threat or only a perceived threat that doesn’t exist.

If you have an ongoing mindfulness practice, your nervous system will be more grounded in the present and less likely to overreact.  If your nervous system is overreacting, the next step is to apply one of the practices that calm and balance the nervous system.    See my recent posts for simple and easy mindfulness practices.  And here are some other suggestions that may be helpful.

My preferred practice is to slow down and deepen my breath.  That will take the edge off anxiety and bring you into the present moment.

Other simple practices include:

  • Grounding yourself in the environment around you. Pick up a pen another object in your environment and focus on it.  The color, texture, shape, smell.
  • Placing your hand on your heart and feel your heart and your hand.
  • Self soothe through positive statements or mantras.
  • Bring to mind a positive experience.
  • Simply look around your environment. Is it safe? Is there any real threat?


You may have other ways to self soothe.

Be creative.  Ask your heart what it needs to feel safe.

Enjoy exploring ways that you can self soothe and calm your nervous system.  Self-care is essential in today’s busy world.

 

May you soothe and calm your inner experience, 💕Bindu

Finding Your Calm Grounded Center

Finding Your Calm Grounded Center

For the last several weeks, we have been talking about trauma and how it impacts us, our body, our emotions, and our mind.  

Today, we will explore some ways that we can rediscover and ground our self in a calm grounded center.  There are many ways to do this. As we are all unique, we must find what works for us.  

Over the last few weeks, I have offered a breath technique, the hug, and placing your hand on your heart. This is a wonderful starting place. Today, I’ll share another possibility.     

Another way to nurture a calm grounded center is to remember memories from your past where you felt loved, safe, secure, heard, respected. And the list could go on, but I think you get my drift. It could be anything that leaves you with a pleasant feeling inside. 

 

Here are some areas that you can consider:

1.        Who is a person or pet that you feel welcomed and/or safe with?

I have my three beloved cats who surround me with their love. And some close friends that I feel very safe with and can share my heart. 

2.      Is there an object that helps you to feel safe?

This could be a piece of jewelry, a teddy bear, maybe a warm cup of tea. Let your creativity have some fun with discovering an object that would help you to feel safe.

3.       Is there an action or activity that grounds you or brings you into a pleasant or calm state of body and mind. 

I love working in my yard and planting beautiful plants and watching them grow. I like to go for walks and appreciate nature around me or listen to an uplifting song or podcast. 

4.      Is there a place where you feel welcome and content? 

I love my home. I feel safe within my home. Being in nature helps me to feel grounded and content. And I love teaching my yoga classes which brings me great joy and connection with others. 

5.       What words can you say to yourself that give you comfort? Is there something that you can say to your inner child to reassure yourself?  What did you most want and need to hear as a child? Can you say those words to yourself. 

 Be creative with this exploration

This is just a very short list of the possible external places, people, events and activities that can assist in returning to a balanced state. Use your creativity to discover what works for you. As you discover what works for you, consider how you can integrate them into your life.

I understand that overcoming trauma is a long-term process. Many times, it may feel like you are not making any progress. Yet every kind word, grounding breath or hug takes us one step closer to recovery. 

May you feel welcome, safe, and loved, 💕Bindu

Coming Soon

Thanks for your patience. 

I am having a challenge in getting the time together to finalize the program.

Trauma and Physical Symptoms

Trauma and Physical Symptoms

Trauma Symptoms and the Nervous System

Symptoms from trauma can be caused by chronic dysregulation of our nervous system.  This can impact us in two areas, physical/somatic and psychological.  In this post, I will talk about the physical.  Next week we will look at psychological impact.

Chronic dysregulation of the nervous system affects hormonal processes, metabolism and pain perception.  Which in turn can contribute to physical symptoms such as.

  • GI issues, like irritable bowel syndrome, digestive issues, bloating, cramping, pain.
  • Gastritis, which is an inflammation of the lining of the gut.
  • Headaches, especially migraines, are common.
  • Cardiac issues, including cardiac arrhythmias– these can also be caused by other organic issues, but are frequently seen in people with trauma histories.
  • Musculoskeletal issues, like fibromyalgia and chronic pain
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Respiratory issues like asthma and reactive airways
  • Dermatological issues like hives, rashes.
  • Autoimmune diseases, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, lupus.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
  • TMJ– temporomandibular joint, your jaw, and the tendency for it to lock.
  • Restless legs syndrome.

Sound familiar? 

There’s more, but this is an overview to give you a sense of how far-reaching these symptoms can be.  Symptoms are different for different people depending on their lifestyle, genetics, the type of trauma, and other factors.

Keep in mind that there can also be physical causes for symptoms, so it is good to explore that possibility also with a competent health care provider.

 

This may seem discouraging, but there is hope!

As we release our trauma, our nervous system becomes more regulated. That allows the body to rebuild your health from the inside out. Sometimes the dysregulation becomes a habit that the body naturally defaults to.

I have experienced great improvement in my physical and emotional health from my focus on healthy my trauma. One of the greatest blessings is that I sleep really well which also has reduced my pain and fatigue.

You can begin now.  Here are some simple tools that can begin to regulate your nervous system.

The Breath  

Notice your breath.  Breath in for 2 counts and out for 4 counts.  Or in for 3 counts and out for 6 counts.  The idea here is to have the exhalation be twice as long as the inhalation.  it’s ok if the exhalation isn’t twice as long.  Just let it be longer than the inhalation.

The Heart

Simply placing your hand on your heart and feel the connection between your hand and your heart.  You can increase the effectiveness of this by saying something kind to yourself.  Even something as simple as “I hear you.”

The Hug

Place you right hand under your left armpit.  And your right hand on your left upper arm.  Gently squeeze . . . giving yourself a hug.


Daily Practice

Can you commit to 10 minutes per day to use these simple tools?  Play around with them and notice how your body responds. Which works for you?  You can combine them as well, using the Breath with the Heart and the Hug.

You can begin to bring your nervous system back into balance.  The results may be subtle or obvious.  With consistent practice over a period of months you will notice a difference.  What have you got to lose? 

May you regulate your nervous system.  💗Bindu

 

Coming Soon!

Trauma, Awareness, and Acceptance

Trauma, Awareness, and Acceptance

Trauma and the Nervous System

Last week, we talked about how trauma changes the nervous system and identified the different ‘states’ our nervous system can be in.

This week we will work with how to know where you are at any given moment.

Our nervous system changes moment by moment. You could be in sympathetic overdrive one moment and then parasympathetic freeze in the next moment.

You could be grounded with a balanced nervous system in one moment and in sympathetic overdrive the next.

The nervous system isn’t static. It changes from moment to moment.

States of the nervous system

Sympathetic Activation

In this state the sympathetic nervous system is activated. The overriding emotion is fear or anger. Your instinctive reaction is to run away or fight. You are mobilized; your survival energy kicks in. You feel like you need some kind of action to be safe.

The perception here is one of danger. We’re alarmed. We’re hyper vigilant. There’s a sense of separation, where we’re cut off from others. We are looking and listening for danger.

This gives rise to ongoing anxiety, panic attacks. Angry outbursts. An ongoing feeling of anger. Being in self protective mode. We can’t rest or relax. Insomnia is frequent.

You may be driven to be active all the time, unconsciously trying to keep yourself safe.

What are other signs that you become aware of, that are unique to you? We are all different and unique.

Parasympathetic Activation

The body puts you into a state of freeze. You are immobilized.  You shut down. You are locked into a hypo arousal state. You become fearful of everything with an inability to respond or react. If your parasympathetic nervous system is engaged you will feel lethargic, exhausted, no energy, overwhelmed, dead, sleepy, disengaged, spacey, ungrounded. Brain fog.

You don’t have the energy to fight or flight. You may feel as if you are floating. You are untethered. A sense of me versus you, us versus them. You we have a sense of separation, cut off from others. Disconnected.

What are other signs that you become aware of, that are unique to you?

Regulated Nervous System – Ventral State

A healthy nervous system regulates our experience. Our body can gear up for activity and gear down for rest and relaxation. And we can easily switch from being geared up to gearing down. In a healthy, balanced nervous system, we experience a sense of inner calm, clarity, compassion and confidence.

 

The goal isn’t to always be in the same state.

As we move through life, we will experience all of these states. We naturally move through the states. That is normal and healthy. The problem arises when we get stuck in sympathetic arousal or parasympathetic freeze, or a combination of the two. We don’t have access to the ventral state.

Often, shame creeps in. Self judgment arises. We feel like we need to be more in control. We shouldn’t get angry. We should have more energy. We shouldn’t be depressed or anxious. But we are.

But remember, these states are your nervous systems way of trying to protect you and keep you safe. They are automatic reactions over which you have no control.

Compassion is necessary. Let yourself off the hook.

There is a way out.

 

Awareness and acceptance.

Last week, you were introduced to a simple breathing exercise. To let the out breath be twice as long as the in breath. Regular practice will help to bring you into a Ventral State, which will become stronger over time

This week, we will become more aware of our states. And holding yourself with compassion and acceptance. Becoming aware of your states, is an essential part of healing.

 

For this week.

This week, focus on watching your experience. Noticing when you are in sympathetic arousal, parasympathetic freeze or Ventral – regulated. Here are some things to watch for.

  • Do you stay in one state most of the time?
  • Do you move between states? How often?
  • Do you ever experience Ventral – regulated?
  • What state is dominate in your experience?
  • Are there triggers that will throw you into a fight or flight or freeze state?
  • What are they?
  • Do you judge yourself?
  • Do you feel ashamed?

You might want to pause a few times during the day and just ask yourself, “what state am I in”. When you wake up in the morning, what state are you in? When you prepare for bed, what state are you in?

Notice if self judgment or shame arises.

Place you hand on the center of your chest. As you hold the hand there, breath in for two counts and out for two counts. Notice what happens.

Give this a try this week and let me know how it works. You can use my contact page or message me in Facebook.

 

May you be aware, 💗Bindu

Coming Soon