Vagal Nervous System
What is the purpose of the Vagus Nerve?
connection between mind and body
What can getting more light or light exposure help with?
improve metabolic health, lower blood pressure, support immune function.
10-20 minutes of natural light in the 1st hour of waking up. 10,000 lux light if it is winter or you are up before the sunlight.
What is the Hyperarousal state?
fight, flight, freeze
What is the suggestion(s) given to be proactive and set clear boundaries: The harder you try to not feel stressed the more stressed you feel?
You have to be proactive by choosing what you are going to do. Set an actionable intention for the day. Choose something simple and empowering like “I will be kind to myself today” or “I will notice when I feel overwhelmed and then I’ll pause”. Write this down to visualize this for the day.
What is the suggestion(s) given to Counteract hypervigilance by restoring your sense of safety?
restoring sense of safety. Remind yourself that you are safe, because you can trust yourself to get through it.
True or False
How you start your day matters?
True
What is the purpose for the evening wind down?
Your morning routine primes your brain for the day ahead. Your evening routine is what allows your brain to actually recover from the day. Without proper evening restoration even the best morning routine can’t fully compensate for a brain that never gets to rest. Your brain operates on a predictable rhythm throughout the day. Understanding this rhythm is key to optimizing your evening routine.
What is the Ventral Vagal Nervous system and what emotions are associated with this nervous system?
safe/connected
Calm, confident, curious, creative
What does Heat and cold changes help with?
Washing face in cold water and/or take a cold shower.
Cold water triggers a bunch of positive effects: slowing your heart rate and expanding your window of tolerance.
What are some of the thoughts, emotions, body, and relation sypmptoms for Hyperarousal?
Thoughts: I’m in danger, rigid thinking
Emotions: stressed, anxious, panicky, angry
Body: tense, fast breathing and heart rate, slower digestion, busy, clenched fists
Relations: guarded, defensive, attacking, withdrawing, insecure, clingy, codependent
What is the suggestion(s) given to Slow down instead of speed up?
When you feel dysregulated, slow down. To move deliberately. Pause yourself and take 3 slow breaths or before you eat check in with your body or say a prayer. Train yourself to walk more slowly, eat more slowly, respond more slowly.
What are other suggestion(s) given to Counteract hypervigilance by restoring your sense of safety?
Orienting to safety, when you are feeling hypervigilant you can gently turn your head and look around your space. What you are doing is grounding yourself in this present moment. Name 3 things you can see, 3 things you can hear and 3 things you can feel. Carry an anchor object or have a mantra such as “I am safe enough”.
What is the natural sequence of events for your start of the morning?
Cortisol may be associated with stress but it is also your get up and go hormone. Under normal circumstances your cortisol levels spike within in the first 30 to 45 minutes after you wake up. This is considered your cortisol awakening response. It’s what helps you feel alert, motivated and ready to take on your day. That natural rhythm can be disrupted by poor sleep, stress, inconsistent routines and even checking your phone before getting out of bed. When your cortisol rhythm is off, you may feel groggy in the morning and wired at night. Which is the exact opposite of what your brain needs to be resilient.
True or False
Cortisol should naturally decline?
True
As the day progresses, your cortisol levels should naturally begin to decline. For sleep and restoration cortisol needs to drop off in the evening. Typically starting about 3 or 4 hours before your intended bedtime. At the same time as daylight fades, your brain should start producing melatonin, often called the sleep hormone.
What is the Sympatyhetic Vagal Nervous system and what emotions are associated with this nervous system?
fight or flight
Stressed, anxious, angry, avoidant, worried, busy
What is one suggestion to active the Vagus Nerve stimulation?
Hum or sigh
What is the window of tolerance state?
“I can handle this”
What is the suggestion(s) given to Set the tone for the day?
Give yourself enough time in the morning to set the tone for your day. Meditation, prayer or reading (something upbeat and/or soothing - not the news), Exercise, lower-carb breakfast, take it easy on caffeine (or cut it out).
What is the suggestion(s) given to Build skills to bounce back from triggers?
you have a plan for when you’re dysregulated.
What is the suggestion(s) for morning light exposure?
sunlight within the 1st hour of waking, helps suppress melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy and reinforces circadian rhythm. Ideally go outside for 5 - 10 minutes or open the blinds or curtains.
What type of light should be decreased in the evening?
blue wavelengths - light
When you’re exposed to bright light in the evening, especially light that contains blue wavelengths. Your brain interprets that as a signal that it’s still daytime. This includes not just screens but overhead LED lights and fluorescent lights, which emit more blue light than you might think. That exposure suppresses melatonin production and can delay it by 1 to 3 hours and that's why you might feel wide awake at 11pm. Mental over stimulation has a similar effect when your brain is constantly processing new information, solving problems or dealing with stress. Cortisol levels stay elevated. There is a term for what many people do in response to this “revenge bedtime procrastination”. This is when you stay up later than you should because you feel like that is the only time you get for yourself. You’re essentially trying to reclaim personal time, but what you are really doing is robbing your brain of the restoration it desperately needs.
What is the Dorsal Vagal Nervous system and what emotions are associated with this nervous system?
Shut down
Depressed, immobilized, exhausted, burnt out, numb, frozen, hopeless, unmotivated
What is another suggestion to active the vagus nerve system especially when stressed?
messaging or taping
What are some of the thoughts, emotions, body, and relation sypmptoms for window of tolerance?
Thoughts: i’m safe, capable, confident, curious, open, flexible
Emotions: calm, relaxed, brave, engaged, hopeful, grateful
Body: regulated, relaxed
Relations: connecting, secure, social
What is the suggestion(s) given to Schedule time to rest?
Schedule in time throughout your day to rest, recover, regulate, checkin. Research shows that we function best when 10% of your day is set aside for rest, that is 2.4 hours.
What does a plan for when you’re dysregulated look like?
Something sensory: for processing like journaling. Something to reengage your sense of safety: something like sipping some ice water, washing your face, go for a walk, listen to some music you love. For processing you can write it out, talk it out, sharing with a friend or therapist, talk into the voice to text on your phone, make a diagram - drawing out the problem. Reengage your sense of safety: reminder or mantra “Here in the moment I am safe. I’ve gotten through 100% of tough days in the past, so I can trust myself to feel my feelings and be ok”. Request support, or pray.
What is the suggestion(s) for Moving your body?
taking a walk, exercise or morning stretches
What is the suggestion(s) for Light transition?
your brain uses light as it’s primary cue for whether it should be awake or preparing for sleep, to support your natural melatonin production, you want to start diming artificial lights about 2 hours before your intended bedtime. This doesn’t mean sitting in complete darkness but it does mean switching to warmer dimmer lighting. You can use amber or red spectrum bulbs in your bedroom or main living area. If that’s not practical, blue light blocking glasses can be surprisingly effective. Many TV, phones and computers have night mode settings that reduce blue light emission and even these small changes can make a significant difference in how quickly your brain starts its evening transition.
Freeze response: restore your sense of safety
Dopamine follows action, mood follows action
What is the 2 pronged approach?
Restoring sense of safety - increasing activation
What is another suggestion to active the vagus nerve system especially when unmotivated?
Structure the worst time of your day (example Rachel had her mom call her at 9am every morning), lay your clothes out, have your breakfast ready, set your morning music. Night time: meditation, reading or listening to something soothing. Limit negative stimuli i.e. news, crime or murder shows. Do gratitude practice. Find someone to help. Noticing the good or being the good in the world
What is the Hypoarousal state?
shut down and overwhelmed
What are other suggestion(s) given to Schedule time to rest?
Screen time (phone, TV, ect) is disassociating not regulating. Some suggestions: 10 minutes in the morning to meditate or read, 15 minutes to go for a walk at lunch, half an hour before bed to wind down with a show, snuggle your child after school, sit on the porch and watch the sunset, extend each meal by 15 minutes.
What is the suggestion(s) given to Expand your window of tolerance?
Move your body - some light exercise, doing some stretches, taking a walk
What is the suggestion(s) for Mental priming?
Those first thoughts really matter. You can do this through journaling, setting an intention, or just silently repeating a phrase like "today I will respond instead of react”. Even a 30 second intention can steer your brain away from chaos and into clarity. To set an intention you do not have to create a detailed to do list or put pressure on yourself.
What is the suggestion(s) for Creating a mental boundary?
between your day and your evening, and this is about shifting from work mode to rest mode. It requires both physical and psychological cues. Your brain responds powerfully to ritual and routine so having specific actions that signal the end of your productive day can help trigger that transition. Physical cues might include changing out of your work clothes into pajamas, washing your hands and face or even just closing your laptop and putting it away. You can also create psychological cues by having a shut down ritual. This might be as simple as saying out loud work is done for the day or writing down your priorities for tomorrow, so your brain doesn’t have to keep track of them overnight.
True or False:
you can hate yourself into being happier?
False
Belittling yourself to create emotion: You can’t hate yourself into being happier. When you berate yourself, you’re not creating safety for yourself.
How can you create a sustainable time to rest?
True rest looks different for everyone. Having a ritual to turn off the stress of the day. Practice mindfulness, learning to slow down. Multitasking is your enemy.
What are some of the thoughts, emotions, body, and relation sypmptoms for Hypoarousal?
Thoughts: hopeless, “why bother”
Emotions: sad, disconnected, depressed, shame
Body: slower heart rate, breathing and digestion; heavy, numb, unmotivated, tired, slumped posture, downward gaze
Relations: isolated, withdrawn, cold, detached, “no one loves me”
What is the suggestion(s) given to Check in with yourself?
regular nervous system regulation; pause and check in with yourself. Notice what physical sensations you are feeling.
What is the suggestion(s) given to Intentionally wind down in the evening?
have an intentional evening wind down routine.
What is the suggestion(s) for Approaching challenges with curiosity instead of stress?
(Essential tools Card deck - includes grounding and intention setting cads that are perfect for morning use). Hydration: your brain is about 73% water and does not store water overnight. Even mild dehydration 1 - 2% can impair memory, concentration and mood. Before your coffee or breakfast drink a full glass of water. Also, making your bed, watering your plants or writing down your top task for the day. When you complete even one small task your brain gets a little hit of dopamine.
What is the suggestion(s) for Downregulation?
helping your body shift from the sympathetic nervous systems from fight or flight mode into the parasympathetic rest and digest mode. This is where breathwork becomes incredibly powerful. Techniques like the four, seven, eight breathing pattern or box breathing, because they directly activate your parasympathetic nervous system. You can also use sensory grounding techniques like taking a warm bath, listening to calming music or engaging in gentle, repetitive activities like light stretching or reading. Progressive muscle relaxation is another simple but effective technique, starting with your toes and working up to your head. You tense each muscle group for 5 seconds then release. Noticing the contrast between the tension and relaxation. This not only helps physically release the days stress, but also gives your mind something concrete to focus on instead of racing thoughts.
When noticing your posture what is the suggestion given?
Sit straighter, head up, gaze foward
What is a simple mantra you can remind yourself?
"I am safe enough in this moment"
Why is it important to identify the Hyperarousal, window of tolerance and Hypoarousal states?
To create habits for self-regulation
What are other suggestion(s) given to Check in with yourself?
Check in with your needs: am I hungry, thirsty, do I need rest, am I holding my breath. Meeting your basic needs supports regulation.
What are other suggestion(s) given to Intentionally wind down in the evening?
Journaling or voice notes: what felt good, reflecting on your day, what was hard, what helped you cope. Somatic release ritual; tape or rub your body, gratitude or 3 good things, progressive muscle relaxation (you lay down and tense/relax each muscle group) or safe place visualization - safe soothing place before you go to bed.
True or False
The key is to do all 5 methods perfectly?
False
The key here isn’t to do all 5 things perfectly every morning. Its to choose 1 or 2 that fit in your life and make them consistent. Because consistency is what builds new neural pathways. The brains ability to change and grow based on what you do repeatedly.
What is the suggestion(s) for Brain dump and release?
this is about giving your mind permission to let go of the day and stop caring its weight into the night. Evening journaling, try writing down 3 things that went well during the day no matter how small and your top priority for tomorrow. This serves 2 purposes it helps your brain process positive experiences which is important for building resilience and it gives you a place to park tomorrow’s concerns so you don’t have to mentally rehearse them all night. If you are someone whose mind races try “worry parking” write down your concerns on paper with the understanding that you’ll address them tomorrow when your brain is fresh and better equipped to handle them. This simple act of externalizing your worries can be surprisingly effective at reducing their mental grip. You can also end with a brief gratitude practice, this doesn’t have to be profound or lengthy either. Just one or two things you feel genuinely grateful for from the day. Gratitude activates areas of your brain associated with positive emotions and helps counteract the natural tendency to ruminate on problems or stressors.