Understanding Anxiety and The Autonomic Nervous System: Moving from Stress Response to Relaxation Response
By Emma Kershen, LMSW
Anxiety can be so deceiving - it can make us feel like we’re being chased by a lion when we aren’t actually in any real physical danger! There is an evolutionary reason for this; at one time, humans DID run the risk of encountering a lion in their day-to-day activities. Thankfully, nowadays, we do not have this same level of threat. However, we still have many other stressors and pressures, and our body’s stress response hasn't changed much.
Let’s back up a little here. Our autonomic nervous system (ANS) is made up of two parts: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Our ANS is in charge of all the things our body does without our control, such as breathing, digestion, and heart rate. The SNS activates our “fight or flight” response when there is a threat or danger (this can be either real or perceived danger), while the PNS returns the body to a state of calm and relaxation, and is responsible for regulating digestion, heart rate, sexual function, breathing, and more (“rest and digest.”)
A bit more on stress responses:
There are 4 stress responses that reflect how our body will react to danger:
fight, flight, freeze, and fawn (later added)
Fight- aggressively acting toward threat
Flight- running from a threat
Freeze- inability to move or act against threat (when your body doesn’t think it can fight or flight)
Fawn- trying to please someone to avoid conflict (after an unsuccessful fight, flight, or freeze attempt; often seen in people who grew up experiencing childhood abuse)
When we experience a dysregulated nervous system, we may experience things like anxiety, panic attacks, sleep issues, and digestive issues. This is our SNS putting our body on alert (DANGER DANGER!!!), and so we begin to release stress hormones (such as cortisol, adrenaline/epinephrine, and norepinephrine) to help kick us into action to manage the threat. This response can be very useful when there is a REAL threat, but very often, our body and mind deceive us (perceived danger/anxiety), and so this stress response in our body becomes unhelpful and potentially harmful.
Chronic stress can be detrimental to both physical and mental health due to these stress responses and can contribute to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, weakened immune function, and heart issues. Activating the PNS can be helpful in managing stress and returning to a calm state of being (relaxation response.)
Some ways to activate the PNS:
Meditation
Mindfulness
Yoga
Tai chi
Mild exercise
Going for a walk
Grounding exercises (for example, focusing on your environment/paying attention to your 5 senses, earthing/placing your bare feet on the earth, holding an ice cube, or taking a hot or cold shower- any activity that brings you back to the present moment)
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Visualization/Imagery
Prayer
Practicing gratitude
Speaking positive or calming affirmations
Hum, chant, sing
Belly breathing- deep breathing from the diaphragm- box/square breathing- breathwork
Spend time in nature
Massage
Aromatherapy
Acupuncture
Listen to calming music
Hugging/cuddling another person, a pet, or yourself!
Laughing
Yawning
Drawing/doodling
Sewing, knitting
Gardening
By activating our PNS, we are able to enter a state of rest and relaxation that allows our body to slow down and function optimally!
For more information, visit Acute Stress Response: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn (webmd.com)
How to regulate your nervous system? Try these 13 techniques — Calm Blog
Therapy can be helpful in better understanding anxiety, learning new tools to reduce anxiety symptoms, and provides a safe space to practice these new tools in a non-judgemental and collaborative environment. Feel free to reach out to us to start your therapy journey today!