Quick Exercise to Relax Your Nervous System
Relax your nervous system by shifting your gaze
In our digital age, our screens have become an integral part of our daily lives. But, staring at our screens for long periods of time can negatively affect our nervous systems.
When we spend our days looking at small details up close, this type of narrow focus actually sends stress signals to our brains.
This narrow focus is the type of attention that prehistoric humans would engage in for short bursts of times while hunting or in emergency situations, so our nervous systems are wired to respond to this gaze by increasing physiological arousal and diverting our survival energy towards the task we’re so intently focused on. So, when we focus in this way for long periods of time, it can increase our stress, anxiety and sense of urgency. Plus, it quickly becomes exhausting to our systems.
The good news is that we can relax our nervous systems by shifting our gaze and modulating our attention.
Try this quick exercise to relax your nervous system now!
(The exercise starts at 01:50)
The ripple effect on our thoughts and emotions
Because our eyes and gaze affect deep regions of our nervous system, they also affect our emotions, perceptions and thoughts at a subconscious level. So, when we shift our gaze to relax our nervous systems, it can also help us get space from thoughts and feelings that we may have been hyper focusing on.
This can be such a relief because fixating on stress inducing thoughts and feelings creates a loop of stress in our system that can be hard to escape from!
Relaxing your nervous system beyond this exercise
Another way to prevent the accumulation of stress in your nervous system when you have to be in front of screens is to learn to engage more of your senses.
For example, even if your eyes need to be on your screen, you can allow some of your focus to be on the sounds you can hear around you. You can notice the smell of the air or feel your breath moving in and out of your lungs. You can feel your body making contact with the chair beneath you or feel your chest and tummy rising and falling as you breath.
By allowing some of your attention to go somewhere besides the screen, you change how your nervous system reacts and you decrease the stress signals from your eyes to your brain!
How did that quick exercise to relax your nervous system feel to you?
Did you notice a decrease of stress? What shifted in your posture and your breath? Did you notice a change in your thoughts or feelings as well? Please let me know in the comments!
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And remember to join me every Friday on this beautiful journey out of your head, and into your more embodied and authentic self.
Thank you so much for joining me! 🩷🩷🩷
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The data about the nervous system presented in this podcast is based on research by Dr. Les Fehmi that’s presented in his books Open Focus Brain and Open Focus Life. I highly recommend both of these books - the information and exercises presented in them are life changing!
(Disclosure: These are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.)
About me
Hey, I’m Karena!
I’m a trauma informed emotional healing coach here to help you quickly identify and heal the subconscious blocks, old emotional wounds and self-sabotaging core beliefs that are holding you back!
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