Resourcing the nervous system is key to managing day-to-day stress…
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you are planning on living alone on a desert island, you are not going to be able to eliminate stress from your day-to-day life.
Every area of our life brings us some kind of stress. Whether it’s our commute to work, getting our children ready for school, organising catch-ups with friends, caring for elderly relatives or navigating our work day, there is always some kind of stress that we have to navigate.
Don’t get me wrong, there is stress that is good for us - eustress. The type of moderate stress that keeps us alive and gets us moving in the direction we want in life.
But in order to face and manage the stress that has us silently swearing under our breath, tensing up or wanting to scream, we have to learn to resource ourselves effectively.
What we’ve been told…
We are often told that eliminating stressors from our life will help us feel better mentally and physically. We have been taught that resourcing looks like a weekly yoga class; a walk in nature; a massage at a spa; meditation; or journalling.
All of these activities (and more) are, and will to a certain extent, help us to feel less stressed and more balanced. But these aren’t the only ways to resources ourselves. One of the fundamental ways to resource ourselves, and arguably the hardest to stick to, is to ensure our bodies are fuelled and cared for.
We all know that for our bodies to function in the way they have been created to, exercising regularly, eating healthy and nutritious foods and taking care of our mental health are key factors. These are key to resourcing our nervous system.
Think of a time, where because of lack of time you reached for convenience food. Or think back to when you felt stressed at work, you went for a quick drink with a colleague or friend, one too many evenings in a row. Can you think about a time where because of feeling sluggish or hungover, you’ve cancelled a gym class or other activity?
Experiencing stress on a regular basis had me drinking excessive alcohol and indulging in fast food. Somehow I managed to get by like this for a while, but there would always come a point where my body would start to crave food and drink that was more nutritious and clean. My body wanted to purge the crap that I was feeding it. But it took me a long time (and several health issues) to sit up and listen to how I was resourcing, or rather depleting myself.
I never paid attention to my body and what it needed to feel resourced. I didn’t know what resourcing was until I started to heal my nervous system. I thought that the advice to eat well, exercise and have the odd green juice would be sufficient. It didn’t matter if several days of the week I was engaging in behaviours that were depleting me because on the whole I was being ‘good’. Unfortunately, this self-destructive cycle never gave my physical and mental health a chance to see what could be possible if I practiced more consistency.
How do we resource…
Resourcing requires that we listen and take notice of what our body is telling us and showing us. This is about the emotions we are feeling. How our body is feeling. How we feel mentally and physically are key signs of how our nervous system is being resourced or being depleted.
In order to listen and take notice of what our body and our nervous system is telling us, we have to rebuild the connection with ourself. This is something many of us have lost because we use practices, behaviours and activities that help to disassociate us from the challenges and stresses we feel in life.
Resourcing doesn’t come easy because we become used to disassociating from what we are feeling and so we never hear what our body and nervous system needs us to hear.
Resourcing requires that we leave self abandonment behind and start to nurture, communicate, and love ourselves and who we are.
Resourcing isn’t another self-development tool…
The self-development industry likes to promote tools to help improve ourselves and our lives. Seeing how well they work for others, we create practices, routines and habits in the hope of finding better balance and reducing stress for ourselves.
Sometimes we just need to spend time nurturing ourselves.
Sometimes we just need stillness.
Sometimes we just need to connect with others.
Resourcing doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It is about learning to listen to, and adapt to what our body needs depending on the environment we’re in, the people that we are around, and the challenges that we face in our life. And we can’t do that if we are not in tune with our nervous system and what it is trying to tell us.
What decisions would you make if you were told that the activities you are participating in or what you are putting inside of your body were depleting you rather than resourcing you? Would you continue in the same way or would you change your habits?
If you would like to find out how resourced you are, why not head to the link and take my short quiz? And if you have any questions about resourcing, you can always reach out to me by email.
Much love,
Harmesch x