As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my journey as a Life Coach coincided with my daughter’s diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
As a result of many hundreds of hours of research trying to find some answers, I’ve become interested in working with people who feel like major physical health challenges (often NOT immediately diagnosable or treatable) are affecting their ability to live a full life.
Often these illnesses begin in the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) where – built up stress, trauma, anxiety, and/or repressed emotions – can push the nervous system into a chronic heightened state. Over time, this can lead to serious physical symptoms that don’t necessarily have an obvious root cause.
You Likely DON’T Need to “Toughen Up”
In the past – with our stiff upper lip attitude to mental health – the common response to this would be: “You’re imagining it” or “toughen up” or “the rest of us can manage, so what’s wrong with you?”
I’m so glad we’re moving on from this kind of mental health gaslighting.
You see, one younger person’s chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia is another older person’s heart attack or stroke. So in many ways, I’m extremely glad that my daughter has learnt at a young age the potent effect that unprocessed stress can have on the body. It’s certainly been a teacher to me!
Do Yourself a Favour & Learn to Understand HOW You Are Feeling
I’d love to share with you how I explain the ANS to my clients in the context of what I do. I know it sounds simple, but I love the traffic light analogy:
Humans evolved from simple organisms and developed automatic survival mechanisms (our ANS). The oldest part of this system triggers the “freeze” or “play dead” response when faced with danger. Later, we developed the ability to fight or flee. Eventually, part of the parasympathetic nervous system evolved to allow us to cooperate with others and survive in a tribe. Together, we could more easily feed and protect ourselves.
These patterns are still wired into our nervous systems today. Imagine your system as a traffic light: We’re good to go when the light is on green, alert and ready to take action on amber, and stopped on red.
Each of these survival responses requires our organs, like the heart and gut (as Denise mentioned in her previous blog), to respond accordingly. So imagine the potential pressure on our major organs when we’re constantly on amber or red. As in, we’re there for many months or years.
The sad part is that many people don’t know which colour they’re in most of the time, such is the extent that we’ve become disconnected from our bodies. Even if we are in red, wouldn’t be better that we’re aware of it instead of saying things like: “Yes it’s been hectic, but I’m fine thanks.”
Speaking of the Body… It Really Does Keep the Score
Interestingly we think our brain is in control but our body reacts before our mind catches up. This is because 80% of the nerve fibres in the vagus nerve send signals from your body to your brain, not the other way around. This means that our responses are driven by our body’s perception of safety or danger before we consciously process it. The body keeps the score, as they say.
When our nervous system feels safe enough (i.e. in the traffic light analogy, we have enough green), we can bounce back from stress. But, if the stress is ongoing, our nervous system can get stuck in a fight or flight response or a freeze and shut down state.
Our organs remain on alert, unable to rest and recover, which can then lead to long-term health issues.
Awareness MUST be a Pivotal Part of Your Lifelong Learning
When talking to the Hanya House community I’m preaching to the choir, but… I know many people reading this will have great diets and incredible movement schedules. And I know just as well that many people reading will “grab some time for themselves when they can.”
I’m here to say: Ignore the signals from your nervous system at your own peril.
Rather, get into the habit of being aware of what your body is telling you – whether it is a red, amber or green light. And then do what feels right. A walk, run or rebounding class if you are feeling agitated might be what you need. If you are feeling tired and flat, yoga or breathwork might feel more helpful. This way you are protecting your organs, your mind, and your heart just as much as the olive oil and leafy greens!
Alison Ward is a Martha Beck Master coach specialising in nervous system regulation. She collaborates with Functional Medicine specialist Dr. Rav James to help individuals understand and recover from anxiety, stress, chronic fatigue and related health challenges. Alison works online from her home in Cape Town. To learn more, visit www.alisonwardcoaching.com or email her at alisonward1@mac.com.
