Stop Fighting Your Nervous System. Do This Instead

Summary

The script delves into the impact of our nervous system on daily life, highlighting how we often unconsciously resist or exacerbate negative cycles. It introduces the concept of 'manual breath' as a tool to rewire our nervous system, allowing us to shift into states of greater capacity and presence. By understanding and controlling our breathing patterns, we can influence our emotional responses, moving from a state of reaction to one of collaboration with our nervous system. The video suggests that with practice, we can use this 'meta-skill' to navigate life's challenges more effectively, turning our experiences into a game where we can choose the state most suited to our current quest.

Takeaways

• 🔄 **Constant Struggle**: People often unknowingly fight against their nervous system, which can lead to negative cycles and wasted energy.
• 🌀 **Nervous System Spirals**: Depending on individual wiring, one might experience spirals of negativity or numbness, leading to frustration, anxiety, or shutdown.
• 🤔 **The Real Question**: The alternative is to collaborate with the nervous system to avoid feeling like perpetual victims and to remain present in the face of challenges.
• 🌬️ **The Power of Breath**: Breathing is a natural and controllable function that can be used to influence the nervous system and shift into a state of greater capacity.
• 🧠 **Insula Cortex**: This part of the brain monitors breathing patterns and influences the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system responses.
• 🔄 **Breathing Patterns**: Different breathing patterns trigger different nervous system responses, affecting emotions and thoughts.
• 🔄 **Operating Modes**: The nervous system has automatic and manual modes, similar to breathing, which can be harnessed for self-regulation.
• 🔄 **Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic**: The nervous system shifts between activation and recovery modes, influenced by life experiences and environmental stimuli.
• 🌿 **Connection Mode**: A state of strong vagal tone allows for feeling safe, creative, and connected, even in the face of challenges.
• 💡 **Self-Regulation Skills**: By understanding and practicing self-regulation, one can tap into the 'biological source code' of the nervous system to improve life experiences.
• 🌐 **Environmental Influence**: Making environmental changes or connecting with others can help shift one's state and influence the nervous system.

Q & A

What is the main problem people face with their nervous system according to the video?

Most people unknowingly ignore or override their nervous system, leading to inefficient resistance that exacerbates negative spirals, such as anxiety or numbness.

What are the three modes of the nervous system mentioned in the video?

The three modes of the nervous system are activation mode (sympathetic), recovery mode (parasympathetic), and connection mode (vagal tone).

How does breathing influence the nervous system?

Breathing patterns, such as breathing through the mouth or upper lungs, can activate the sympathetic nervous system, triggering adrenaline and cortisol production, which affects emotions and thoughts.

What is the 'manual mode' of the nervous system?

Manual mode refers to the ability to consciously influence the nervous system, particularly through breathwork and other techniques, to shift from reactive states to more adaptive ones.

How can the nervous system's capacity be improved over time?

By regularly using the nervous system in connection mode and avoiding burnout, the brain's neuroplasticity allows for increased capacity, enabling more resilience in challenging situations.

What is the impact of the sympathetic nervous system's activation mode?

Activation mode increases alertness, strength, and focus but also drains capacity faster, making it suitable for short-term challenges but detrimental if overused.

What role does the parasympathetic nervous system play?

The parasympathetic system, or recovery mode, supports rest, digestion, and recovery. However, if overused, it can lead to disengagement from life and lack of progress.

What is the benefit of the connection mode in the nervous system?

Connection mode fosters feelings of safety, creativity, and flow, allowing people to engage deeply with the world while maintaining emotional resilience and high heart rate variability.

What are top-down, bottom-up, and outside-in interventions for nervous system regulation?

Top-down interventions involve reframing thoughts, bottom-up interventions focus on physiological signals (like breathwork), and outside-in interventions involve environmental changes or sensory experiences.

What is the key skill needed to work effectively with the nervous system?

Interoception, or the ability to notice and understand one's internal bodily states, is crucial for recognizing nervous system triggers and managing them effectively.

Outlines

00:00

🌀 Understanding the Nervous System's Impact

The first paragraph introduces the concept that people often unknowingly fight against their nervous system, which can lead to negative cycles of anxiety, frustration, or even shutdown. It poses the question of how to avoid being perpetual victims to these cycles. The solution presented is to collaborate with the nervous system to increase one's capacity to handle challenges without overreacting or withdrawing. The key to achieving this is through a meta-skill that can rewire anxious patterns, likened to having the 'source code' for the nervous system. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of breath as a starting point for this rewiring process, explaining how different breathing patterns can signal the nervous system to respond in various ways, affecting emotions and thoughts. It also touches on how the insula cortex in the brain interprets breathing rhythms and how these interpretations can trigger the sympathetic nervous system, leading to the production of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

05:01

🔄 Navigating the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Systems

Paragraph two delves into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, explaining how they are essential for physical activity and recovery, respectively. It discusses how getting stuck in the sympathetic 'activation mode' can lead to anxiety and burnout, while an overemphasis on the parasympathetic 'recovery mode' can result in disassociation and depression. The paragraph also explores how early life experiences shape the nervous system's adaptive strategies, leading to default modes of either activation, disassociation, or connection. It further explains how these modes can dictate one's capacity for energy and life engagement, with the ideal being a balance that allows for both recovery and connection, enhancing one's overall nervous system capacity over time through neuroplasticity.

10:03

🌿 Mastering Manual Mode for Nervous System Regulation

The third paragraph discusses the concept of operating the nervous system in 'manual mode' to self-regulate and create internal safety. It introduces the idea that our experiences are co-created by our brain's predictions and sensory data, and that we can rewire these predictions to shift our nervous system states. The paragraph outlines three categories of interventions for self-regulation: top-down (reframing thoughts), bottom-up (physiological changes like breath work), and outside-in (environmental or social changes). It emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's current state to effectively apply these interventions and suggests that with practice, these skills can become more accessible and integrated into one's default reactions, leading to a more balanced and resilient nervous system.

Keywords

💡Nervous System

The nervous system is the body's communication network, responsible for sending signals between the brain and different parts of the body. In the video, it is portrayed as a system we often fight against unconsciously, leading to inefficiency. The video emphasizes the importance of collaborating with the nervous system to achieve a balanced state, rather than being stuck in negative cycles like anxiety or disassociation.

💡Sympathetic Nervous System

This is part of the nervous system responsible for the 'fight or flight' response, increasing alertness, heart rate, and energy levels in response to stress. The video describes how excessive activation of this system leads to anxiety and burnout, highlighting the need for balance and appropriate regulation to avoid constant overdrive.

💡Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system controls rest and recovery functions, promoting relaxation, digestion, and healing. The video discusses how over-reliance on this system can lead to disassociation or emotional withdrawal, reinforcing the importance of balancing it with the activation mode for optimal performance and well-being.

💡Breathing

Breathing is highlighted as a key tool for manually influencing the nervous system. The video explains that conscious control of breath can shift us between different nervous system states, helping to manage stress, anxiety, and other emotional responses. It serves as an example of how we can 'reprogram' our nervous system through intentional actions.

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. The video emphasizes that by practicing specific mental and physical skills, such as breath control, we can rewire our nervous system responses, improving our capacity to handle stress and build resilience.

💡Capacity

Capacity in this context refers to the nervous system's ability to handle stress, challenges, and emotional states without becoming overwhelmed. The video explains how different nervous system modes—activation, recovery, or connection—either drain, maintain, or replenish this capacity, affecting how much energy we have for daily tasks.

💡Vagal Tone

Vagal tone refers to the health and efficiency of the vagus nerve, which plays a crucial role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system. High vagal tone is associated with better emotional regulation, stress resilience, and social engagement. The video explains that a strong vagal tone helps maintain balance between activation and recovery modes, allowing people to stay grounded and connected in stressful situations.

💡Connection Mode

Connection mode is one of the three nervous system states discussed in the video, characterized by feelings of safety, social engagement, and creative flow. This mode promotes intrinsic connection with oneself and others and is linked to high vagal tone. The video emphasizes the importance of entering this mode for optimal emotional health and performance.

💡Manual Mode

Manual mode refers to the conscious control we can exert over processes like breathing, allowing us to influence our nervous system state. The video contrasts this with 'automatic mode,' where our body responds reflexively to external stimuli. By engaging manual mode, we can shift out of unproductive states such as anxiety or numbness and foster more effective emotional and mental responses.

💡Self-regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to control one’s emotional and physical responses, particularly in stressful situations. The video highlights it as a key skill for managing the nervous system's reactions, achieved through interventions like breath work, mindfulness, or environmental changes. By mastering self-regulation, individuals can better navigate challenges without being overwhelmed or disengaged.

Highlights

People often unknowingly ignore or fight against their nervous system, leading to negative spirals.

Some individuals experience spirals of negativity, while others might feel numbness or disassociation.

The alternative is to collaborate with your nervous system and shift into a state of greater capacity.

Breathing is a natural and controllable function that can influence the nervous system.

The insula cortex in the brain interprets breathing rhythms and affects the nervous system's activation.

Different breathing patterns signal the nervous system in various ways, impacting feelings and thoughts.

The sympathetic nervous system activates in response to challenges, while the parasympathetic system aids in recovery.

Early life experiences shape how the nervous system responds to similar situations later in life.

The nervous system can default into activation, disassociation, or connection modes based on past conditioning.

Nervous system capacity, if used well, can be maintained or even increased over time through neuroplasticity.

The sympathetic (red) mode increases alertness and strength, but drains capacity faster.

The parasympathetic (blue) mode is good for recovery but can lead to disengagement if overused.

The connection (green) mode supports intrinsic safety and creative flow, blending well with other modes.

Lyic hijack occurs when one is in a reactive state, unable to self-regulate effectively.

Manual mode of the nervous system allows for self-regulation and shifting into more desirable states.

Self-regulation skills can be developed through top-down, bottom-up, and outside-in interventions.

Interception is a crucial skill for understanding and responding to one's nervous system state effectively.

Transcripts

what most people don't realize is they

are constantly ignoring Waging War or

overriding their nervous system and

what's more this inefficient resistance

exacerbates negative spirals we waste so

much energy fighting against or falling

into downward Cycles depending on how

you're wired you find yourself in

spirals of negativity fighting this

feeling which inevitably leads to more

frustration anxiousness or Panic others

will find themselves on the other side

of the Spectrum experiencing numbness

disassociation or in extreme cases total

shutdown you've probably experienced

this yourself to some degree frankly we

all have so the real question is what's

the alternative what can we do here how

do we avoid feeling like Perpetual

victims of our nervous system State

instead imagine if you could collaborate

with your nervous system shift into a

state with greater capacity so that you

can remain courageously present and lean

into whatever internal or external

challenge you're facing so that your

neither overreacting nor withdrawing

when life gets challenging to do this I

want to introduce you to what has been

in my experience a lifechanging meta

skill that will rewire any anxious

patterns or reactive Tendencies once you

have this skill it's sort of like having

the source code for your nervous system

and with practice your life can become

playful like a game where you can match

your current Adventure or quest for the

state that is most appropriate for

completing it so how do we tap into this

biological source code and rewire our

systems what are some levers that we can

pull well the starting point is

something that you probably take for

granted and it's been literally right

under your nose this entire time your

breath nothing is more natural than

breathing it has been controlled by

autonomic or automatic nervous system

however unlike most bodily functions it

can be controlled when you bring

awareness to your breath and get curious

about it the experience of breathing is

very different simply by bringing it

into your awareness it will likely begin

to drop a little bit deeper or even go

into the back of the lungs and start to

fill out that area as opposed to the

front of the chest even though

technically you're still using the exact

same mechanical process as when you

weren't breathing consciously when you

inhale your diaphragm pulls down in

order to pull air into your lungs your

lungs push oxygen into the vessels of

your bloodstream and then the diaphragm

pushes back to expel the CO2 but here's

where it gets interesting deep inside

your brain lies a piece of biological

Hardware called the insul cortex this is

basically spying on your breath and

interpreting The rhythms of your

breathing when you breathe through the

mouth and into the upper

lungs signals are relayed to activate

the sympathetic or activating part of

your nervous system this creates a

Cascade effect which signals to the

endocrine system to produce adrenaline

and cortisol which in turn generate

measurable shifts in your blood

chemistry these shifts in blood

chemistry

impact the types of feelings that you

have and even the thoughts that will

arise like impulsive actions anxiousness

or feelings of frustration we can fall

into a trap because these unproductive

thoughts and feelings serve to reinforce

the breathing pattern and nervous system

state that created them in the first

place what I find fascinating is that

there are dozens of breathing patterns

sharp inhales and gasps inhaling through

your nose mouth or sighing each of them

serves a different purpose and sends

different signals to the nervous system

and just like normal breathing they

happen reflexively when you're surprised

tired relieved or laughing or you can

choose to do them in other words you

have two operating modes you have

default breath which is regulated

homeostatically based on your default

response to the environment oxygen

levels and CO2 and you have manual

breath which you can choose to engage in

to do things like sighing swimming

humming and this is really important

because how your breathing Works runs in

parallel to your entire nervous system

and this difference between automatic

and manual processes unlocks the secret

to becoming an ally of your nervous

system by default the nervous system has

two modes which we introduced in the

last video in this series The

sympathetic or activation mode and the

parasympathetic or recovery mode and

like we saw with our breath the body

moves through these two modes

automatically it automatically shifts

between these modes in response to

stimuli and triggers from the

environment as well as in response to

the various ways in which your nervous

system has been conditioned since birth

for example the unique set of Life

Experiences particularly in the first

decade of our childhood shapes how we

respond to similar situations later in

life and your nervous system will have

responded to these events using adaptive

strategies leaning into various modes to

ensure that connection to your primary

caregiver or parent was prioritized

which at the time could have been

essential maybe you were told by a

parent or teacher that you couldn't sing

or that you were annoying and whenever

you think about speaking or performing

to a group sympathetic system which is

responsible for that fight flight taking

action goes into total overdrive as

we've already covered the sympathetic

nervous system is essential for physical

activity facing challenges confrontation

but if you get stuck there in this

activation mode the Adaptive strategy

which was designed to protect us is no

longer appropriate resulting in various

degrees of panic anxiety and eventually

swing into full burnout or perhaps like

many of us your emotional needs weren't

entirely meds growing up even exposed to

subtle or obvious abuse at home your

nervous system will have developed a

different set of adaptive strategies

essentially protecting you by turning

down the unpleasant experience

disassociating or withdrawing just to

get by if so your nervous system has

reinforced the parasympathetic branch

which is responsible for recovery and

rest but if pushed too far can become a

disassociative mode which leads to

prolonged depression and avoidance of

life or maybe you were fortun to have

been raised in a creative and welcoming

environment where your full authentic

expression and emotions were fully

encouraged and accepted and your body is

primed to enter new social situations

with anticipation of being rewarded with

possibility and connection in that case

your nervous system will exhibit what's

known as strong vagal tone or to be

wired for connection mode which is

responsible for feeling intrinsically

safe intimacy with ourselves and others

as well as creative expression and flow

when you exhibit strong veal tone which

is correlated with high heart rate

variability then you will be able to

remain present grounded and safe even

when there are external challenges or

stresses coming at you in this state you

don't need to fight your nervous system

instead because you feel safe and

connected you can allow the activation

energy or intensity of the moment just

to flow through even harnessing it to

give a powerful public speech or perform

your craft these are extreme examples

but in each case your nervous system is

primed to default into one of these

three modes either activation mode

disassociative mode or connection mode

and these three responses happen

habitually in any situation just like

breathing behind the scenes and more

importantly these modes dictate whether

your capacity is drained faster

maintained or even recovered your

nervous system only has so much capacity

and if you use that capacity well you

can accomplish what you want in your day

week or life and and remarkably when you

consistently use your capacity in

connection mode without completely

exhausting it or becoming unable to

recover through sufficient rest you

actually gain capacity over time thanks

to the neuroplasticity in your brain and

nervous system in other words you

actually want to use your capacity your

nervous system doesn't exist just for

you to sit around and lay in bed just

like an airplane it's designed to be

well used for a purpose to learn to grow

to complete meaningful quests Forge

connections and share your gifts with

the world that requires energy but each

mode helps you use your available energy

differently red mode sympathetic

activation will increase your stats your

alertness intelligence strength focus

when you really need it your heart rate

increases your pupils dilate your body

Springs into action this temporarily

increases all of your stats and allows

you to take the actions you need to

level up in exchange your capacity is

drained faster but it's worth it to

accomplish the stuff that really matters

but that that boost is wasted if you're

ruminating or you have anxious energy

about something that isn't really

important likewise blue mode

parasympathetic mode is fantastic for

recovering resting digesting blue

activities slow down the loss in

capacity and allow you to rejuvenate

that said if you spend all of your time

in blue mode you will miss out on

engaging with the world and make little

progress on your quests in the times

when you need to perform and show up

harnessing your latent energy stores

being stuck in this blue mode will keep

you disengaged and on the sidelines and

finally green or connection mode is

fantastic for feeling a sense of

intrinsic safety aliveness creative flow

appreciation gratitude or just being

social in groups connection mode can be

blended with either blue or red

activities to create deep Rejuvenation

which combines blue and green or

powerful states of creative action

combining green and red these Blended

states are ideal but can often feel Out

Of Reach or inaccessible in the stresses

of daily life like it only appears in

moments of rare calm connection or flow

instead of something that we can access

whenever we need it like many of us you

might feel at the mercy of your nervous

system as it shifts through these

various States you might feel entirely

disconnected from the situation and how

you'd like to feel out of sync lost

unable to do what you want to do some

call this lyic hijack when you're deep

in a reactive state triggered by factors

outside of your conscious control and

unable to climb out lyic hijack creates

tension in your system and sometimes you

can even feel the muscle tension or

stomach contraction which leads to

spending your nervous system capacity in

ways that aren't effective they drain

you and leave you accomplishing way less

in your day than you would have ideally

wanted but it doesn't have to be this

way just like breathing there is a

second way that we can operate our

nervous system we can use manual mode we

like to think of our body as something

that is receiving and responding to

objective signals in the world but in

reality we're not only interpreting but

actually co-creating our real-time

experience of reality filtered through

the models or predictions of our prior

experience updating these models when

novel sensory data creates what's known

as a prediction error we like to think

of our brain as being in charge like

some kind of CEO behind our eyes helping

us to decide what quests to pursue or

what relationships to nurture but the

biological reality is that it is

projecting what it thinks will be there

based on past experience responding

automatically manufacturing or

confabulating justifications for those

responses after the fact the mind is in

fact more like a PR team responding to

current events but like our breathing we

can intentionally rewire these outdated

predictions and turn on manual mode for

our nervous system how in simple terms

the nervous system const L looks for

signals from inside and outside the body

signals that cue corresponding nervous

system states red blue or green by

activating these signals for ourselves

we can self-regulate or create more

internal safety and capacity to remain

present shifting into green or Blended

green States the self-regulation skill

tree can be broken down into various

sets of interventions or protocols that

allow us to manually trigger these St

State changes broadly speaking these

three categories are top down

interventions bottom up interventions

and outside in protocols top- down

interventions involve reframing the

story that we're telling about a certain

situation using something like

mindfulness or visualizations to shift

our state these can certainly be helpful

but they often don't work in really high

Stak situations bottomup interventions

go in the opposite direction I also like

to call this state before Story

augmenting the signals sent via the

network of AER neurons from the body to

the brain or in other words pulling on

physiological levers like breath work or

other down regulation activities in

order to access green mode the third

intervention outside in is when we make

environmental changes or connection with

others in order to change our state this

could be anything from a Walkin nature

Forest bathing as the Japanese like to

call it to physical touch or

co-regulation with a loved one playing a

certain piece of music or even smelling

something delightful it's really

anything that brings you deeply into

your sensory experience and once you

start to hone these skills you can

drastically increase your capacity to

remain present and then actually begin

to welcome whatever emotional experience

you might be having when previously you

would have been overwhelmed or shut down

but now you're working with your nervous

system as opposed to against it and as

you start to level up your skills in

each of these categories you get more

powerful and fluid with each and thanks

to neuroplasticity they actually begin

to influence inuence even your default

reactions rewiring your default

responses so that you can remain present

grounded and connected regardless of

what is happening around you but before

you can really harness these State

changes you have to be able to

understand exactly what state your body

is in what state are you even in right

now because if you can't notice yourself

entering approaching or being deep in

the middle of a mode emotion or trigger

you won't have the data to respond how

and when you need to that's why there is

one capacity that you need to be able to

work well with your nervous system the

underappreciated skill of interception

we'll cover that in depth in the next

video of this series learn more and

watch the next video right here