This year I will [insert the healthy change you’d like to see when you look back on the warmer weather ahead of you] …
Many well-known things can help you reach your goals but the one I find tends to get forgotten is something I call:
Stick-with-it-ness
(AKA having the capacity to manage inevitable ups and downs when you’re trying to change a thing)
Good news
Contrary to popular belief this is NOT something you either have or don’t. In other words, anyone (yes, even you) can have it.
Bad news
Stick-with-it-ness is not easy because it goes against your biology - your brain likes comfort and routine. It is pretty happy when things just stay the same, please.
How is this getting in your way when it comes to making healthy changes?
Imagine a field of snow that leads to a beautiful trail walk in the forest. Lots of people had the same idea as you and the people before you have trampled down all the knee-high snow in one spot and created a well-trodden path.
Once one person walked that way so did the next and the next and so on until everyone chooses this path of least resistance.
Is this lazy? Not at all, it’s:
smart
efficient
wastes less energy
safer (or at least feels that way because the path is well-smooshed down)
Basically, it’s a no-brainer, right?
Well, and this is the important thing when you have an established way of doing something (anything) it creates a beautiful path in your brain. And going down this path is:
smart
efficient
wastes less energy
safer (or at least feels that way because the path is well-smooshed down)
Basically, it’s a no-brainer which is exactly what our brains like.
No effort or thought, comfort and ease.
This serves you well … until it doesn’t. Because … when you want to change your life you are up against a well-trodden brain path.
The longer the path has been there the harder the battle (and the sweeter the victory in case this is sounding like a downer)
To Change Your Life You’ve Gotta Change Your Brain
There is much to be gained by taking the path less travelled. Yes, it’s going to be harder .. at first, but here’s some great news:
Every time you choose the new way you create a deeper impression in your brain making it easier and easier until one day the old way is all overgrown and harder to travel … you’ve changed your brain and changed your life.
So how can you support yourself knowing this indisputable neuronal truth?
Expect and prepare for the dip.
At first new paths seem kind of fun, it’s exciting and an adventure.
Wahoooooo let’s go!!
You know WHY you want to be on this path.
Nothing will deter you.
Until something deters you.
And your brain defaults to what is familiar.
Expect this. It’s not a moral failing it’s boring neurology (yawn).
When your initial motivation fades and when life throws you a hiccup
it’s harder to keep yourself on the new path.
It’s no big thing, it’s simply your brain doing its brain thing.
Just remember it’s your brain seeking comfort and ease.
And when are you most likely to seek comfort and ease?
When your good friend stress comes to tea.
So now you know something really important:
Your brain will default to the familiar
(in this case, the thing you want to change)
when you’re under STRESS.
You don’t make great consistent healthy choices when you’re stressed out and barely keeping it together, no one does.
That’s a bit of a pickle, no? Because you can’t live with no stress (seriously you physiologically can’t) and you can’t make the changes you want with too much of it.
What to do …. What to do….?
As always the best strategy is a strong offence and an even stronger defence.
Strong Offence
Get rid of the stress in your life, I hear you laughing from here so let’s skip ahead …
Even Stronger Defense
Set your body up to handle stress better
That’s doable, right?
After working with over 20 years worth of amazing people changing their lives, here’s what I’ve seen work on repeat to set your body up to handle stress better and keep your brain clear and ready for change:
(1) Sleep
Deeper sleep will integrate any new path so much faster (it’s when we solidify change and learning). And while you sleep your glymphatic system acts like a beautiful car wash cleaning your brain up and getting it ready to face the next day fully polished and ready to go.
(Aside: when your spine moves properly and fully it allows your cerebrospinal fluid to flow freely with every breath like a magical elixir bathing your brain in everything it needs to function optimally and deal with stress.)
(2) Don’t trust what your mind tells you when you’re down (everything looks bad from here)
Be gentle with yourself when your brain leads you back down the familiar path, every day can’t be an adventure and it’s ok, one bad day doesn’t need to equal one bad year … when your brain is clear you know this is true when you’re feeling crappy you’ll see everything through the lens of crap-coloured glasses. This too shall pass.
(3) Expect and also welcome feeling discomfort, wanting to quit, and wondering why you’re even bothering anyway
This simply means you’re out of your comfort zone and off that old path, things are changing and it’s going to suck but it also means you’re making progress.
(4) Digest and (ahem) eliminate optimally
This just makes everything easier in life (let’s be honest, no one cares about anything when they can’t poop). Make sure you’re drinking enough water and eating food that nourishes your system.
(5) Boost your mood and your stick-with-it-ness ‘tude
Create some space to stand back and laugh at yourself, to not take it all so seriously, and even (gasp) have fun. This keeps you happy letting you make decisions from the higher levels of your Nervous System, the same place that set your goal instead of the fear-based lower levels.
(6) Support your Immune System and address any injuries ASAP
Staying healthy is vital to staying on your path. It is very, very hard to make changes when you aren’t feeling well or you’re in pain. Do as much as you can to boost your immune system and don’t push too hard too fast. If you find yourself getting injured it’s time to step back and see where what you’re doing isn’t aligned fully.
I’m sure you’re nodding your head and thinking yeah, well, of course, sounds great but HOW do I do all that?
Here’s your (sort-of) secret strategy to do all that and more …
Regulate your Parasympathetic Nervous System
(even if it’s not on your radar yet this needs to be part of your strategy).
And nearly 75% of this stress-busting rockstar of your Nervous System is your Vagus Nerve.
What and where is the Vagus Nerve, and what is Vagal Tone?
Essential to your mental health and wellness your Vagus Nerve is the longest nerve in your body, connecting your brain to your gut, heart, and lungs. It’s the key part of your Parasympathetic “rest and digest” Nervous System responsible for relaxing and repairing.
Think of the “tone” of your Vagus Nerve loosely like the activity. Increasing your Vagal Tone means activating your Parasympathetic Nervous System and managing stress much better (thereby increasing your stick-with-it-ness).
How’s your Vagal Tone?
When it’s high you:
Feel calm
Sleep well
Digest Well
Have less anxiety
Make better decisions
Can tune into your higher brain easier
Basically, all the things we just said would help you stick to your goals!
Higher vagal tone = Increased stick-with-it-ness
improved blood sugar regulation
reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease
improved digestion
reduced headaches
increased emotional stability, resiliency, and longevity
and more …
Lower vagal tone = Decreased stick-with-it-ness
mood instability
depression
diabetes
chronic fatigue
cognitive impairment
chronic inflammation
cardiovascular disease
and more ….
The information from your Vagus Nerve is bidirectional, which means that the communication is from the brain down to the organs and from the organs up to the brain (like an information highway).
In fact, most of the traffic in the vagus nerve (80 percent) travels from your body to your brain. This means that there are many activities that you can do to influence your brain.
Some great news
There’s no need to guess, we can do non-invasive functional tests to quickly and accurately measure your Vagal Tone!
Why is this great news? If you know your Vagal Tone is low you can take steps to increase it. And then measure how those steps are working.
How to Increase Vagal Tone and your Stick-with-it-ness
Cold Exposure
Cold exposure has been shown to activate the Vagus Nerve, try:
Splashing cold water on your face
Taking a cold shower
Holding an ice pack against your face/middle of your forehead
Having a cold beverage or ice
Breath
Try slow, deep breathing. (a prolonged exhale like you’re blowing through a straw is a great way to achieve this)
Valsalva Maneuver: Exhale against a closed airway by keeping your mouth closed and pinching your nose while trying to breathe out. It increases the pressure inside your chest cavity, thereby stimulating your Vagus Nerve
Sleep
It is not just the quantity of sleep but also the quality of sleep so make sure to practice good, deep-sleep-boosting habits
Try sleeping on your right side. Research shows that since your Vagus Nerve runs down the right side of your neck, sleeping on your right side may help activate it.
Movement & Mindbody Activities
Meditating
Movement has been shown to stimulate the Vagus Nerve (this helps explain the beneficial brain and mental health effects of exercise)
Mindfulness
Yoga
Tai Chi
Progressive relaxation
Spending time in nature.
Gentle exercise
Consume Probiotics and Omega-3 Fatty Acids (supplement if recommended by your amazing Naturopath)
Research supports that gut bacteria improve brain function through the Vagus Nerve
Research supports that omega-3 fatty acids increase Vagal Tone
Cognitive
Think positive thoughts about yourself (and others)
Focus on a soothing word, such as "peace"
Use Visualization: Picture yourself in a peaceful place that you love using all your senses as you visualize - what does it look like, smell like, sound like etc…
Engage in repetitive prayer or a positive mantra.
Singing, Humming, Chanting, and Gargling
Your Vagus Nerve is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. You can activate it by using those muscles to sing, hum, chant, and even gargle
Hum your favourite tune or making an “om” sound stimulates the vocal cords and facilitates long, slow exhalation
Try speaking to yourself slowly and melodically as if you’re soothing a young child or pet
Touch
Gently massage in an up and downward motion the right side of your throat
Touch your lips: your lips have Parasympathetic fibres throughout them so try running one or two fingers lightly running over your lips
Massage the skin behind your ear by placing your finger there and gently rubbing up and down
Give yourself a foot massage
And if you can, get a massage from our amazing RMT here at Vibrant Living
Fun Things
Engage in positive social relationships
Laugh out loud! A full belly laugh stimulates the Vagus Nerve (that’s why it feels so good)
Play with animals or children
Do something you enjoy, a favourite hobby perhaps
Get Adjusted!
My personal favourite as a Tonal Chiropractor is getting adjusted.
Tonal adjustments are designed to balance the tone of your Nervous System (AKA your secret stick-with-it-ness strategy). Your Nervous System balance will increase dramatically from beginning to end with every adjustment and you will leave the table having higher Vagal Tone.
Even better, over time your body will naturally start to live from this higher state. It’s measurable so you don’t have to just take my word for it ... we start by measuring your Nervous System tone with cutting edge-functional tests and then we re-test after a specific course of care to measure your progress. There is no need to guess you can see your progress on a computer screen. You can read more about it here if you’re interested!
Ok so there you have it …
This year I will [insert the healthy change you’d like to see when you look back on this fresh new season ahead of you] … by balancing my Nervous System and increasing my Vagal Tone.
If you’re curious about Health Coaching here’s how you can work with me or if you have any questions feel free to reach out (click here). Happy Summer!
