The vagus nerve is what helps you feel at home inside of your body.
Chronic and traumatic stress can make it hard to come back to the state of your nervous system that feels like home, leaving you feeling less safe and secure.
If your nervous system is dysregulated, it may feel like you spend minimal time at home.
You may live in the mobilising energy of your nervous system - this causes you to feel anxious, angry, agitated and you may find it hard to switch off.
Or you may disappear into its shut-down dorsal energy and feel fatigued, flat, numb and depressed.
“Home” is where the body rests, recovers and repairs. This is why the vagus nerve is your in-built anti-inflammatory.
Without it working properly your emotions, as well as your immune, digestive, endocrine systems are dysregulated. This is how many chronic health issues arise.
When you’re disconnected from “home”, or your vagus nerve isn’t engaging as well as it should, it’s harder to connect with others. It’s hard to form and maintain relationships when you’re not in the state where you feel safe and trusting.
You may find you’re more likely to start arguments, or withdraw and avoid people.
Your nervous system has evolved to help you survive and is quick to take you away from “home”.
It influences your thoughts and stories about who you are, what other people are like and how tethered you are in the world.
This can stop you from feeling calm, and relaxing and enjoying life.
Your entire human experience changes depending on whether or not you feel at home inside yourself, where you can access the calming energy of your vagus nerve.
Hope lies in knowing that the nervous system is highly adaptable and something you can reshape with exercises that engage the vagus nerve and build vagal tone.
These are like doing bicep curls for your vagus nerve. It builds resilience, self-regulation and you spend more time in the state where you feel calm. When you face demands you don’t swing up to the highs of anxiety or down to the lows of shut-down.
The vagus nerve is the pathway that takes you home to the place of inner security and trust.
To the place where your psychological and physical well-being will improve.
To the place where you can connect with other people, improving your relationships.
Learn more about the ways to access the vagus nerve in the upcoming Vagus Nerve Masterclass.