SELF REGULATION

Research has shown that self-regulation is a crucial element to having good mental health. By evaluating our emotional responses and making a more conscious decision on how to respond in situations, we would be able to control our emotions and not let our emotions control us. 

Latest science reveals that trauma and dys-regulation reside primarily in the body.  A disrupted nervous system.  Did you know that  of all the messages that go between the brain and the body - 80% of those message are 'afferent' meaning that they travel upwards from the body to the brain?  Only 20% of messages travel down from the brain to the body.  Stephen Porges, the author of the 'polyvagal theory', coined the term neuroception to explain our body's surveillence system.  Neuroception refers to the neural circuits that allow our bodies to register whether an environment is safe or dangerous.

Unlike perception, which delivers cognitive insights in the form of thoughts and sensory data, neuroception occurs outside of conscious thought.  Since neuroception is primitive, generated by parts of the brain that evolved much earlier than our conscious minds, our bodies sometimes detect and respond to signs of danger even in circumstances we consciously recognize as safe.   This mind-body friction can become a source of stress, disrupting sleep, focus, and other processes we need to show up as the best versions of ourselves. 

Whether your heart is racing or your mind is clear and calm depends on the neuroceptions your autonomic nervous system is receiving, internally and from the environment. Neuroception works tirelessly to let your autonomic nervous system know whether people, environments, or situations are safe or dangerous. These signals go on to direct automatic processes, like heart and breathing rate.

Understanding this is important because it opens up a whole lot of possibilities and strategies for how we can better self regulate. 

Watch the video below for a fantastic explanation of how this works: