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December 3, 2023 - January 8, 2024
addition, when we activate, challenge, and tone our vagus nerve in a safe and controlled environment, we build tolerance and learn how to live with discomfort, which is key to building resilience, the ability to recover quickly from hardship.
some of the most effective, practical ways we can harness the healing power of our bodies to regain balance and build resilience.
500 million neurons in our gut, which can “talk” directly with the brain via a pathway known as the gut-brain axis,
vagus nerve is one of the key messengers that facilitate the sending of these signals back and forth between our gut and brain.
gut wall that make up what is known as the enteric nervous system (ENS).
are constantly in communication with various regions of the body, signaling the release of hormones and sending chemical messages all throughout our body.
Gut microbes make neurotransmitters
sending these microbial messages to our brain.
Our emotional state actually does make our stomach feel sick.
90 percent of the neurotransmitter serotonin, commonly referred to as “the happy hormone” (though it is also involved in sleep, memory, and learning), is made in our gut.
When we were sick psychologically, we thought, the root cause must be identified and treated “above the neck.”
We now know that the brain is only one small part of a larger interconnected network.
neuroimmunology, which is devoted to exploring the gut–immune system–brain connection.
eat whole, nutrient-dense food.
It is helpful not to think of deprivation when we cut processed and unhealthy foods out of our diets and instead view doing so as an exciting opportunity to improve our physical and mental well-being one bite at a time.
food plays an incredibly important role in mental wellness.
snacking less frequently during the day.
increase our insulin sensitivity and regulate our blood sugar, keeping us from becoming a “sugar burner” who is always hungry and looking for the next sugar fix.
our body learns how to get energy from alternate forms of fuel, such as fat and protein.
live on other fuel sources and go longer between meals without discomfort because it is getting what it needs.
we’re hungry all the time because our body is starved for the nu...
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We eat and eat yet never feel satisfied, because nutritionally our body is not getting what it needs.
our cells regenerate. Sleep is a time of ultimate healing.
All of the organs and systems of our body, including our nervous system, benefit from sleep.
the vagus nerve is a two-way information highway that not only connects the brain and the gut but also connects various parts of the body, including the lungs, heart, and liver.
“the greatest indicator of life span wasn’t genetics, diet, or the amount of daily exercise, as many had suspected. It was lung capacity.
Wim Hof,
“Your mind makes you strong from within. It is your wise companion,” he wrote in his book Becoming the Iceman. “If you can grab the wheel of your mind, you can steer the direction of where your mind will go.”58
“widen the window,”
Physical exercise deepens sleep and improves mood by releasing neurochemicals in the brain, including dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which all make you feel happier and less stressed.
Today I am practicing using a deep belly breath to help calm my body and bring me a sense of safety and peace. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn a new way to regulate my body. Today, I am calm and grounded in my body. Change in this area allows me to feel better able to tolerate stress. Today I am practicing when I remember to use my deep belly breath when I begin to feel stressed.
The Power of Belief
We often tell ourselves stories as an act of self-protection.
our reality is too painful to understand or process, so we make up an alternative story that guides us through the darkness.
core beliefs):
Core beliefs are the many stories about ourselves, our relationships, our past, our future, and the innumerable other topics we construct based on our lived experiences.
belief is a practiced thought grounded in lived experience.
Beliefs are built up over years of thought patterns and require both interior and exterior validation to thrive.
Beliefs about o...
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are filters that are placed over the lens of how w...
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emotional addiction.
making it easier to default to such thought patterns in the future.
doing the work to rebalance our nervous system is necessary before we can truly change our deep-rooted beliefs.
When a belief is repeatedly validated, it can become what is called a core belief. Core beliefs are our deepest perceptions about our identity; they were installed in our subconscious often before the age of seven.
Many of our core beliefs, unfortunately, are shaped by traumas.
negativity bias,
in which we tend to prioritize (and therefore value) negative information over positive.
and is largely out of our conscious control.
RAS acts as the brain’s gatekeeper, using beliefs formed in our early life to sift through incoming information and prioritize evidence that supports these beliefs.
actively recruits information that reinforces what we already believe to be true.
