Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
For many neurodivergent people, a nervous system reset is necessary sometimes to self-regulate the body. The nervous system is a complex thing. This month, I'll be creating more content unpacking the neurodivergent nervous system.
For today, I am providing an overview of the Autonomic Nervous System and its role in responding to stress.Scroll to the bottom for strategies to learn practices that help to retune and reset the nervous system.
Before a Nervous System Reset
It’s helpful to understand what’s actually going on in the body. Let’s talk about the different parts of the nervous system responsible for stress and relaxation:
The Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responsible for moderating our bodies' response to external and internal stressors. The ANS is made up of two branches:
the Sympathetic Nervous System ("Fight-or-Flight")
the Parasympathetic Nervous System ("Rest-and-Digest")
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for arousing and mobilizing our body for action. This system is what activates our "fight-or-flight" response.
The parasympathetic nervous system calms our bodies and aids the "rest and digest" process.
These two systems control the same organs; however, they work in opposite directions. Think of the sympathetic mode as the gas pedal and the parasympathetic mode as the brake pedal. When the nervous system is healthy, these two systems work in harmony to bring balance to the body.
Sympathetic Nervous System
When we experience a threat, our bodies may become sympathetic dominant, commonly referred to as the "fight-or-flight" response.
When our sympathetic nervous system kicks into gear, several things happen: we get a big shot of adrenal/epinephrine, and our stress hormone, cortisol, increases.
These hormones are designed to give us the energy to fight off the threat. Other physical responses to the fight or flight process include:
Pupils dilate so that we can take in more information
Heart rate increases
Breathing increase
Blood diverts from our digestive tract to our muscles
These physical responses are helpful and lifesaving on the rare occasion we are out in the woods and run into a dangerous animal. However, it's not so helpful when sitting in a classroom, and our fight-or-flight response gets tripped. We then have excessive energy with limited outlets to release it.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System
The parasympathetic nervous system (the brake pedal) slows down specific responses within the body and helps the body get into a state of calmness. When in the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, we can slow down, calm the body, rest, relax, and sleep. Parasympathetic engagement promotes healthier digestion, repairs body cells, and fosters sleep.
When our body is in the parasympathetic nervous system, it experiences the following:
Reduced heart rate
Slower (deeper) breathing
Soft eye focus
Stimulates digestion
Increased digestive enzymes
Stimulates bile (digestion)
Our ability to activate the relaxation response and down-regulate our body is directly connected to our vagal tone. ADHDers and Autistic people tend to have reduced vagal tone, meaning it is more difficult for us to activate our relaxation response and recover from the stress response.
Dorsal Vagus Shutdown
When working in harmony with the sympathetic mode, the parasympathetic mode helps us stay within an ideal window of activity (also called the window of tolerance). However, when under extreme stress, the dorsal vagus nerve (part of the parasympathetic system) will initiate a shutdown of the system.
Just like our bodies can become sympathetic dominant during stress, they can also become parasympathetic dominant in response to stress and shut down. The dorsal vagus activates during extreme stress and causes immobilization, often referred to as the "freeze" response.
The freeze response is an extreme version of the parasympathetic nervous system involving the shutdown of the system, resulting in feeling foggy, disconnected, and a general sense of dissociation. When escape is not an option, we may shift from sympathetic mode to complete shutdown (dorsal vagal shutdown).
Significance for ADHD and Autistic Nervous Systems
ADHDers and Autists tend to have more sensitive nervous systems, meaning we are more easily shifted into a stressed state.
For the neurodivergent person, a loud sound, unexpected change to plans, or unexpected touch can trip our fight-or-flight response. And then, because we have a less flexible nervous system, it will be more challenging to get back down to our baseline. For this reason, many ADHDers and Autists experience life through a sympathetic-dominant mode of being.
To Summarize: when we are stressed, emotionally taxed, tired, or sensory overloaded, our nervous system is dysregulated. This is the body's natural response. In these moments, our nervous system needs a "reset" to get back to baseline.
Because ADHDers and Autistic people have more sensitive nervous systems, we benefit from more daily resets. Here are a few practices that help to reset the nerve system:
13 Strategies for a Nervous System Reset
Chew on Ice
Chewing on ice is grounding and can also help with sensory overload. Chewable fidgets can function similarly.
Three Deep Breaths
Deep breathing helps to trigger the relaxation response and move us out of our fight-or-flight response.
Stim Through It
Stimming helps to move the excess energy through. You may need to move the extra energy through before being able to engage in down-regulating and relaxing practices (like breathwork and progressive muscle relaxation).
Vagal Nerve Stimulator
Using a vagal nerve stimulator helps to strengthen your vagal tone which improves the flexibility of your nervous system! My personal favorite is the sensate. Use code NeuroInsights to get 10% off.
Tapping
Tapping is another powerful grounding strategy. By tapping on certain pressure points, this also helps to activate the relaxation response and move us out of fight-or-flight mode.
Put on Music and Dance
Music can increase dopamine and works as a great mood reset. Dancing helps move the energy through and can provide grounding.
Hum, Chant, or Sing
Humming, chanting, and singing activates the vagus nerve, which activates the relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system) and helps the body move out of the fight-or-flight response.
Spend Time with Your Pet
Pets can help co-regulate and down-regulate our nervous system. If you are playing with or petting your pet, this serves as an extra sensory grounding strategy.
Use a Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets also help to activate our relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system) and down-regulates the body. This helps us move out of the fight-or-flight response (alternatively, you may consider a weighted lap pad).
Go on a Walk
Walks are grounding, increase dopamine, and help to move excess energy through. If done outside, the fresh air is a bonus.
Hold a Fan in Front of Your Face
The cool air is both grounding and helps to down-regulate the body.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This is one of my favorite strategies for activating the nervous system. This is a powerful way to activate the relaxation response, down-regulate the body, and reduce muscle tension. Dartmouth has a recording you can listen to that will walk you through aprogressive muscle relaxation exercise.
Use Aromatherapy
Essential oils like lavender, lemon, and others have been shown to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) and encourage relaxation, rest, and improved sleep. As a bonus, the more you do this, your brain will start to pair the smell with relaxation, which will further support relaxation.
This post was proofread by Grammarly, my go-to for proofreading and catching all the details I naturally miss! Grammarly is entirely free to use. Click here to give it a try.
