A person works to liberate themselves from the automatic, unconscious, and unwanted reactions that control and dictate their lives. Self-regulation is one of the most undervalued yet crucial skills one can develop as an adult. Unfortunately, our earlier references often fail to show what a grounded, self-regulated adult would look and sound like.
Why is Self-Regulation so Important?
Most of us have faced financial fears, health fears, relationship fears, fears for our families, communities, and the world – with everything happening across the globe. The truth is, we cannot eliminate these fears entirely, but we can empower ourselves to take action despite their presence. We can learn to override our instinctive programming and regulate our systems. With self-regulation skills, we become less reactive when we hear opposing points of view or reach our limit and need to re-orient ourselves before continuing a conversation. Instead of reacting impulsively, we can respond with poise, direction, and intention. Self-regulation helps us develop resiliency and a kind of anti-fragile nature, enabling us to better lead ourselves and those around us.
Workshop: Yoga For Nervous System Balance Save 10%
Tune into Your Body’s Signals
During prolonged stress, you may experience nervous system dysregulation – when the body struggles to return to its balanced state after a stressful event. By recognizing the cues of dysregulation, like racing thoughts, shallow breathing, muscle tension, chronic fatigue, exhaustion, clenched jaw, insomnia, migraines, and being overly sensitive to loud sounds or bright lights, you can consciously practice self-regulation techniques. This self-awareness empowers you to navigate challenges with greater resilience and inner harmony.
When your nervous system is dysregulated, you might find yourself more prone to intense shame, fear, panic, mood swings, overwhelm, anxiety, aggression, and confusion. It’s not uncommon for people to feel numb, spaced out, disconnected, and to have a heightened desire to isolate entirely or else become overly needy.
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Restoring Balance
Restore balance. Reground yourself in the moment using the breath. Yoga is one of the greatest tools for self-regulation because yoga fundamentally works using deep breaths, conscious movements, and breath control, which trigger the parasympathetic part of the nervous system that manages restoration and relaxation and expands lung capacity.
Long inhales and longer exhales have been shown to ground and restore balance in the nervous system: inhale (through the nose) for a count of four, hold for a count of two, exhale (lightly through the nose) for a count of six, hold for a count of two.
Practice Daily for Self-Regulation
Practice daily self-regulation techniques. Pick an active practice like breathwork, meditation, or cold showers, and connect to your nervous system’s response while you do the activity. Consistency is key to mastering self-regulation and achieving greater resilience and inner harmony.
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