So many people are working from a frazzled nervous system state, whether or not we’re feeling low and need extra vitality, or we now have too a lot vitality and need to really feel extra grounded.
That is the place the concept of up-regulating versus down-regulating is available in. For those who want a “decide me up,” that is up-regulating your nervous system. Down-regulating, in the meantime, seems extra like grounding, calming actions while you’re feeling hyper-aroused.
In that case, you may name up your most chill, easy-going buddy and ask in the event that they need to go for a hike, watch a nature documentary, or do some yoga, Richmond suggests. For those who needed to get energized, nonetheless, that could be while you name up your most vigorous, adventurous buddy and ask in case you can tag together with no matter they’re as much as.
The purpose is, none of us ought to really feel like we will not name on a buddy, member of the family, or companion to assist us regulate.
To that finish, Richmond provides, bodily contact is so necessary. Clearly, relying on who you are with, contact may not be acceptable, however we’re not solely speaking about intimate or erotic contact. A delicate contact on somebody’s arm, or a heat hug can actually go far.
“Even when it is only a hand on an arm, in case your nervous system was at a 7 on a scale of 1 being depressed and 10 being in panic mode, that contact can deliver your nervous system all the way down to a 6. Or in case you’re at a 3 and somebody offers you hug, that may deliver you as much as a 4,” Richmond tells mindbodygreen.
She really has an train referred to as “Hug to Chill out” that she recommends all her {couples} attempt for the aim of co-regulation. It is precisely what it appears like: “You hug one another and maintain that hug till your respiratory is co-regulated, you are feeling your shoulders drop, and you are feeling your chest increase.”
