如何应对慢性压力和放松

如果您花了任何时间yoga或者meditationstudio, you may have come across the concept of ‘resetting’ the nervous system. It sounds legit, but what does it actually mean?

在这里，我们揭开了这个概念的神秘面纱，并解释了为什么它在整体健康和福祉中起着重要作用。

当我们谈论“重置”神经系统时，我们必须研究自主神经系统。

The autonomic nervous system is a component of the central processing center that coordinates the activity of your entire nervous system. It’s in charge of the bodily functions you don’t have to think about, like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. “When you think about ‘autonomic,’ think ‘automatic,’” saysJennifer Novak，MS，一名经过认证的力量和条件专家和绩效恢复教练。您的自主神经系统对您的环境和环境做出反应，从而触发一系列自动流程，以帮助您处理面临的情况。

The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts:

Also known as the ‘fight-or-flight’ system, the sympathetic component of your autonomic nervous system kicks in when you’re faced with a threat (real or imagined). It’s responsible for that pounding sensation you feel in your chest when you argue with a friend or partner. It also increases breathing and blood pressure, reduces blood flow to your gastrointestinal (GI) system, slows digestion and shuttles more glucose (sugar) into your bloodstream, according to Novak.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the sympathetic nervous system’s counterpart and is often referred to as the ‘rest-and-digest’ system. As soon as a threat passes, the parasympathetic nervous system gets to work bringing your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, blood sugar and digestion back to normal levels, according to Novak.

Mainstream medicine has no clinical definition of ‘reset’ as it applies to your nervous system, according toStephanie Marango博士，纽约市的综合医师。因此，您对概念的理解可能取决于您如何定义“重置”。

However, ‘reset’ can mean making an adjustment that helps your body (the nervous system in particular) function better. “Similar to how we reset a clock to its right time, an odometer to zero, or a computer, so it works well again,” Marango says.

她继续说：“在所有这些示例中，都会出现带来的平衡。”从这个意义上讲，“重置”神经系统可能意味着平衡同情和副交感神经的反应，这些反应会根据您的平衡感觉而异。

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READ MORE >HOW TO TRIGGER YOUR STRESS RESPONSE LESS

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For example, if you feel anxious 24/7, you may benefit from meditation,deep breathing以及其他轻松的做法，使您的副交感神经“休息和消化”反应。Marango说：“在另一个例子中，一个感到呆滞的人可能会通过充满活力的Vinyasa流动或进行奔跑而受益。”

However, with our ‘go-go-go’ society, most of us could use more parasympathetic responses — and fewer sympathetic responses. “Therefore, when someone talks about ‘resetting’ the nervous system, they’re referring to thestress-management techniquesthat help switch our autonomic nervous system from being stuck in sympathetic dominance to engaging the parasympathetic division,” Novak says.

我们中的许多人都压力最大并不是秘密。压力在健康剂量方面良好，但是随着我们中许多人不断面对的压力，您的神经系统很可能被困在“高警觉”上。

诺瓦克说：“当压力源消除时，我们的系统旨在自然重置。”但是，如果压力源总是在困扰您（例如，从包装的工作日到HIIT锻炼，再与您的伴侣争吵），您的同情反应将保持比健康更长的活跃。长期升高心率，应力激素(like cortisol), and blood pressure levels (among other sympathetic responses) may increase your risk of chronic conditions (like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes), according to2015年研究。

更重要的是，所有压力都会诱使您turn to unhealthy habits诺瓦克说，（例如酒精和暴饮暴食）缓解，这可能会放大您可能开发的任何慢性疾病。

如果您不断感到压力，请开始在一天中引入放松活动。

恢复性瑜伽，冥想和呼吸都是使您的神经系统平静的绝佳选择。它们是不同的活动，但它们都涉及缓慢而充满呼吸，“引起了副交感神经系统，” Marango说。

“Breathing is one of the few physiologic processes that can be both involuntary and voluntary,” she continues. So, if you’re feeling anxious and stressed, you can intentionally bring yourself back to a calmer state by taking slow, deep breaths. Novak suggests inhaling deeply through the nose, holding for a second or two, and then breathing out (imagine you’re breathing out through a straw) until you feel like you’ve released all your air. Repeat as many times as needed to feel relaxed.

您还可以进行缓慢而冥想的步行，给您的伴侣一个熊拥抱（Novak建议至少持有20秒钟），或列出您所感谢的所有人和事物。

“Of course, limiting, mitigating or removing additional stressors from our lives is most helpful,” Novak says. Brainstorm ways you can cut back on mental, emotional and physical stressors in your daily life.

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