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How to calm the nervous system

E

Erik1971

New Member
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on how to unwind/ calm an overactive nervous system.
I have had muscle twitching, tinnitus and in recent months difficulties falling and staying asleep - some nights I don't sleep at all, and flares of lower back pain. I fit the TMS personality traits and have had my portion of stress in recent months. According to my doctor I have an overactive sympathic nervous system. To calm it all down I have started doing yoga and meditation but so far the symptoms have not eased. With so many knowledgeable people on this forum, I am hoping to get some ideas that can help me calm my nervous system and ease the symptoms.

Thanks for your help.

Erik
 
Hi Erik,

I think in Steve O's book The Great Pain Deception he discusses it quite a bit. One simple thing he suggested that I found really useful is to visualize a speedometer, and imagine it going down from 80 to 30 as you breathe (or something like that). If nothing else, he's a really funny guy.
 
It will take some time, you are doing good by starting yoga and meditation. Meditation is something that takes time to get good at. For me it was months before I could ever reach a good calm meditative state. I have not ordered them yet but I'm about to, i have heard dr. Emmet Miller cd's/mp3 downloads are great for learning how to meditate. He has many videos so pick the ones that may apply to you.

Just a thought but another reason your nervous system cannot calm down is because you are constantly worrying and keeping it in a flight or fight state. You dont even realize you are doing this cause you unconscious is programmed this way. Go to this posts on the wiki which may help, Ihttp://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/feeling-anger-releasing-worry.4909/. I did this all the time and still do it. Now I am aware at how much I really did worry and fear things. My unconscious was always in a constant worry. Awareness is the key to this, as soon as I catch myself worrying I take a couple of deep breaths with affirmations.

About the anger, just give it time and try to be aware and mindful of your emotions. Keep at the meditation and calming your mind and body, with time you will start to feel your emotions. It may take a while but stick with it, habits are not changed over night. Best of luck

Ryan
 
Erik, Ryan gives some very good advice and I agree that meditation is very important in calming the nervous system and that it takes practice and patience. Most people today have very active or over-active minds, mainly from one worry or another. I do, too. I try switching my mind from the cycle of worry about something to imagining myself in a peaceful place. I remember being on wilderness canoe trips in Canada and paddling on quiet rivers, or lying in the sun on a beach, listening to the sounds of loons calling to each other across a lake. I also believe deep breathing is one of the best ways to calm our nerves and slow down our thoughts and worries. I also feel calm from drinking a hot cup of milk or decaf tea.

For sleep, I do the above exercises and sometimes count backwards from 100 to 1 while deep breathing. It sometimes takes two laps, but then I doze off.

There are a lot of web sites on how to calm our nervous system, and one of them suggests this:

Tips to Help Manage Nervousness
  • It’s helpful to know that while you may think your nervousness is glaringly obvious, it never looks as bad as it feels. Many people who feel sure that everyone notices their nervous feelings are surprised to hear friends and colleagues remark on how confident they seemed!
  • Deep breathing is one of the most helpful tools to help with nerves. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose (try to breathe from your diaphragm rather than from your chest), hold your breath in for a few seconds and then release your breath slowly from your mouth.
  • Don’t be frustrated or angry at yourself for being nervous. It’s a very normal fear reaction and focusing on its negative effects will make them seem larger than life.
  • Try to be prepared for the event that is making you nervous. The more solid your preparation, the more confident and less nervous you will be.
  • Watch out for and stop any negative thoughts about possible bad outcomes. To help you do this, change "What ifs" to "So what’s."
  • Many people speak faster when they feel nervous. Take a deep breath and slow down your rate of speech. This will prevent you from becoming breathless – which makes many people feel more nervous.
 
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