Have you ever felt like you're necessarily on "high alert mode"? Like your BODY and mind are waiting for something to happen, but maybe you're not even sure what? Perhaps you find that a small thing, like the ringing of a phone, makes you feel instantly jumpy?

 

It's possible that if this happened to you, your Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) took over very quickly, or was already the portion of your nervous system in control. The SNS is in charge of fight/flight responses. It helps you become ultra alert, perhaps historically in preparation for, say, running from a bear. "BEAR?? All systems on alert! Must go! Must survive!!".

 

While our modern lives don't contain the same hazards the SNS traditionally helped us avoid, that doesn't mean it went away... or that it's not helpful. When we need it, it's a very handy system to have as an autonomic response.

 

A lot of people get in trouble though, when their SNS dominates the activity of their nervous system.

 

Some interesting things to note about the SNS:

 

• When we're in SNS mode, it's harder to "hear" Intelligence and access your intellect (I - i - I) to to Interpret information and make the best decisions.

• It's very difficult to enact the introspection necessary to Recognize something is off in your landscape, and Reconcile and Resolve it as needed (we call that R -> R -> R).

• It's harder to be empathetic with others and connect to them- your dominate system by definition is focused on self-survival.

 

What's the other option?

 

The SNS's sister system is the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS), which is often remembered as the system that helps you "rest and digest". It is active when you feel calm and are ready to relax. It is designed to be the counterbalance to the SNS.

 

Since neither system is good nor bad, the question becomes- which one is in charge at a given time, and is it the one that is most helpful to you for what you're trying to do?

 

If you find you want your PSNS to take the wheel, the Reset Breath is for you. The Reset Breath is designed to balance your SNS activity with your PSNS activity by immediately issuing the instruction for your PSNS to override your SNS.

 

The pattern for Reset Breath is:

 

• OUT through the mouth

• IN through the nose

• OUT through the mouth

• PAUSE

 

• Using Quiet Touch (QT) while doing the Reset Breath makes it easier and faster for your body to self-adjust... but the Reset Breath will work on its own.

• During the PAUSE, check Your 18 Inches.

• Based on what you find in Your 18 Inches, use the PAUSE as an opportunity to Recognize -> Reconcile -> Resolve.

 

Reset Breath fun facts...

 

• If your body has been in a state of recurring "SNS Overdrive", you can re-balance your overall nervous system by doing the Reset Breath on purpose, several times a day, until your body understands that's the default state you prefer.

• You do not need to do several Reset Breaths in a row- one works... UNLESS as soon as you've issued the invitation to reset into PSNS mode by doing a Reset Breath, your mind yells BEAR!! at your body again. That's common... no big deal... just do another Reset Breath. Use R -> R -> R or <TWA> to figure out what's going on in your mind that keeps you in this ultra-alert state.

• If you are congested, the Reset Breath will still work as long as you can get air into your nasal passages. It will not work if you do the inhale via the mouth.