Using your mind to help manage and relieve your IBS symptoms
I came across these christmas survival tips on my Twitter feed today. Kindly supplied by @IBSnetwork.
A. Plan ahead
B. Remember your triggers
C. Know your limits
D. Don't forget your medication
E. Avoid snacking.
F. Drink plenty of water
G. Stay calm.
It’s the most important nerve you perhaps didn’t know you had.
Why is it so important?
Because, the Vagus Nerve (VN ) is intimately tied in with multiple organs and systems of the body, and is extremely critical to our overall health.
The word vagus means “wanderer”. The VN got its name because it’s a long meandering bundle of motor and sensory fibres that ‘wanders’ all over the body linking the brain, gut (intestines, stomach), heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidney, ureter, spleen, lungs, reproductive organs (female), neck (pharynx, larynx, and oesophagus), ears, and tongue.
The management and processing of emotions happens via the VN between the heart, brain and gut, which is why we have a strong gut reaction to intense mental and emotional states.
Of particular interest to me, a stress management coach, is the VN’s key role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), to initiate the body’s relaxation response.
The PNS works in partnership with your sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which activates the stress response. After experiencing a stress inducing event, it's your PNS that moves into action, to calm you down and restore your body to business as usual. The longer the stress response is switched off, the more time our body has to rest and recover. The longer we are in relaxation mode the more our stress level will reduce.
An important thing to know from a stress management perspective is that the PNS and SNS can’t both be on at the same time.
We can choose to stimulate the VN whenever we want to, in order to temporarily switch off the stress response and activate the relaxation response. This ability can be particularly useful when we are faced with high pressure moments where we need to perform at our best such as an interview, public speaking, an exam, a match winning put on the 18th green etc.
There are many simple ways to stimulate the VN, and here are five of my favourites. They can be performed easily, effortlessly and whenever you need to quell panic or lower your stress level.
The easiest way to stimulate the VN is slow, diaphragmatic (belly) breathing where you make the out breath slightly longer than the in breath. This is the first stress management technique (7/11 breathing) I teach all my stress and anxiety clients. Check out my post on 7/11 breathing here.
Dip your face into a basin of very cold water for 30 seconds
Splash your face with icy water
Take a cold shower
Any kind of acute cold water exposure instigates what's known as the 'dive reflex'. Triggering the dive reflex activates the PNS immediately, so you feel calmer and less stressed in a matter of seconds.
Splashing your face with icy water, or pressing your face on to an ice pack, can have the same effect for some people, and it works better if you also lean forward and hold your breath for 30 seconds.
The VN is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. You contract these muscles when you sing, hum, chant or gargle, activating the VN.
Gargling-gargle with water several times a day. The VN activates the muscles in the back of the throat that allow you to gargle. Gargling contracts these muscles, which activates the VN and stimulates the gastrointestinal tract. Drink several large glasses of water per day and gargle each sip until you finish the glass of water. You should gargle long enough to make it a bit challenging.
Sing loudly. Singing at the top of your lungs (like you mean it) makes you work the muscles at the back of your throat.
Laughter stimulates diaphragmatic breathing and in turn stimulates the VN. Check out my post on the health benefits of laughing here.
The PNS is often referred to as the “rest and digest” state, the body likes to be in a relaxed state when it’s time to eat. The simple act of chewing activates: the stomach to release acid, the liver to produce bile; the pancreas to release digestive enzyme; gut motility; all of which are mediated by the VN. So when we chew gum the body is tricked into thinking we’re eating and the VN is stimulated.
Give one or more of these exercises a go. They will not only make you feel better, they will allow you to experience the world in a more relaxed, calm and enjoyable state.
Happy vagus nerve stimulating!
Stress is both a trigger for, and a symptom of, IBS. This is a vicious cycle that needs to be interrupted to facilitate IBS symptom relief. One of the ways we can begin to reduce our stress level is through a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
Did you know there are over 600 muscles in the human body? Although their natural state is to be at rest, people are so stressed and tense much of the time that the situation actually becomes the opposite: we train our bodies for tension.
People with stress and anxiety are so used to being tense throughout the day that they don’t even recognize what being relaxed feels like anymore. It’s a little bit like good posture; it feels weird to sit properly if we normally slouch because we are asking our body to do something it doesn’t normally do.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a great way to take time out, be in the present moment, and release tension in your body (and mind).
In PMR, you tense a group of muscles as you breathe in, and you relax them as you breathe out. You work on your muscle groups in a certain order. PMR can take 15 – 30 minutes to complete but the benefits are worth the time invested.
PMR yields a variety of benefits, including the development of a feeling of well-being, lowered blood pressure, decreased muscle tension, thereby reducing the body’s need for oxygen and reducing fatigue, stress and anxiety.
Through regular PMR practice you learn:
not only what relaxation feels like, but also to recognize when you are starting to get tense during the day.
distinguish between the feelings of a tensed muscle and a completely relaxed muscle. Then, you can begin to “cue” this relaxed state at the first sign of the muscle tension that accompanies your feelings of anxiety and stress.
As you perform PMR:
Keep your eyes closed.
Keep your mind focused on the word “relax”, throughout.
Use the 7/11 breathing technique and tense the muscles on the in-breath and release them on the out-breath. Anxiety and panic specialist Dr. Patricia Farrell suggests we breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Keep concentrating on the word “relax”.
Find a safe comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed for 10-15 minutes. Perhaps put on some relaxing music. Close your eyes and start PMR with:
The muscles in your hands and forearms:
You tense these muscles by clenching your fists as tightly as you can.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your fists.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your hands and forearms.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your upper arms:
You tense these muscles by bending your arms at the elbows and trying to touch your wrists to your shoulders.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your arms.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your upper arms.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in the back of your arms:
You tense these muscles by straightening your arms as hard as you can.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your arms.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in the back of your arms.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your shoulders:
You tense these muscles by shrugging your shoulders tightly into your neck.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your shoulders.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your shoulders.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your neck:
You tense these muscles by pressing your head back as far as you can.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your neck.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your neck.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your forehead:
You tense these muscles by raising your eyebrows as though enquiring.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your eyebrows.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your fore-head.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your brows and eyelids:
You tense these muscles by frowning and squeezing your eyes tightly shut.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your brows and eyelids.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your brows and eyelids.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your jaw:
You tense these muscles by clenching your teeth as hard as you can.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your jaw.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your jaw.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your tongue and throat:
You tense these muscles by pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your tongue.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your tongue and throat.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your lips and face:
You tense these muscles by pressing your lips together tightly.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your lips.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your lips and face.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your chest:
You tense these muscles by taking a deep breath and holding it
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your chest by breathing out.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your chest.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your stomach:
You tense these muscles by making your stomach muscles hard as though expecting a punch.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your stomach.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your stomach
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your hips and lower back:
You tense these muscles by arching your back and clenching your buttocks.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your hips and lower back..
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your hips and lower back.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
The muscles in your legs and feet:
You tense these muscles by straightening your legs and pointing your toes down.
Start now and count steadily to ten, notice the tension.
Relax your legs and feet.
Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your legs and feet.
Keep focusing on the word “relax”.
Now let the feeling of relaxation spread throughout the whole of your body and enjoy being completely relaxed for 10-15 minutes. Keep focusing on the word relax and enjoy that feeling of deep relaxation.
You should practice PMR at least twice a day until you know it off by heart and are able to relax any set of muscles at any time.
Remember to practise progressive muscle relaxation often, whether you are feeling anxious or not. This will make the exercise even more effective when you really do need to relax! Though it may feel a bit tedious at first, ultimately you will gain a skill that will probably become a very important part of managing your anxiety in your daily life.
