YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HORMONES
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The two main subdivision are the CNS (central nervous system) and the PNS (peripheral nervous system). The CNS includes the communication between your brain and spinal cord, where as the PNS includes literally everything else from nerve endings, to receptors, to cranial nerves all the way down to your feet, etc.
The PNS receives messages via our 5 senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing) which then sends a signal to our CNS to process the sensations and even THOUGHTS that one would experience, which conversely signals us to respond accordingly.
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Now within the PNS there are two other systems that most of you are more familiar with: the Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) aka our stressed out response and our Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS2) aka our chill response.
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This is when it all comes together: our hormones are DIRECTLY INFLUENCED by our nervous system. If our body senses danger, is under stress, or feels the need to protect itself in anyway, it will send a signal to the body to jack up cortisol and say “Yeah, hormones aren’t important now, we need to DEFEND AND FIGHT”. This can look like burning through a lot of minerals, caloric reserve, and muscle mass, which can all lead to some form of depletion or imbalance in the body depending on how long this stress lasts.
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On the flip side, we’ve all heard that a bit of stress is good for us, because not building up enough resiliency to stress can do more harm than good. However, an individual can fall into the PNS2 state BECAUSE of too much stress, which can look like fatigue, low blood pressure, low body temp and just a slower metabolism over all.
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Finding a happy medium between making sure our nervous system is working efficiently to send signals when needed, having the body react appropriately, and being able to recover from that stress is a challenge in itself. If we want healthy hormones, a sturdy metabolism, robust immune system and the capacity to handle unexpected things in life, we must take care of the stressors we CAN control versus the ones we can’t.

So, now that we know that our nervous system is a particularly important signaling system that alerts us of more than just physical sensations, but also psychological, we have to also acknowledge that our ability to control our responses is more crucial than trying to control the actual outcomes.
Why I say that:
1️⃣You can’t control everything in life. As much as you want to (and yes, I want to), you just can’t.
2️⃣The way you digest stress is what will help your body become more resilient for stress in the long run
3️⃣The way you listen to your body’s signals can help with avoiding a full on burn out
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Now remember, SYMPTOMS are NOT the problem. They are your body TALKING to you.
If you need a 101 class on how to talk “Body” book a call here and we can have a call together.
But in all seriousness, when our body’s nervous system is stressed, symptoms can arise such as:
✴Feeling burnt out
✴Hangry
✴Low energy
✴Severe PMS
✴Thyroid issues
✴Light to no period
✴Waking up between 1-3 am
and more!
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and remember, we don’t want to stay in a stressed out state for TOO long, because eventually, our body will run out of energy to send us signals, leaving us in the dark when something is REALLY wrong.

Our nervous system is constantly being stimulated, but at varying degrees, and yet if we’re too wired, unable to ease in and out of our parasympathetic and sympathetic state (rest and digest to fight or flight) it could be a sign we are losing resiliency to stress
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So HOW can you take care of your nervous system, especially when we live in a world that is INUNDATED with stress (blue lights, pollution, heavy metals, poor quality food, work)?
1️⃣ Optimize sleep: Try and follow our natural circadian rhythm, meaning we should be going to bed no later than 10pm, waking up at 6 ish, and eating 3 meals a day. Opt in by utilizing blue blocking glasses if you’re constantly on the computer or under blue light at work (Use code BARBARA for 15% when clicking the link here)
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2️⃣Try some breathwork Box Breathing, or some meditation. Tip: breathing in and our through your nose stimulates your parasympathetic system when compared to mouth breathing
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3️⃣Reduce your exercise intensity if you feel like you’re burning out. Exercise is good, but remember, it is still a stress on the body
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4️⃣Go outside in nature and enjoy the fresh air! Changing the air quality you breathe and getting a bit of sun has been shown to not only elevate one’s mood but help them breathe BETTER
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5️ Rebalance your minerals: When we’re stressed, we tend to use up a lot of minerals and our adrenals crank it up. Check out my Adrenal Cocktail recipe. Conversely, sometimes we need an over all mineral replenishment, and this is when Shilajit comes in. It’s a natural rich source of minerals and can help maintain energy, digestion, focus, and aid in overall health support. Remember, minerals are like electricity for your cells! Click the link here and use code BARBARA for 15% your shilajit order!
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6️⃣ Adaptogens: Plants like oat straw and skullcap that have been shown to help the body “adapt”  to the stress one is enduring. They are both nervines-> get it? NERVEines? Helpful for nerves? Oh, I crack myself up haha