There is a natural rhythm to life that we would do well to observe and practice. It’s a cycle of activity and resting that is highly complementary to our natures and ensures our wellbeing and fulfillment. Unfortunately, with the arrival of the industrial revolution about seven generations ago, the pace of life has increased exponentially to a point where we have completely lost our natural rhythm. Despite all our technological and scientific advances, we are more stressed, dysfunctional and unhappy than our predecessors.
It’s time for a conscious pause to be introduced into our busy days for resting and digesting, If we look at the nervous systems of ‘bilateral animals’ including humans, there are two fundamental components; the Central Nervous System (CNS) consisting of the brain and spinal cord, and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) consisting of the autonomic and somatic nervous systems. Put simply, the CNS is responsible for all the executive functioning and decision making, whilst the PNS is the messenger that acts upon the instructions given.
The PNS being a messenger, acts largely unconsciously and automatically to ensure our survival and wellbeing. Processes like heartbeat, breathing, digestion, and the production of hormones are functions of the PNS we don’t have to consciously think about. What is worth thinking about though is that the autonomic nervous system itself consists of two complementary systems, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system prepares us for action – fight or flight, whilst the parasympathetic nervous system is the rest and digest mechanism of recovery that comes after activity.
In our busy and stressful lives, our sympathetic nervous system of doing is in overdrive, whilst our complementary parasympathetic nervous system of being, is underutilized. Hence the high rate of burn-out and stress related conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The current ‘Western’ and bi-polar cycle of working eight hours a day and sleeping eight hours a night exposes us to a roller coaster of highs and lows, leaving us depleted and vulnerable to mental and physical disease. What is required and practiced by more ‘Eastern’ philosophies is that we learn to take conscious control via the CNS by engaging in daily practices that support the parasympathetic nervous system so that rest and digest processes are happening throughout the day, breaking up the activity and introducing us to a smoother and more advantageous rhythm of life.
These daily practices like conscious breathing, meditation, stretching, movement and dance, emotional expression, and examining our thinking patterns all support our parasympathetic nervous systems and result in a greater sense of being present in our own lives. Hence, we empower ourselves to live in proper relationship to everything instead of feeling like victims, strapped to a roller coaster ride we didn’t get to choose. If you would like to learn how to nurture your nature through these daily practices, please contact me – psychologist in Fourways.