Anna Ferguson

You're going to start to do this and you're going to squeeze up here and you're going to hold your nose and you're going to blow really hard like you're doing a poo, but you're not going to... It's a lot of information to take in and you're going to be like, stop, this is

You're stressing me out even more, right?

So we have to practice these outside of that state so that the more that we practice, they become integrated, they become embedded, they become tools that we actually know that they work so that when we are in the moment, they're accessible to us.

They're not something that we have to think about.

So it depends on what state you're in.

I think that's another really important thing.

So if you're in a freeze response, I wouldn't suggest doing the exact same resources that if you're in an anxiety spiral or in a fight or flight response.

There's variation in how you want to work with your nervous system.

So let's start with like the sympathetic state.

This is a high energy state and you want to match that energy with things that you can do.

So for me, that's movement.

What movement can I do in this state that helps me feel that I can start to see that like subsiding of energy in my body?

So for me, I love shaking and I will do this every morning because we have a natural cortisol spike in the morning.

So I'll boil the kettle for my coffee and while that's going, I will shake and put on some music and have a little dance party.

But this also might look like going for a walk.

running on the spot or doing some squats or finding something that works for you.

So movement that matches your energetic state, and that sounds really woo-woo, but just the energy of your body is going to be really important in that moment.

Once you start to feel that energy subside, then you can start to look at different techniques that help downregulate your nervous system even further.

So this is a thing like physiological size, probably one of my favorite go-to breathwork techniques.

which you essentially take two inhales through your nose and then one exhale through your mouth.