3 Keys to Health: Safety

WHAT SAFETY HAS TO DO WITH HEALTH?

Welcome to the last part of my 3 Keys to Health series.
You’ve most certainly heard that movement is good for health. You might realise that breathing as nature intended is just as important. But I bet you never thought about the connection between safety and health. Meanwhile, the regulated nervous system is the key to both physical and mental health. And the feeling of safety plays a crucial role in that regulation.

YOU WANT YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM TO BE FLEXIBLE

One of the most reliable health markers is HRV (heart rate variability). The heart, lungs, and nervous system constantly influence one another. A healthy organism responds to changes in the environment. The gap between two heartbeats is sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. That means you adapt to the situation and don't stay stuck.

For those who have experienced trauma, people with depression, and multiple health problems, the HRV is very low. When you're stuck in the fight/flight or freeze response, your body loses its natural ability to heal.

Now, the point isn't to eradicate stress. Stress response (in a form of fight, flight, or freeze) is evolutionarily designed to respond to real threats. The key is not to stay stuck in those states for long. You need a resilient nervous system which can help you bounce back after experiencing any tragedy, hardship, or emotional upheaval.

By definition, if your nervous system reads the current situation as a threat, you can't access that rest-and-restore mode. And that has its consequences.

TRAUMA, HEALTH AND SAFETY

Unfortunately, anybody who has experienced trauma tends to fare poorly in terms of physical and mental health. The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience, such as abuse and neglect) studies proved that beyond question. ACEs are more common than you might think. Almost two-thirds of study participants in the US reported at least one ACE and more than one in five reported three or more ACEs. The more ACEs you have, the higher your risk of depression, addiction, but also stroke, cancer, or asthma.


YOU CAN RETURN TO BALANCE

Luckily, just as your body can be trained through movement and your respiratory and circulatory system through breathing, you can also learn to regulate your nervous system. Some of this can be done by accessing the only part of the autonomic nervous system you have control of: respiration. Much of it is done by rebuilding your sense of safety.

If you feel stuck in an anxiety/agitation response or chronic fatigue/apathy, check out my YouTube video on nervous system regulation via breathing.
If you need to bring that safety here and now, download my FREE First-Aid for Anxiety audio.

And if you’d like to work with me 1-2-1 and learn to self-regulate, answer one question and apply for a free 20-minute chat with me. Together, we can work out how I can help you.