My Words of Wisdom for a 15 Year Old

I worked on a 15 year old yesterday.in my reflexology practice.. 

I thought at the time what words of wisdom would I impart on this poor child? What would I have wanted to know at that age? 

My answer in my head was the vagus nerve and how to control it. 

I wish I had know at that age about how to control the vagus nerve. And how the vagus nerve impacts our emotion and physical well being. Also it would have been helpful to know how the vagus nerve puts the brakes on inflammation and makes stress manageable.

So I told her I would be happy to teach her about to take control of the vagus nerve. 

So here goes. If you are feeling anxious, depressed or just unmotivated go into the bathroom splash cold water on your face.It will trigger a shift in your vagus nerve,

OR just rub your feet and hands. Get a facial or get a full body massage or reflexology session. Get your ears rubbed or maybe even an Indian head rub. 

Take a deep breath.Try box breathing. Learn to mediate. Or laugh, sing, gargle, and hum. Be grateful or feel compassion. Find a friend or family member to talk to or socialize with. 

All these activities can stimulate your vagus nerve (there are many more, goggle it). 

Stimulating the vagus nerve switches your nervous system from fight or flight to a more restful and healing state. It shuts down the inflammation that causes disease, emotional turmoil and just plain angst.

One of my clients marveled at how our reflexology sessions put her in  “a state of wellness” despite her intense professional career. Didn’t matter what was going on at the moment. It helped her shift gears. 

So sprinkle these activities through out your day, Remember the trick is to not only interrupt stress but do it frequently. Choose your favorite approach.

These young kids have been through a lot from pandemics to school shooting. I think we owe it to them to teach them how work on their vagal tone. Hopefully it will teach them not only how to cope but to thrive in this crazy mixed up world.

Lucky kid! She gets my words of wisdom. I bet she can’t wait!!!