What Your Nervous System Needs You to Know |
Have you ever said "I'm fine" when you clearly weren't? Or volunteered to take care of something when you were already drowning? Or caught yourself thinking "I'm sick of this" while mentally listing all the ways you've been let down?
When we studied more than 1,000 workers last year, one in two told us they're holding it all together on the outside while hiding that inside they feel like they're falling apart. We call it 'quiet cracking.'
These aren't just throwaway phrases. They're signals from our nervous system—and most of us have never learned to decode them.
Our brain's number one job is to keep us alive. One of the ways it does this is by constantly taking in information—from the world around you and from inside your body—and asking: Am I safe enough or not safe enough to handle what's happening right now?
Your nervous system spreads the word throughout your body. It connects your brain to your heart, your gut, your muscles, your breath—and depending on the answer, it changes how they all work together.
When your brain decides you're safe enough, your nervous system switches on its connection circuit. Your heart beats steadily. Your breathing stays calm. Blood and oxygen stay available to the thinking part of your brain. It's like all the lights are on upstairs, making it easier for us to be curious, creative,........