You scored the highest in areas for the ventral vagal and sympathetic states of the Polyvagal Theory.

Ventral vagal is our home base of safety and relaxation, and in this state you are calm, collected, and connected.

Sympathetic is the stress response you’re inclined towards. In the sympathetic mode, the body’s way of dealing with stress is to mobilize and jump into action—think “fight or flight.”

In the sympathetic state, adrenaline production is increased and your muscles tense as your body prepares to actively defend itself. You might experience tension, anxiety, anger, irritability, frustration, or restlessness. Physical indicators include increased heartrate, rapid breathing, sweating, increased blood pressure, and a sense of shakiness/trembling or “too much energy” in the body.

It is also harder to tune into human speech and read facial cues when you’re in sympathetic mode, making communication and connection with others more difficult.

If the sympathetic system is constantly activated, you are likely to experience symptoms of chronic stress including inflammation, illness, impaired mental/emotional functioning, and interpersonal issues.

Because our nervous system state is controlled automatically, below our conscious awareness, it’s important to send cues of safety directly to your body.

3-minute exercises to regulate the sympathetic state:

• Full-Body Shaking - stand up and shake your body in a way that feels good. Try raising your arms above your head, shaking each leg, shaking your tail and your tongue! The sillier the better, and adding music can help even more by engaging our listening (inner ear) muscles which are also linked to the ventral vagal system.

• Box Breathing - sit or lie down if possible, and place one hand over your heart and the other on your belly. Breathing through your nose, breathe IN for a count of 3, HOLD for a count of 2, breathe OUT for 3, and HOLD for 2. Extend the duration of each interval if that feels good (ex: 4-3-4-3).

• Eye-Press Breathing - sit or lie down if possible. Rub your hands together to warm them up. Now place one palm over each eye so that you are blocking the light but not blocking the breath in your nose. Keep the pressure gentle, almost like an eye pillow. Breathe slowly through your nose, and focus on the rise and fall of your belly.

The next time you notice sympathetic activation in your system, take a break and try one of these exercises. Note how you feel before and after the exercise. With experimentation, you can see which tools are the most efficient for your unique system.

I can also support you with curated exercises and personalized guidance. Click here for more information, and book a free exploratory call here.

In the ventral vagal state, your body able to relax, repair, and thrive. You might experience safety, warmth, openness, confidence, creativity, and a sense of connection to yourself and others. Physical indicators include relaxed muscles, smooth/deep breathing, and normal heartrate variability (HRV).

In the ventral vagal state, our social engagement system is fully online. We are more compassionate and caring towards others, we can more easily tune into people’s words, tone of voice, and facial expressions, and we can better soothe and support others from this state.

The more time we spend in ventral vagal, the more we can improve our resilience and our capacity to remain steady during challenging situations. This state is also highly beneficial for your wellness because it promotes lower inflammation, balanced metabolism and glucose levels, and healthy gut activity.

Anchoring into your ventral vagal state can help you deepen your sense of peace, clarity, creativity, and compassion for yourself and others.

3-minute exercises to anchor the ventral vagal state:

• Heart resonance breathing - sit comfortably with an upright posture and close your eyes. Breathing through your nose, breathe IN for a count of 5 and OUT for a count of 6. Imagine you are breathing in and out of your heart, or the center of your chest (heart chakra). You can place your hand on your heart if you’d like, and imagine a white or golden light glowing in your chest. This exercise is designed for HRV training (scientific measure of vagal tone).

• Tonglen - sit comfortably with an upright posture and close your eyes. Send loving-kindness and compassion to three people: first to your inner child, then someone you love, and finally someone it’s difficult to feel compassion for. You can imagine they are standing in front of you, and on the in-breath, breathe in their suffering. On the out-breath, send them kindness, compasion, and forgiveness.

• Ecstatic Dance - put on an upbeat song that lights you up inside. Let your body move freely to the beat—shake, twist, and bounce around. As you do, keep a smile on your face to enhance the ventral vagal effects.

I can also support you with curated exercises and personalized guidance. Click here for more information, and book a free exploratory call here.