I’ve been doing lots of workshops recently, which I’m really enjoying. This week I did one on mental health and resilience for Prudential and at the end of the session it was what I’d said about the nervous system that got the most requests for more information..
This did not surprise me.
Because, during the session, I highlighted this simple truth: you live in your nervous system 24/7. You’re in it right now.
You go to work in it, you look after your children in it, you go on holiday in it and build relationships through it.
All your interactions with the world – and with yourself – happen through it.
It’s influencing how you feel, think and act – right now. Whether you’re aware of it or not.
Fight, flight freeze = an activated (sympathetic) nervous system
It is the perfect response for dangerous situations like being physically attacked. But not for opening an email, meeting new people or giving a presentation.
But your nervous system doesn’t know that giving a presentation won’t kill you. And, if you are triggered and enter fight or flight your body starts powerfully pushing resources to what you need to survive.
That’s why if you’re constantly – or often – entering fight or flight you will regularly feel overwhelmed, struggle to make decisions, be unable to think clearly and be flooded with hormones like cortisol and adrenaline – which are highly disruptive.
When your nervous system is activated you cannot be consistent, adaptable, flexible and have the resources to bounce back – i.e. you cannot be resilient.
And THAT is why nervous system work is such a big part of my coaching today.
Unified body and mind
If you want the best results from any kind of coaching you need to have the tools to respond flexibly when your nervous system dumps you in fight or flight. Especially if this is happening a lot. Otherwise, none of the intellectual mindset stuff will stick.
Do you want to experience the world through anxiety, agitation and fear or calm, clear-sighted focus? That’s basically your choice.
I’ve had two people book in Clarity Sessions with me for April purely to work on nervous system rewiring. If you’re feeling regularly triggered into fight, flight, freeze then book yourself in for a Clarity Session.
If this feels like part of deeper work then let’s have an intro call – maybe the hesitation, self-doubt, catastrophising or anxiety is actually a nervous system problem that resilience coaching can solve.
