By Melanie Yost
You are not healing just to handle trauma—you have already been doing that. You are healing to allow joy back into your life.
Resilience is the ability to prepare for, recover from and adapt to stress, challenges or adversity. It manifests across mental, emotional, physical and spiritual realms.
Think of resilience as the energy stored in an inner battery. The more charged the battery, the greater your capacity to remain calm, think clearly and regulate your emotions. When the battery is depleted, responding effectively to even minor stressors becomes difficult. Our bodies are complex energy systems capable of expanding and renewing energy, and learning how to do this consciously helps build resilience.
The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and digestion. It consists of two key components:
• The sympathetic nervous system, which activates the body’s fight-or-flight response.
• The parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes rest, repair and recovery, but is also associated with the faint-or-freeze response.
The nervous system operates within an optimal range known as the Window of Tolerance, where it fluctuates between these two states to meet the demands of daily life. The sympathetic system enables activity—getting out of bed, driving, interacting with others, managing anger, frustration or anxiety—while the parasympathetic system allows for focus, rest, digestion and emotional processing, such as handling sadness or loneliness. A well-regulated nervous system moves fluidly between these states, helping us manage everyday life effectively.
The Effects of Chronic Stress and Trauma
When stress or trauma becomes chronic, the nervous system’s ability to self-regulate is impaired, narrowing the Window of Tolerance. This dysregulation can cause individuals to become stuck in states of over-activation, under-activation or fluctuations between the two.
Symptoms of Over-Activation:
• Difficulty concentrating
• Trouble relaxing
• Hypervigilance
• Exaggerated startle response
• Anxiety or panic
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Emotional outbursts
• Chronic anger or rage
• Aggression or violence
• Racing thoughts or overthinking
Symptoms of Under-Activation:
• Brain fog or mental blankness
• Emotional numbness
• Apathy
• Depression
• Disconnection from self and others
• Dissociation
• Chronic fatigue or lethargy
• Inability to feel happiness or joy
• Social withdrawal and isolation
Repatterning the Nervous System and Expanding the Window of Tolerance
The HeartMath Institute has identified a technique called Heart-Focused Breathing, which helps regulate the nervous system by promoting coherence—a state where the heart, mind, and emotions are in sync. This method involves breathing at a slower, deeper rate, typically with a five-count inhale and a five-count exhale.
Engaging in Heart-Focused Breathing creates a coherent heart rhythm, sending signals to the brain that promote emotional stability and well-being. This coherence allows the immune, hormonal, and nervous systems to function optimally, enhancing resilience and emotional regulation.
By consciously using techniques like Heart-Focused Breathing before, during, and after stressful situations, we can rewire the nervous system, expand our Window of Tolerance, and restore balance—allowing us to shift from merely surviving to truly thriving.
By understanding the science behind trauma and chronic stress, you’ve taken an important first step toward healing and resilience. But you don’t have to do it alone. At Be Well Solutions, we specialize in guiding you through practices like Heart-Focused Breathing and other proven techniques to help restore balance and expand your Window of Tolerance. Call 850-786-2051.
