Nervous System Hacks to Relieve Low-Energy, Fatigue, and Depression Symptoms Now
Do you sometimes feel stuck to your bed or couch? Your body feels heavy. Lethargic. And then the negative thoughts come in. What’s wrong with me? I’m lazy. Pathetic.
And the spiral down begins …
Familiar symptoms of depression may set in: welling sadness in your heart, an apathetic in doing anything. Even moving your arm to get your phone and message a friend feels insurmountable. And then you feel awful about yourself. The cycle has begun …
Perhaps, at the extreme, you find yourself getting sleepy. As if your body is a computer that is shutting down. And you find it harder and harder to keep it on. This may mean that your nervous system has down-regulated.
Ideally, we want our nervous system to be in the middle. In a place where we are calm but alert. We can rest at night and digest our food and enjoy life in the present moment. This area of our nervous system where we can be comfortable and present is called our window of tolerance.
If events and situations (or even our thoughts) are distressing or experienced as too much, too fast then we move out of this window of tolerance. When we move out of this space in an upward direction, we become agitated and anxious. We may even experience panic. This is called up-regulation. Our nervous system senses danger and goes into fight or flight mode.
When we move out of our window of tolerance in a downward direction, we feel sleepy, shut-down, foggy, and checked-out. Our nervous system has down-regulated and switched into freeze mode. This can happen due to physical issues, stress, trauma, or overwhelm. And it may be experienced as a symptom of depression.
Depression is a general term that can include many symptoms including sadness, emptiness, anxiety, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, worthlessness and hopelessness, physical pain, etc. Another way of understanding depression is that feelings get stuck in the body. These feelings are not being processed or released effectively. It’s as if a beautiful, flowing river gets caught in a bunch of sticks, leaves and branches so that it can’t flow anymore. Feelings are meant to be felt, experienced, and then released so that life energy can continue to flow through us.
When we’re down-regulated and feel fatigue, low-energy, or depression this can mean we are not facing our feelings and allowing them to move through and out our body like a healthy, flowing river.
Often, people turn to outside substances to gain energy and try to move out of this state. They drink coffee or watch thrilling TV shows. But this is like putting a band-aid on the stuck-ness. It doesn’t get things moving long term.
I’d like to offer you some holistic solutions that (sometimes) create rapid results. These hacks can move you out of this by shifting your internal state. Therefore, you’re not reliant on anything outside you to feel better. You can generate energy and lift your nervous system yourself. This enables you to move back into wholeness and a sense of well-being.
But first, what is a holistic approach to mental health? Rather than just dealing with symptoms, a holistic approach addresses the root of the issue. Instead of just recommending medications or behavioral changes, holistic therapy goes deeper. And looks at symptoms as clues to underlying core issues.
Take for example a young woman with disordered eating behaviors and negative body image thoughts. I do not just address her issues with food and manage these symptoms. I do not just work with her cognitive thoughts and help her change them. Using depth therapy and a holistic lens, I invite her to become curious with me. We will look at when and why her disordered eating began. What may have been going on in her life then? Perhaps we’ll discover that she developed her eating disorder as a coping skill for unresolvable family tension. And her negative body image as a distortion of the way she sees herself not just physically but as a whole person too. Perhaps it is a reflection of her insecurities and low self-worth.
We will identify her root issues collaboratively - any unresolved feelings, fears, and desires. Then we begin the work to mend and heal these wounds. Through doing this and developing healthier coping skills, she will find she has less and less need for her disordered eating patterns. The better she feels about herself, the more capable and whole, the more she will accept and love her body just the way it is. This is a holistic approach to mental health. One that deals with the roots of the issue, not just the part of the plant that is above the ground, visible to all and soaking up sun. To thrive, our roots need to be strong and nourished and firmly rooted in the earth.
When you are low-energy, fatigued, and depressed for more than just a day or two here and there, there are deeper issues going on. First, you’ll want to rule out any physical issue. Like a vitamin or mineral deficiency. But if you are otherwise healthy, then these excellent (and sometimes rapidly yielding results) tools may be very helpful. You’ll discover as you try them, that there are things you can do to elevate and bring your nervous system back to balance. You will feel empowered when you discover all you need is your body and a connection with nature. You will feel less afraid of feeling down again because you’ll know just what to do to shift back to your window of tolerance.
Try these tools and see how you feel:
1. Stand up and place your feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees a little bit and bounce until you feel your weight securely balanced in your center. Stretch your arms out and inhale deeply, puffing your chest out. Say aloud something along the lines of: Thank you for this opportunity to understand and love myself more deeply. I am awake and present. I am grateful for these feelings and the opportunity to be with them and love them.
2. Stay in this same standing position and lean your weight forward. Now lean a little bit more so that you ride on the edge of losing your balance. Imagine you are opening and leaning into the feelings. Instead of shutting down or becoming numb, you are going to lean into the feelings a little bit. To meet them. This is a somatic experience that brings you into your body.
3. Be present. Stop going into the past or the “what if” future. Just BE in the present for a minute. Breathe.
4. Sit down and journal. Write out your feelings. If you don’t know what you’re feeling wait … and listen. Be patient. Start with the sensations in your body. Heavy, tingly, sadness in my heart…
5. If you still feel stuck and heavy, take a cold shower. See if you can stay in for a minute or two. Or simply wash your face slowly with cold water. Connect to the feeling of the coldness. Allow it to surprise your nervous system and bring it into the present moment. To focus your mind.
6. Put on a fun, upbeat song and dance. Move your body faster than you normally do, jump up and down, shake different body parts to the music, sing along. Need some musical suggestions? End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys; any old disco song; You Got It by Roy Orbison; Taylor Swift; whatever gets you going.
7. Go outdoors with the game of finding one beautiful thing that captures your attention. Really look. Even if you live in a city. And then take a photo of it. Notice a plant with strange leaves or grasses exploding from a crack in pavement – the strength it took for those shoots to break through cement. Look up at the pattern the clouds make, look behind you and notice a bright color. This is a simple and fun ecotherapy (nature-based) technique to bring you into the present moment and into participation with the beauty of Earth.
8. Take a kundalini class with Kia Miller. Begin to change your energy in order to change your life. There are different physical kriyas (exercise sets) to change your energy – choose one that energizes you rather than relaxes.
9. Talk to someone you trust. This can be a friend, family member, or mentor. Someone who listens deeply to you and is emotionally aware. So that while you share, they don’t interrupt or try to fix your feelings. Share fully how you’re feeling and allow yourself to circle deeper into curiosity of what’s going on for you – like peeling layers of an onion. Allow your friend to be there and support you. Feel their presence even if it’s over the phone.
10. Schedule a session. I often work with clients who feel stuck, low-energy, fatigued, or depressed. In collaboration, we will look at what you’re experiencing and begin to bring understanding to your feelings. I will teach you skills and use somatic techniques to shift from heaviness and shut-down into a place of peaceful kindness toward yourself. We may uncover patterns that have been buried for a long time, feelings you didn’t know you had, and desires that you haven’t put voice to. Through the process of uncovering the root of your low-energy symptoms, you may even become grateful for the symptoms that led you to what you needed most. That led you to the healing and relationships and experiences that you truly desire.
Often people find that through leaning into the muck and sifting through it, they emerge far more awake and alive and clear than before. It is like clearing away cobwebs. What may appear at first as concerning or annoying symptoms become the signs that lead you into your truth, your physical and mental aliveness.