VAGUS NERVE

Empower your life: Reduce Anxiety, PTSD and

Inflammation with Natural Techniques and Practical
Yoga Exercises for Relaxation

Judy A. Care
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 BOOK 1
Vagus Nerve

Effective Self-Help Techniques and Stimulation Exercises to

Activate Your Body's Healing Power. A Complete Guide to Break
Free From Anxiety, Stress, Inflammation, Trauma and Sleep
Disorder

BOOK 2
Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Discover How to Stimulate your Vagus Nerve with Relaxation

Techniques, Mindfulness and Meditation exercises. Relieve Stress
and Anxiety for a Healthy Mind-Body Connection
 © Copyright 2020 - All rights reserved.
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

BOOK 1
VAGUS NERVE
Effective Self-Help Techniques and Stimulation Exercises to Activate Your
Body's Healing Power. A Complete Guide to Break Free From Anxiety,
Stress, Inflammation, Trauma and Sleep Disorder

Introduction
Chapter 1: The Vagus Nerve
What Is the Vagus Nerve?
What Does It Do?
Effects on physiology
Effects on mental health
Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Polyvagal Theory
Chapter 3: Vagus Nerve and Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Panic Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety
Immediate self-help strategies
Long-term strategies
Chapter 4: Vagus Nerve and Trauma
Self-Help Strategies for Trauma
Immediate self-help strategies
Long-term coping strategies
Chapter 5: Vagus Nerve and Depression
Self-Help Strategies for Depression
Cognitive distortions
Relaxation techniques
Exercise
Chapter 6: Stress, Inflammation, and Vagal Tone
 Stress
Inflammation
Vagal Tone
Chapter 7: Techniques to Activate Your Vagus Nerve
Breathing Techniques
Mindfulness Meditation
Massage
Acupuncture
Change Your Diet
Supportive Relationships
Conclusion
References
 BOOK 2
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Discover How to Stimulate your Vagus Nerve with Relaxation Techniques,
Mindfulness and Meditation exercises. Relieve Stress and Anxiety for a
Healthy Mind-Body Connection

Introduction
Chapter 1: What is the Vagus Nerve?
Identifying the Vagus Nerve
What Exactly Does the Vagus Nerve Do?
The Vagus Nerve and the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Chapter 2: An Overview of the Vagus Nerve’s Bodily Impact
How’s Your Stomach Feeling?
Feeling Faint?
Gag Order
Where Does It Hurt?
Chapter 3: The Vagus Nerve and Sleep Cycles
Chapter 4: Vagus Meditations for Better Sleep
Using Breathing Exercises to Stimulate Relaxation for Sleep
Left, Right, Hot, Cold
Put the Pressure On
Chapter 5: The Vagus Nerve and Digestive Health
Chapter 6: Eating to Activate the Vagus Nerve
The Vagus Nerve and Obesity
The Vagus Nerve and Intestinal Conditions
The Vagus Nerve and Gastroparesis
It’s Not Just What, But When
Outlining a Vagus Nerve Friendly Diet
The Endocrine Connection
 Just a Gut Feeling
Chapter 7: The Vagus Nerve and the Nervous System
Chapter 8: Mindfulness and Meditation to Activate the Vagus Nerve
Basic Mindfulness Exercises to Relieve Stress
Advanced Mindfulness to Relieve Anxiety
Basic Meditations to Improve Vagal Tone
Advanced Meditations for Anxiety and Depression
Quick Daily Exercises for Stress Relief and Affirmation
Chapter 9: Using Gentle Exercise to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve
Yoga
Qi Gong
Tai Chi
Take a Hike
Chapter 10: Going the Extra Mile with Additional Considerations for the
Health of Your Vagus Nerve
Make a Joyful Noise
Say It Again, Sam
Get Cold, Get Clean, and Get Outside
Cleaning Out Your Insides
Identifying and Avoiding Vasovagal Syncope
Protecting Your Immune System
Under Pressure
More Guidelines for Better Sleep
Chapter 11: A Healthy Vagus Nerve for a Healthy Mind and Body- How
to Tie it All Together for Overall Well-being
Putting Sleep to Bed
Tabling the Food Discussion
Saying Sayonara to Stress
Making the Most of Meditations and Mindfulness
 Exercising Your Right to a Healthy Vagus Nerve
Tying Up Loose Nerve Endings
Chapter 12: Daily exercise to stimulate the Vagus Nerve
Guidelines for effective vagus nerve stimulation and regeneration
Ground rules for focused practice
The seven-day game plan for vagus nerve development
Conclusion
 BOOK 1

Vagus Nerve
Effective Self-Help Techniques and Stimulation
Exercises to Activate Your Body's Healing Power. A
Complete Guide to Break Free From Anxiety, Stress,
Inflammation, Trauma and Sleep Disorder
 Introduction

Imagine this. You’re at work, sitting at your desk typing away. Next thing
you know, you get a series of emails with notifications just popping up
across your screen. Your boss is asking you why your work isn’t done. Your
boss needs this work now! With each frantic email, you start to feel
stressed. You don’t even have time to respond to the emails before another
is received in the chain. The last email is the most ominous. Your boss
would like to see you in their office.
For most people, experiencing a scenario like this will bring changes to
your body. You’ll feel like you’re stressed. Your shoulders may be tense,
you may start to sweat, and your heart rate may increase. With that last
email, you may feel like your heart literally dropped to your stomach, with
that peculiar swooping feeling. This is your body’s normal reaction to
stress, and it can be triggered by the most mundane life experiences, or the
most traumatizing. Its constant activation leads to a whole host of mental
health and physical issues.
Many adults in the U.S. struggle with their physical and mental well-being.
It can be hard to work day by day with increasing stress levels while also
accomplishing all of the things that we want in life. So how do we help
ourselves succeed while also maintaining our mental and physical well-
being? The answer is the vagus nerve.
Your vagus nerve can be the key to your well-being. It is a long nerve
running through your body and touching most of your critical organs. It
uses your environment to send signals from your brain to your organs and
vice versa to determine whether or not you are safe and secure. In the
situation above, if you know how to activate your vagus nerve, then you
would know how to calm down so that when you do meet your boss, it’s
with a clear mind ready for decision-making. Activating your vagus nerve
can protect you from a plethora of mental and physical issues in your life,
from everyday stress to dealing with a traumatic stress response. Your
vagus nerve can help you achieve wellness in your life.
This book will explore more about the vagus nerve and how it works
throughout your body. It will discuss how it works in conjunction with your
autonomic nervous system and how that, in turn, controls your body’s
reaction to your environment. From there it will discuss some various
challenges to our mental and physical well-being. It will also discuss self-
help techniques for specific difficulties to help us activate the vagus nerve
and stay relaxed and calm. In essence, this book is your guide to the
wandering nerve.
 Chapter 1:
The Vagus Nerve

Imagine that your body is a country and you want to explore it starting from
a major city and heading south. You stop to see all the sights and important
cultural destinations. Sometimes you stick with one road and then turn back
when the road ends. Then you choose another road to follow. When you
travel like this, you often take branches off the main road, maybe explore
some of the little side lanes, and maybe make a lot of U-turns! Eventually,
you come to the end of the road, and the end of your wandering, but never
the end of your adventure. This road map is similar to your nervous system.
Your nervous system has routes that start from your major “cities”: your
brain (cranial nerves) and your spinal cord (spinal nerves). Cranial nerves
start from your brain and go in all sorts of directions, just like a road map
from a big city. There are cranial nerves that only go short distances, and
nerves that go great distances. For example, your optic nerve goes a very
short distance, from your brain to your eyes. It gathers the information from
your retina and sends it back to the vision center of your brain, which then
interprets the data. That is how you understand what you see. All of your
cranial nerves stop somewhere interesting in your body and relay the
information that is there back to the brain. Without these cranial nerves, we
wouldn’t be able to understand what we see, hear, feel, smell, or taste.

What Is the Vagus Nerve?

The nerve that wanders the most, from the brain to the lower body, is the
vagus nerve. Its very name means ‘wandering’ since it travels from the
brain all the way down to the colon. It is the longest nerve that is a part of
your autonomic nervous system. The wandering vagus nerve is your
connection between your brain and how your body feels. When people tell
you to “listen to your body” or “follow your gut,” they’re basically telling
you to listen to and follow your vagus nerve. But that doesn’t flow off the
tongue quite as easily. Your vagus nerve is incredibly insightful! In an
infinite loop, the vagus nerve interprets your environment and sends signals
to your organs to act in a specific way. Likewise, your body’s reaction can
then tell the vagus nerve what is happening in your environment, which
causes it to react again. And so on and so on in a never-ending loop. Your
vagus nerve is vitally important to understand your own mental and
physical well-being, and understanding how and why your body reacts a
certain way in a specific environment.

What Does It Do?

Like all good things, the vagus nerve is multipurpose. While the optic nerve
only handles one thing (interpreting sight), the vagus nerve juggles so many
different aspects of your body. The most important thing it does is connect
your brain’s understanding of environment and experiences and translate
that into responses from your major organs like your heart, lungs, and
gastric system. It impacts all aspects of how you respond to different
stimuli. Let’s look at some examples.
On any given Friday or Saturday night, you’re probably going to go out
with friends. For this example, imagine that these people are your close
friends, not just acquaintances or the new guy from work. When you first
walk into the restaurant or your friends’ home, your body immediately
starts to change. Your heart rate slows, and your breathing deepens. You
feel warm, comfortable, and can easily understand your friends’ facial
expressions. You’re fully engaged with what is happening and respond to
their actions with similar ones. Your body language is more open and you
feel a sense of freedom. Your facial expressions probably match the facial
expressions of your friends, and you generally feel safe. At this moment, if
you take the time to listen to your body, you’ll be aware of all of these
reactions. Your body’s response to this environment and these people is all
due to your vagus nerve. It regulated your heart rate, created the feeling of
safety, helped you become socially engaged by understanding and reflecting
the emotions around you, and helped your body relax. The experience of
being with loving, safe people resulted in your vagus nerve creating loving,
safe reactions in your body.
When you say goodbye to your friends and start your long walk home in the
dark, your body will start going through different reactions. The warmth
that you felt before will begin to dissipate, and as the loneliness seeps in,
your heart rate will increase. On a dark, lonely walk home, you may
become hyper-focused to what’s around you. If you hear someone walking
behind you, your breathing may increase, your heart rate may increase, and
you may start feeling a little twitchy. Depending on your past experiences,
the area you live in, or even depending on the experiences of others like
you, your body may slowly start to go into flight or fight response if you
hear someone walking behind you. You may feel anxious, and your palms
may start to sweat. Every horror movie or story you’ve ever heard before
will start to replay in your head as you continue walking home. Every
shadow may seem to jump out at you, and every footstep behind you may
seem infinitely louder. All of this is your vagus nerve reacting to your past
experiences and connecting with your current environment. It’s warning
you of danger, whether there is an actual danger or not. Your sweaty palms,
rapid heartbeat, and accelerated breathing are not because of your vagus
nerve’s actions but are rather because of its inaction. Your vagus nerve
helps you feel calm and safe, so in situations where you might feel like
you’re in danger, your vagus nerve responds with, “Why yes, you are in
danger, so I won’t stop your body’s necessary reaction.” Essentially, your
vagus nerve decides to sit back with some popcorn and see what comes out
of the situation, rather than trying to calm you down. While it’s an
automatic response, there are things you can do to restore calm and change
your vagal response.
This scenario is one of mild stress, but it can quickly become severe stress
if you’ve had previous, terrifying experiences in the dark. Your vagus
response can be completely disengaged if your brain and body feel like
they’re about to experience trauma. This is the fight, flight, or freeze
response of your body. We’ll discuss this response more within this chapter
and later within the book.
From the examples above, we can see that your vagus nerve affects your
physiology or your body’s responses. We can also see that it can affect your
mental responses too. Let’s take a closer look at how the vagus nerve works
with your body and mind.

Effects on physiology

The wandering vagus nerve touches many of your major organs, and
because of this, it controls a lot of sensory and motor actions for those
organs. The major systems that the vagus nerve affects are your
cardiovascular system, your digestive system, and your respiratory system.
Your cardiovascular system is like a mail sorting system. Except, of course,
it’s a life or death mail sorting system. It deals with how your blood gets
around your body, and how your blood delivers packages of necessary
items like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to each cell. The vagus
nerve deals with your heart and blood pressure, two things that are critical
to life and your cardiovascular system. In the examples mentioned earlier,
you may have noticed some physical effects for each of the situations.
There were signs like a slowed heartbeat while feeling safe. During signs of
distress, there were opposite actions like increased heart rate. These
differences are because of how your vagus nerve affects your heart. The
vagus nerve can slow down your heart rate and lower your blood pressure.
So in times of safety, your vagus nerve is actively keeping you calm and
your heart rate low. In times of perceived danger, your vagus nerve steps
back and lets your body increase your heart rate. In your cardiovascular
system, your vagus nerve is responsible for keeping things low and steady.
Your vagus nerve is also closely connected with your digestive system. The
moment you eat food, you are using your digestive system. From your
esophagus, down through your stomach and liver, and ending at your colon,
your digestive system is responsible for processing the food you eat, and
turning them into nutrients for your body or waste to be discarded. Your
vagus nerve touches many parts of your digestive system. It connects with
your stomach and regulates the release of digestive juices that break down
your food. It also regulates the contraction of muscles to move food along
and connects with your liver and pancreas to release hormones to help with
the nutrient use. Additionally, your vagus nerve helps signal to your brain
when you are still hungry and when you are full.
If you’re familiar with watching or even reading crime dramas, then you’ll
probably remember the multiple detectives saying, “I know there’s no
evidence, but I’m following my gut,” or something similar. Everyone in the
show roles their eyes until the detective is proven right, and their gut is
vindicated. You’ve probably also experienced something. You might call it
intuition, or following your gut when making decisions. But did you know
this is an actual thing? Following your gut is absolutely correct! Your gut
literally tells your brain things that influence your emotions based on the
environment (Klarer et al., 2014). And the way it gets its message across is
with the vagus nerve. Your gut is a strange, sensory organ and is very
intimately connected with the outside world and the inside body. Because of
this connection, your gut, or rather your gut microbiota, can actually detect
and sense changes, and it sends these warnings to your brain via the vagus
nerve. Your brain’s reaction might be one of fear, anxiety, relaxation, or a
changed mood. Either way, your gut and your vagus nerve work together to
help you make emotional decisions.
The final system that your vagus nerve affects is your respiratory system.
This is your body’s way of getting oxygen to your cells and includes your
obvious organs, the lungs. The vagus nerve helps your lungs regulate each
breath. This means it helps determine the timing of your inhales and exhales
and how much you are inhaling and exhaling. In the examples before, there
were two different types of breathing pattern experiences. The first was
slow, deep breathing when you are in a safe place with safe people. The
second was quick, shallow breathing when you are in a questionably unsafe
environment. This is your vagus nerve responding to the two different
environments. In the safe one, it is telling your body to relax. But in the
unsafe environment, your vagus nerve disengages and lets your adrenaline
and cortisol take care of everything.
Your vagus nerve is critical in many of your body’s systems, but there are
other ways that it affects your physiology:
● It activates the pharynx and larynx to help with swallowing and
speaking.
● It’s connected to your gag reflex, which is why if you don’t have
one, it could be a sign of a malfunctioning vagus nerve.
 ● It’s responsible for reactions like sneezing, coughing, and
vomiting.
● It can suppress inflammation in various areas of your body by
controlling the release of anti-inflammatory chemicals.
If your vagus nerve isn’t fully functioning, then you might have difficulty in
all of these areas. You may have cardiac arrhythmias or an inconsistent
heart rate. Your blood pressure may also be inconsistent, being too low or
too high. You may faint a lot or more frequently because of the changes in
your heart rate and blood pressure. You may have some digestive issues
with bloating, pain, vomiting, or nausea. And finally, you may see changes
in your voice quality or even your ability to speak at all.

Effects on mental health

The effects that your vagus nerve has on your mental health are closely
related to how it works within the autonomic nervous system. Your
autonomic nervous system controls your automatic, unconscious bodily
actions. Within the autonomic nervous system are three parts: the enteric,
sympathetic, and parasympathetic systems. For this discussion, we’ll focus
on the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. These two parts of the
autonomic nervous system work together in perfect balance. They provide
your body with key responses to different environments. The sympathetic
nervous system is your ‘flight-fight-freeze’ response system and your
parasympathetic is your ‘rest and digest’ system. Both of these systems can
affect your mental health and well-being.
The ‘flight-fight-freeze’ response is your sympathetic nervous system’s
response to terrifying or stressful experiences. Fight and flight often occur
together. In this situation, you may feel a certain amount of helplessness
and stress. There can be a lot of fear and anxiety involved. Your physiology
changes, and your body starts preparing to escape the situation. Our lives
are already fairly stressful and often, the sympathetic nervous system being
overactive can lead to increased anxiety or depression. In the freeze
response, everything is increased and the anxiety becomes extreme. This
usually comes around because of trauma and can result in PTSD with
recurrent freeze states in non-dangerous situations. This is where your
vagus nerve comes in.
Your vagus nerve is the main nerve for the parasympathetic nervous system
and is all about calming you down. The parasympathetic nervous system is
called the ‘rest and digest’ system for a reason. When your vagus nerve is
functioning correctly, your body will be calm and in a state of rest. When
your sympathetic nervous system engages, your parasympathetic system
and vagus nerve should also activate to help calm you down again once
you're safe. However, if this doesn’t happen, then you remain in a state of
anxiety, which leads to difficulty with mental health and well-being. Later
in this book, we’ll explore some struggles we all go through and how we
can activate our vagus nerve and parasympathetic system to bring our body
back to a state of calm.
One thing that can be very surprising is that even minor fears can be
interpreted as an actual danger by your vagus nerve, resulting in
disengagement. That’s why your heart races during a presentation or job
interview. It’s why you start to sweat or feel anxiety in situations that are
not life-threatening. This is your sympathetic nervous system activating and
your vagus nerve refusing to engage. In these situations, you can always try
to ‘restart’ your vagus nerve to help you calm down. This will be discussed
in our chapter on additional techniques.
Here is a chart that spells out our physical and mental reactions to the
sympathetic nervous system in comparison to when our vagus nerve is
engaged in the parasympathetic nervous system. This chart has been
adapted from Babette Rothschild’s chart in The Body Remembers, Vol. 2
(2016).

Rest and Digest Active Fight/Flight Freeze

(Parasympathetic) (Beginning of (Sympathetic) (Sympathetic)
Sympathetic)
Situation Safe, calm, relaxed Alert to Danger Threat to life
environment
Cardiovascular Heart rate and blood Increasing heart Fast, strong Very fast heart
State pressure are normal rate and blood heart rate, and rate and blood
pressure high blood pressure is very
pressure high
Digestive State Normal or increased Decreased Digestion stops Digestion stops
 digestion entirely and the bowels
and bladder
release
Respiratory State Breathing is normal Increasing Quick and Very quick
and steady breathing shallow breaths breaths with little
with breaths air being inhaled
becoming
shallower
Social State Safe and willing to Probably Focused more There is no
connect with others willing to on the awareness of
connect with environment and others or self;
others less on possible unlikely for social
social engagement
connections
Emotional State Calm, relaxed, feeling Anxiety, anger, Fear or rage Terror or even
love or sexual arousal excitement, disassociation
shame from the
experience

Adapted from Rothschild, 2016.

From this chart, we can see how the parasympathetic system is very
different from the sympathetic one. When the vagus nerve is activated, it
doesn’t matter what state you are currently in, it will start to calm you
down. However, there can be one negative. If you are in a ‘freeze’ state, and
there doesn’t seem to be an end to the threat, your body can activate the
parasympathetic system to prepare for death. When this happens, you start
to lose awareness of everything and completely disassociate from the
experience. Your heart rate and breathing rate drop to dangerously low
levels as your vagus nerve prepares your body to escape the situation in the
only way it can. This only happens in periods of extreme trauma or
reliving/rethinking about extreme trauma.
Your sympathetic nervous system and your outside experiences can all
influence your mental health for the negative. If in a place where you
finally feel safe and calm, your vagus nerve can be activated to bring you
back to a state of calmness and relaxation.
Since the vagus nerve is so important, it’s easy to become worried about its
functionality. If you’re a little anxious to begin with, your brain might be
screaming at you, “What if our vagus nerve isn’t functional?!?” Cue horror
movie soundtrack. However, you don’t have to panic. While you won’t be
able to determine functionality at home, your doctor can. Even if you have a
perfectly functional or a malfunctioning vagus nerve, there are a lot of
things you can do to help regain or improve functionality. If your vagus
nerve is not functioning well, your doctor may give you a device for
external stimulation of the nerve. Or they may recommend a more invasive,
pace-maker like device for stimulating the nerve. There are also some non-
invasive, non-medical treatments that can help, which we’ll discuss in this
book.
To conclude this chapter, what the vagus nerve does is critically important
to functionality. Whether or not it’s functioning well can affect how you
respond to regular, everyday stimuli. In general, the vagus nerve and its
response are fairly stable throughout your adult life, but you can always
improve functionality. You can take actions that can hack your vagus nerve
by using your body to send different messages to your brain and improve
your vagus nerve functionality. In the following chapters, we’ll explore
more about the vagus nerve and how/why it affects us so much. We’ll also
look at specific struggles that we all go through, and how we can learn to
send a different message through our vagus nerve to handle our experiences
and heal ourselves.
 Chapter 2:
Fundamentals of Polyvagal Theory

Thus far in the book, I’ve talked about the vagus nerve as one single nerve
that helps you calm down during times of safety. While this is true, the
vagus nerve is actually two branches of nerves, and each branch has a
separate and unique reaction to the environment. The two branches are the
ventral vagus and the dorsal vagus.
Steven Porges was one of the first researchers to look into these two sides
of the vagus nerve and define them. This theory is called the Polyvagal
Theory, relating to the two branches of the vagus nerve and their functions.
According to this theory, the two branches of the vagus nerve work to calm
the body in two very distinct ways. The ventral vagus helps us remain calm
in safe environments. The dorsal vagus causes us to shut down (also known
as freeze, faint, or mental collapse) during a traumatic experience.
The ventral vagus connects to the upper part of our body. It is our social
engagement center. When this branch of the vagus nerve is activated, we
are ready to engage with others. It is what keeps us in a calm state and
ready to connect with our tribe. I don’t use this word ‘tribe’ lightly. I don’t
just mean the people close to you, but our communities at large. Our brains
are made for being part of a group, not for being individual. Because of this,
we mirror and learn from those around us and know from their facial
expressions and body language what they are trying to communicate.
Everything that we do helps establish our tribe and our connection or
disconnection to it. Our ventral vagus nerve is essential in this. It causes us
to physically respond to people around us by manipulating our facial
muscles to create expressions, modulating our vocal tone to soothe others,
and filtering out background noises so that we can better understand one
another. When we read an exciting book and feel the swoop in our bellies as
something happens, that’s our ventral vagus nerve. When we watch a
football game and stand up and cheer even though we’re not physically at
the game, that’s our ventral vagus nerve. When we watch a movie that
brings us to tears, that’s our ventral vagus nerve. All of it is engagement
with a community and our tribe.
Our ventral vagus nerve, which is the calming center of our
parasympathetic nervous system, responds to the environment around us by
looking for social cues from others. When someone acts kindly to us or has
a soothing tone, you may notice how your body relaxes and calms down.
When someone is strident and loud, your body may react negatively by
tensing your muscles. From the smallest social cues, our brains can send
signals to the ventral vagus to let us know if we are in danger or are safe.
The quirk of someone’s lips, the angle of their neck, or the arch of their
brow can give us key indications of our safety. We do all of this
unconsciously. When we receive messages of safety, our vagus nerve gives
us physical feelings of safety, relaxation, and feeling restored.
However, if the message we receive is one of threat, then our body starts to
change. Our first response is looking for social engagement. Our eyes will
widen, our voice will change to a more strident one, and we’ll give off
physical expressions showing distress. For example, we can often tell when
someone is about to cry or go into an angry outburst by the simplest of
movements in their facial expressions. We often respond to this by trying to
comfort or diffuse the situation. This is the body’s social engagement
system trying to find help from others to comfort or diffuse. But if there
isn’t help from others, then our body starts to activate the sympathetic
nervous system and puts us into survivor mode. We go into fight or flight. If
this fails or our body believes that we can’t get away from the experience, it
activates our dorsal vagus nerve. The dorsal vagus nerve immediately puts
us into a freeze or collapse state.
The activation of the dorsal vagus nerve results in drastic physical changes.
We become disengaged socially, unable to understand the emotional stimuli
from others. Our heart rate drops, and we can literally feel as though our
heart drops in our body. That visceral feeling is your dorsal vagus nerve. As
it continues to activate, our gut stops digesting and we may unconsciously
empty our gut. When people soil themselves in times of extreme fear, it’s
done without their awareness and is activated by the dorsal vagus nerve.
Our very awareness shuts down when the dorsal vagus is activated. This,
more than even fight or flight, is the first response that people have when
something absolutely terrifies them.
All of these systems can play a role in understanding anxiety, trauma
responses, and depression. If we know that this is how the body responds to
situations, then we can take the time to learn how to activate the ventral
vagus nerve to get us back into a state of calm and a place of social
engagement. The polyvagal theory suggests that to get out of the freeze
state and reactivate the ventral vagus nerve, we need to be engaged
differently. Doing deep breathing with slow exhales can help. Doing a
repetitive activity like playing catch or rolling a ball can also help by
moving our bodies out of freeze and back into a state of calm. In the next
few chapters, we’ll look at some challenges to our well-being and how to
activate the ventral vagus to help us feel calm in times when we are
struggling with anxiety, trauma, depression, stress, and more.
 Chapter 3:
Vagus Nerve and Anxiety

While a lot of people like to say that they don’t experience anxiety, we
actually all experience it at one point or another. It just takes different forms
and has different levels of severity. Whenever you have a worry or fear,
you’re feeling anxiety. Since we all worry, we all have anxiety! There is a
difference between just regular everyday anxiety and an anxiety disorder. In
this chapter, we’ll talk about both and how you can activate the vagus nerve
to help handle different situations.
General anxiety can occur in any situation where you feel insecure or
worried. A common example is having to give a presentation in front of a
crowd. Let’s say your boss rushes into your office and tells you that some
important clients came for an impromptu meeting and you have to give
them a presentation now. And that means right now! That feeling you get in
your chest the moment your boss rushes in is anxiety. Your boss is probably
feeling anxiety as they rush into your office. Once you go into the meeting
room, and you start to give your presentation, your anxiety may worsen.
You may feel like your heart is racing, and you might start sweating. Your
hands could start the dreaded presentation tremble, making your notes wave
in the air like a red flag in front of a bull. You may even start to stutter,
depending on how nervous you are. All of this is an anxiety response, and
it’s represented by the beginning of your sympathetic nervous system
activating.
If presentations don’t make you nervous, then think about other times.
Maybe when you found you didn’t have enough money in your bank
account or when you learned that a loved one was sick. That sudden drop in
your stomach and the beginning of panic, all of that is anxiety. However,
both of these situations are mild examples of general anxiety. If your
anxiety is something that affects you daily, interferes with your life, and
causes you significant distress, then you’re moving away from general
anxiety into an anxiety disorder.
When experiencing an anxiety disorder, your sympathetic nervous system
may be more active for longer, and your vagus nerve may be inactive or not
willing to engage because it perceives you as being in actual danger when
you’re not. There are so many different types of anxiety disorders that
activate the sympathetic nervous system with reduced responses from the
vagus nerve. In adults, the most well-known types of anxiety disorders are
social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety can be fairly common. If you’re nervous about giving

presentations or going to situations with new people, then you may have
some social anxiety. However, social anxiety disorder is more severe and
usually results in a person completely avoiding situations where they’ll
have strangers around them. In the U.S., about 7% of the population
experiences social anxiety disorder, and as people get older, that number
decreases to less than 5% of older adults experiencing social anxiety
disorder (APA, 2013). Social anxiety disorder is usually marked by a fear of
being critically observed by others, like in social situations where you meet
new people or when you have to give a performance. It’s all about the fear
of people having a negative perception of the person with the disorder. So,
social situations tend to provoke anxious thoughts and fears and result in
the person trying to avoid the situation or stay in the situation while feeling
intense fear. This goes on for a long time, usually more than 6 months,
before it’s categorized as a disorder. It’s important to note that having fear
when giving a presentation can be normal. But having fear that goes way
beyond what the situation calls for is when it becomes an anxiety disorder.
Having social anxiety disorder can lead to a lot of negative changes in your
life. In general, if you’re experiencing social anxiety disorder, you’ll do
everything in your power to avoid social situations. This means that you
might choose to stay at home constantly, rather than going out. This can
affect your relationships and especially your friendships. It could also
impair your ability to care for your children or elderly parents, especially if
you can’t bring them out to the doctor’s office, pharmacy, or school. Social
anxiety isn’t the fear of leaving home, but the fear of facing negative
judgment from others. So the activities associated with being a parent or
caregiver can feel overwhelming.
Many people with social anxiety also struggle with work. Starting from a
young age, those with social anxiety are more likely to drop out of school
due to social pressures. They may want to have a job like a high-powered
businessman, but then they change their goals to better accommodate their
anxiety. They might choose work that doesn’t require any engagement with
people. Or they may choose to work from home where they won’t have to
talk to colleagues beyond the computer. This isn’t to say that every person
who works in a job where they don’t see people, or who works from home,
has social anxiety. It’s just one of the work options for those who do have
social anxiety. This can mean putting aside your own dreams and goals
because your social anxiety can’t help you in many work situations.
To cope with social anxiety, a lot of people resort to either being alone or
using substances to engage socially. People with social anxiety might drink
a lot before going to a party since drinking feels like it dulls their anxiety.
The drawback to this is the potential for alcoholism and the fact that
drinking is simply another kind of avoidance. It’s not solving the problem,
just giving the false impression of helping. To truly cope with social
anxiety, you have to be able to face the situation while managing your fear.
Activating your vagus nerve can help in social situations and can help you
calm down. We’ll talk about specific ways of doing this later in this chapter.

Panic Disorder

Nearly 11% of the population in the U.S. experiences panic attacks (APA,
2013). However, only a small portion of that number experience panic
attacks regularly and unexpectedly. This is panic disorder. If a person
experiences panic attacks in situations that don’t normally trigger them,
these are called unexpected panic attacks. If they happen multiple times,
then that person might have panic disorder. A panic attack is a quick surge
of intense fear. It can occur in expected environments or environments
where panic attacks have been triggered before or in unexpected
environments. A panic attack can be very frightening to experience because
of its quick onset. One moment you’re okay or alert, and the next moment
you’re in an immediate state of flight or fight.
During a panic attack, a person will go through the emotional and physical
changes from an engaged sympathetic nervous system. They’ll feel like
their heart is pounding out of their chest or like their heart is beating very
rapidly. They’ll sweat, tremble, and shake. Their breathing will be short,
and they may even feel like they’re being smothered or choking. They may
have chest pain or feel nauseous. They may feel faint or dizzy, and they
may have hot flashes and chills. Finally, they may have some emotional and
mental reactions like feeling detached from themselves or from reality.
They may feel intense fear that they’re going crazy or that they’re dying.
Overall, it’s a terrifying experience as your body and mind hijack your
awareness and your parasympathetic nerves (including the vagus) decide to
sit back and watch what happens without stepping in until later.
A panic attack doesn’t include all of these symptoms all the time. In
general, four symptoms mean that it’s a full panic attack, and anything less
than four is still a panic attack, but not a full one. Panic attacks can feel a lot
like a heart attack. So it’s easy to confuse them. We’ve all seen TV shows
or read books where someone has a panic attack but thinks it’s a heart
attack and goes to the hospital. There, they’re told that it was just a panic
attack, and it’s supposed to be a comedic or shameful occurrence. However,
in reality, it is actually better to make sure you’re not having a heart attack.
After all, a heart attack will kill you, while a panic attack won’t. So it’s
better to have a medical professional check you before just assuming it’s a
panic attack. This may be one of the reasons why those with panic attacks
visit medical professionals far more than those with other kinds of anxiety.
Because panic attacks can be so frightening, people with panic disorder are
classified by their behavior while they attempt to avoid the panic attacks.
Someone with panic disorder will have an overwhelming concern about
future panic attacks. They’ll also have persistent concerns about their health
and want to know if they’re sick or not. They may be highly concerned
about social judgment while they’re having a panic attack. This can result in
a fear of embarrassment, similar to that in social anxiety. Finally, they might
be very worried about their own mental functioning. This is especially true
if someone is having repeated panic attacks that are unexpected and aren’t
triggered by anything fearful. Having a sudden unexpected panic attack can
make people think they’re losing their minds, so this becomes a great
concern to them.
All of these concerns lead to avoidant behavior. People will do whatever
they can to avoid panic attacks. This might include simple things like
reorganizing their entire lives so that they don’t have to face panic attacks
alone or in an unfamiliar environment. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m being
sarcastic because that’s not simple at all. It’s a huge change in their lives if
they choose this path to avoid panic attacks. Having to ensure that you’re
always surrounded by loved ones who will care for you in the event of a
panic attack can be draining on you and on the person caring for you. It also
means that you won’t get the chance to meet or be around new people very
often. If you have to ensure that each environment is familiar, then you
don’t get to explore new environments. And in the event that you have to do
something like buy groceries from the new grocery store, you may put it off
for a long time. Avoidant behavior is very common when it comes to
anxiety, but it never helps the situation. If anything, it just sets you up for
more anxiety when you’re forced into the situation you tried to avoid. Later
in this chapter, we’ll cover some strategies you can follow to help activate
your vagus nerve while experiencing a panic attack, or right before a panic
attack if one is expected. Doing this will help you calm down and reduce
your fear.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

We’ve already discussed that we all experience anxiety. It’s an everyday

experience, but it usually doesn’t interfere with our lives. We can worry
about our finances when we have bills to pay, but if these worries are
constantly on your mind and interrupt your ability to concentrate on your
daily tasks, then it becomes more like a disorder. Generalized anxiety
disorder is experienced by about 3% of the adult population in the U.S.
(APA, 2013). It’s characterized by feeling anxiety nearly every day during a
variety of regular events like work or daily chores. The anxiety doesn’t
have to be about one specific thing. A person can feel anxious about
multiple routine circumstances or about potential events like their health or
misfortune to their family. It’s completely normal to be worried about a sick
family member or one who has experienced a recent trauma. However, in
generalized anxiety disorder, people worry when there isn’t any trigger or
reason for the worry.
Because generalized anxiety order and regular anxiety can sound similar,
let’s discuss the differences. In general, there are three major differences
between regular anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
● Disordered anxiety interferes with functioning in your life. If you
can’t concentrate on work or reduce your anxiety enough to take
your children to a parent-teacher meeting, then your anxiety is
interfering with your life. If you are overly concerned about the
thing that makes you anxious, and you change your whole life to
avoid that thing, then anxiety is negatively impacting your life.
Regular anxiety or worry doesn’t do this. You might worry about
paying your bills or your child’s grades, but these worries can be
easily put aside to accomplish other things.
● Disordered anxiety has a longer duration and occurs without any
triggers or reasoning. For example, if you’re preoccupied with
thoughts about your partner being sick, but there isn’t any sign or
history of illness, then this is anxiety without a reason. If this worry
continues for months and distracts you from other things, then it’s
disordered anxiety. On the other hand, if your partner has been sick
regularly or has a history of illness or was recently diagnosed with
an illness, then worrying about their health is completely normal.
It’s even normal to continue worrying once they’re better (for a
short-time period, anyway). So if you’re constantly worried about
something that has no trigger or pre-emptive event, then this is
disordered anxiety.
● Regular anxiety isn’t symptomatic and doesn’t include the physical
symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. You might have some
anxiety and shift into the ‘alert’ stage, but with regular anxiety, you
won’t feel restless or feel like you’re on edge. You won’t be easily
fatigued and have difficulty with concentration. All of these are the
physical symptoms of generalized anxiety. On top of this, with
 generalized anxiety disorder, people often feel significant distress.
In everyday anxiety, this distress isn’t present (unless the event
itself is distressing).
The worry and anxiety associated with general anxiety disorder are usually
very difficult to control, and the disorder can strongly interfere with
people's lives. If you’re spending your whole day worried about your chores
list, needless to say, you’re not going to be concentrating on other things. In
fact, poor concentration is one of the symptoms of generalized anxiety
disorder. A person with this disorder will also feel restless, both during the
day and perhaps at night, too. They may feel easily fatigued, perhaps
because of poor or unsatisfying sleep. They’ll feel irritable and quick to
anger over the smallest things because those things add to their anxiety.
They will have some muscle tension and will perhaps feel sore, trembling,
or twitching. They may have an overly exaggerated startle response, maybe
screaming or crying when something startles them. A person with
generalized anxiety isn’t going to experience all of these symptoms at once,
but having at least three and having them occur most days within a six-
month period means you may be a candidate for that diagnosis.
Unlike the previous two anxiety disorders discussed, generalized anxiety
isn’t typically associated with a flight or fight response. Instead, generalized
anxiety is mostly about the persistence of the intrusive, worrying thoughts,
rather than physiological changes. However, this doesn’t mean that you
can’t work to use your vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system
to help with dealing with the anxiety. In the next section, we’ll discuss
specific strategies for dealing with anxiety from everyday anxiety to
specific types of anxiety.

Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety

When you’re experiencing overwhelming anxiety or a panic attack, you’re

not exactly concerned with very difficult steps and options. You want relief
immediately. With this in mind, this section is divided into two sub-parts.
The first are techniques you can use to help you immediately activate your
vagus nerve to give you some relief from your anxiety. The second part
includes skills to practice that can help you relieve your anxiety in the long-
term. Use both of these parts to help with relaxation and reducing how
much anxiety you feel day-to-day. Also, keep in mind that while self-help
strategies can definitely help, if you are continuing to feel significant
distress, talk to your doctor or therapist. They can help you break down the
origins of your anxiety and find relief, either through therapy or medicine,
preferably both.

Immediate self-help strategies

Activating the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve can
help with handling the immediate effects of anxiety. As mentioned before,
your vagus nerve sends signals to your lungs and heart to slow and relax.
The vagus nerve is all about feelings of safety, so activating it at a time
when you’re feeling overwhelmed is an easy way to immediately feel safer
and more relaxed. The activities in this section will help with this. All of
them will activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Depending on the
type of anxiety you’re experiencing, some of these techniques will work
better than others. It’s a good idea to practice these techniques when you are
already feeling calm. If you have a handle on the technique during times of
peace, it will be easier to draw on them during times of distress.
The first technique is deep breathing with long, slow exhales. Long exhales
activate your vagus nerve and also help to reduce your heart rate. To do this
technique, place your hands on your stomach. You should feel your stomach
expand as you breathe. This means that you’re taking a deep breath, rather
than a shallow, chest breath. To start, take a breath in for the count of four.
Hold it for two counts, and then release it for eight counts. You should do a
full exhale to get the most benefits. You’ll start to feel a change in your
body, and your muscles should start to relax. If the exhale count is too long
for you, you can reduce it, but not lower than the count of four. The pattern
is 4 counts of breathing in, 2 counts of holding, and 8 counts of breathing
out. So 4-2-8. You can adjust it as necessary, just remember to have a long,
slow exhale.
Another great technique is grounding. Grounding is all about bringing your
awareness back to your present moment immediately. This helps you calm
down and relax virtually instantly because it requires you to get out of your
thoughts. There are a variety of grounding techniques, but one that is very
easy to remember and doesn’t require any practice is to use your five senses
to ground yourself. Your five senses are seeing, hearing, feeling (touch),
smelling, and tasting. So using these five, preferably in this order, can help
you ground yourself. To do this, say five things that you see around you.
Then list four things you hear, three things you feel, two things you smell,
and one thing you taste. An example of this technique is this: I see a plant in
front of me, a dog on the floor, my computer screen, the gray curtain, and a
watering can. I hear the birds outside, the rumble of the A.C., the ticking of
a clock, and the soft music from my computer. I feel the keyboard beneath
my fingers, the floor beneath my feet, and the sleeve of my shirt on my arm.
I can smell the coffee from my cup and the flowers on the plant. I can taste
the coffee I just drank. If this feels too long for you, then simply reduce it
by counting your five fingers, one for each sense. So just say one thing you
see, hear, touch, smell, and taste, counting off on your fingers.
A technique that is a good option but needs to be prepared a little
beforehand is visualization. Visualization has many different meanings
depending on your goals. In this case, visualization is about bringing up an
image in your mind that can help to calm you in any situation. It’s about
taking your mind to a safe place that you know intimately well. This place
should be calming and comforting. It should be someplace that’s easy to
bring up. There can be people there, or not, but it has to be one of your most
well-loved places. Here’s how to do this. Close your eyes and think about
your most-loved place. You should picture it in your mind completely.
Think about what time it is in this place, why you love it so much, the
sights, sounds, and scents that are associated in this space. Think about who
is there with you in this space, or if you’re alone in the space, then enjoy the
solitude. Stay in your visualized space until you feel like your anxiety has
released and you feel calmer. Then slowly bring your awareness back to the
present moment and location. This technique can be very useful, but it does
take a little bit of practice. After all, you have to know ahead of time where
you want to go when you visualize. Otherwise, it won’t help you when
you’re having a panic attack or are overwhelmed by anxiety.
When you’re feeling particularly distressed, but you’re in a safe space,
sensory experiences can help to calm you down. You could literally go to
your visualization space if it’s nearby, but you could also do other things
that require you to use a specific sense. Some people like to listen to music
when they’re feeling anxious. So people put their phones to the side and
instead just stare at the clouds in the sky or stop to listen to the noises
around them. Many people find immediate calming relief by cuddling with
a pet or loved one. All of these options are sensory and require you to focus
on your outside experience, rather than your inner turmoil. This can help
your mind divert itself from anxious thoughts and instead focus on what
you are experiencing in the present moment.
Some people find that talking to their vagus nerve or anxiety helps with
feeling calmer. Personalizing these two things which are not real people can
help you feel more put together. If you are about to give a big speech to
your company and are feeling very anxious, stopping to talk to your anxiety
can help you feel more in control. You might say things like, “Back off
Anxiety, I’m going to do great. You can’t hold me back.” If you’re talking
to your vagus nerve, you might reprimand it for leaving you feeling nervous
or welcome it back once you feel calm again. These conversations can help
you with feeling calmer because they give you a sense of control. You’re
controlling your experience, and even better, you’re changing your thoughts
while reprimanding your anxiety and encouraging your vagus nerve. It can
be very useful, but be careful that no one hears you while you speak or they
may look at you a little strangely. If you’re confident enough, you can
explain to them exactly what you’re doing and why it’s helping. Otherwise,
let them believe that they believe and continue moving forward to give your
speech.
Each of these techniques activates your parasympathetic nervous system
and your vagus nerve. Because they all result in a reduced heart rate and
breathing rate, they will provide you with relaxation and relief. However,
some of them may not work for you, so find the ones that you’re most
comfortable with. Deep breathing and grounding are scientifically
supported to help nearly everyone, so start from there and move on to other
techniques if you want to.

Long-term strategies
It’s easy to look at the quick fixes and just stick with them. After all, if you
can manage the symptoms, then that’s all you need, right? You could just
use the techniques above, but they’re not going to help you resolve your
anxiety. Instead, you need to take additional steps to help you work through
your anxiety in the long-term. This is done by working through your
anxious thoughts, changing negative perceptions, finding coping skills, and
practicing new skills. All of these can help you reduce how much anxiety
you experience in your life. It can even help you with managing future
situations where stress and anxiety overwhelm you. Continue using your
quick fixes, but also look to solve the main issues as well.
In this section, we’re going to talk about all the strategies you can use to
increase your well-being and reduce your anxiety. You can explore these
strategies on your own, but it’s a good idea to work with a therapist or a
support group to give you the necessary feedback on how the strategies are
working for you. If these strategies don’t work for you at all, then consider
talking to a therapist, who can provide you with individual-specific coping
strategies and resolutions.
To start with resolving your anxiety, you need to know how it hits you and
what triggers your anxiety response. You can use a variety of worksheets or
online websites to help with this, but an easy way to do this is by
journaling. When you journal, draw a stick figure that represents you. Then
think about the last time that you had an anxiety response. Write down all
the ways your body reacts physically. Did your muscles tense up, did your
heart rate speed up, or did your breathing become erratic? Knowing how
your body reacts can help you know when you’re being triggered and when
your body is about to respond. Once you do this, draw another stick figure
and write down how your body feels when you’re in a relaxed state. Draw it
out on the stick figure. Knowing this can help you look at ways to help
remind you that your anxious state is not your permanent one. It doesn’t
have to control you all the time.
Another activity to do to help you understand more about your anxiety is to
draw a pyramid. Divide it into five parts, with part number 1 at the bottom
of the pyramid and part number 5 at the top of the pyramid. Using this,
write down situations that make you feel only a little or not anxious in part
number 1, then go up the pyramid with situations that make you more and
more anxious until you get to number 5. In the number 5 section, list
situations that are the most anxiety-inducing for you. This can help you
better understand which situations you’ll need your immediate techniques
in, and also what situations you need to work on the most to reduce your
anxiety.
Once you’ve done this, it’s time to consider what exactly causes your
anxiety. You might immediately want to go to that chart and say that all
those situations cause your anxiety. But in reality, they don’t. These
situations put you in an anxious state, but they don’t cause your anxiety.
You cause your anxiety. That sounds really confrontational, so let me
explain. Our thoughts are really powerful. They can convince us to believe
in our worldview, and once we’re convinced by our thoughts, we often
don’t change. For example, if you know for a ‘fact’ that dogs are vicious,
then no matter what evidence there is to the contrary, it’s going to be hard to
change your belief. In this example, how do you react to those thoughts?
You probably avoid all dogs, thus never giving yourself a chance to be
exposed to a kind, sweet dog. In this way, it is our thoughts that create our
anxiety.
In general, you can explain your thoughts and their effects by looking at the
ABC model. In this model, we have our A ctivating situation (the specific
situation or perceived situation), which then influences our B eliefs (our
negative thoughts), and results in C onsequences (our behavior, actions, and
feelings of anxiety). If our thoughts are negative about a situation, then it
impacts how we react to that situation and to the world in general. This can
be applied to all types of anxiety. So to combat anxiety in the long-term,
you need to re-evaluate your thoughts. This can help give you a perception
of control over your anxiety (or panic attacks), change your self-talk, and
change your negative perceptions.
Let’s look at an example:
Activating Situation Beliefs (irrational negative Consequences
thoughts)
I’m at a party and some They must be laughing at me! Start feeling extremely
girls in the corner are Maybe I have bad breath, or I’m anxious, shaky, and possibly
whispering and laughing. not popular enough. I’m so choose to avoid all parties in
(Social anxiety) worthless. the future so that I don’t feel
that way again.
I have a panic attack at Oh my gosh, why am I like this? Panic attack symptoms get
the mall. What’s happening? Everyone is worse and are more likely to
 watching! Am I sick? I must be
crazy! I’m going to keep having
these forever.
I read an article about Oh my gosh! What if my kids
meningitis. (Generalized have meningitis! What if they
anxiety disorder) start to have fevers! I won’t be
able to live with myself if they
get sick! I need to make sure
they’re constantly safe. I should
take them to the doctor, just in
case. I need to stop everything
right now and go help my sick
children.
happen the more I fear them. I
change around my life to
ensure that my partner is
nearby to help me cope with
the panic attacks.
Stop doing work to do more
research about meningitis,
continue to feel increasing
fear and anxiety about the
‘problem,’ overly distressed
about my kids who are not
actually sick, nor are they
likely to get sick. I will
probably try to do everything
in my power to make sure
they don’t get sick, like
withdrawing them from
school.

In this example, we can see how the activating events result in irrational
beliefs, which then have real consequences, like avoiding future situations
or making a bad life decision. Instead, we have to work to reframe thoughts.
Reframing our thoughts means being aware of them to begin with, and then
questioning their accuracy. For our first thoughts listed above, we might
reframe them this way:
Irrational belief 1: They must be laughing at me! Maybe I have bad breath,
or I’m not popular enough. I’m so worthless.
Reframe 1a: What evidence do I have that they’re laughing at me? Do I
hear them talking about me in particular? Is it possible that they’re laughing
about something else? Oh, I see, they’re pointing to their phone as they
laugh. Maybe they found a funny tweet. It’s not about me. I’m okay, and I
will be fine at this party.
Reframe 1b: What are the chances that they’re laughing at me? Even if they
are, and it does suck to be laughed at, it doesn’t change my self-worth.
Their opinion doesn’t change who I am or what I’m worth. While I’ll be sad
if they’re laughing at me, I’ll be okay, and I will not allow them to damage
my self-confidence. I’ll go to a different area with people I know and love,
ignoring those girls in the corner.
The reframe obviously depends on the context, but it’s important to actually
negate your negative beliefs. If your first belief is irrational, you need to be
aware of that and take a moment to stop, breathe, and then reframe your
thoughts. If this is hard to do at the moment, do it once you’re in a safe
space. Make a chart like the one above, with your activating situation in one
column, your irrational beliefs in the second column, and the consequences
of that belief in the third column. This can help you identify how the beliefs
hurt you, but it also gives you a chance to reframe them in our safe space.
As you keep reframing, try doing it right after having a negative thought.
Keep practicing so that reframing becomes your new normal, and one day,
you won’t have an irrational belief, but rational ones.
Reframing your thoughts will give you literal control over the situation,
which can help you immediately feel calmer and more secure. It’s important
to practice them often by also choosing to avoid the situations. If you avoid
them, you won’t have to practice reframing, but you’ll also keep having an
anxious response to those situations in the future. So take the time to slowly
expose yourself to situations where you have the opportunity to reframe
your negative thoughts. The whole point is to remain aware of your
thoughts without being submerged in them. If you have social anxiety, your
small practices might include doing small things like saying good morning
or giving a compliment to a coworker. You might increase to saying hi to a
stranger. It’s up to you to determine which situations will help you practice
without giving you full-blown anxiety. A therapist can help you with this by
breaking down what causes your anxiety and finding small steps for
exposure.
To conclude this chapter, anxiety can change your life and how you
function within it. However, you can use immediate techniques like deep
breathing and grounding to activate your vagus nerve and reduce your
anxiety. But don’t stop there. Keep working on reframing your thoughts in
order to reduce how much anxiety you’ll feel in the future.
 Chapter 4:
Vagus Nerve and Trauma

Trauma and anxiety go hand-in-hand. Often, when we experience trauma,

we also experience an anxiety response. However, we often keep
reexperiencing the traumatic event, which causes us extreme stress. Since
trauma causes a stress response, both will be discussed in this chapter.
Additionally, in this chapter, we’ll discuss trauma as something both
connected to and separate from anxiety.
In general, a traumatic experience is one that makes us feel as though our
lives are in danger. It can be a threat or something we feel will definitely
kill us. A threat of death might be experiencing a hurricane, but a feeling of
actual death might be if someone tries to literally kill us or if we feel like
we’ll die during a natural disaster. Trauma can also include the exposure to
injury or sexual violation. All of these events can create a stress response
that results in feeling traumatized. A traumatic experience can happen to us,
be witnessed, or even simply be heard about from a loved one. Either way,
the trauma response can be similar, as if you had experienced it yourself.
People who are repeatedly exposed to the details of trauma can also
experience a traumatic stress response. For example, police officers can
have a traumatic stress response after having to regularly help children that
have been abused.
Trauma is a very heavy topic, mostly because of its devastating effects on
our bodies and minds. Trauma can change who we are at our core. A lot of
people may say “What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger,” but this isn’t
necessarily true in regards to trauma. What doesn’t kill us can make us
stronger, but it can also make us feel weak, desperate, and hopeless. Did
you know that 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced trauma at some
point in their lives, that a woman is raped every 6 minutes, and that 33% of
children exposed to something traumatic experience post-traumatic stress
disorder (National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, n.d.)?
These statistics are concerning, and for the people who experience trauma,
it can have life-changing effects.
In general, there are three types of responses to trauma right after the
traumatic event occurs, and these connect to the levels of arousal from
chapters one and two. The first type of response is mental collapse. This
type of response results in people fainting, falling unconscious, or being
nearly catatonic. The second type of response is feeling frantic. During this
response, there may be feelings of panic and an immediate increase in the
sympathetic nervous system. A person may feel the same panic for long
after they are safe. The final response type is feeling focused. This is the
response people may have where they stay calm and in control. They
usually try to help others during the traumatic event. It’s important to note
that there isn’t a judgment associated with the trauma response. Your
response is automatic and unconscious. It’s a combination of how you were
raised, your nature, and your past experiences, and thus doesn’t have a
moral value to it. So don’t feel like your response has to be the focused
kind, and any other response is demeaning because that simply isn’t true.
It’s simply a matter of how your body reacts, often without your input.
Judgment also shouldn’t be made because ultimately, it doesn’t matter how
you respond during a traumatic event. What matters is how it affects you as
you continue your life. A traumatic event may happen once, or it may be
recurring. Your reactions can range depending on the circumstances. But
once the traumatic event ends, what happens next? Often people can
struggle with their lives after trauma. Some feel severe stress all the time
and have difficulty connecting with others. Some people can have difficulty
controlling themselves and their own minds. Let me give you an example.
This example will discuss a car accident in brief and may be triggering to
those who have experienced traumatic car accidents, so please skip the
example and move to the paragraph after the example if you feel like you
may be triggered.
Example: You and your partner are driving down a city street at nighttime.
The streetlight far ahead of you is green, and the car ahead of you goes
through it. As they go through the intersection, an 18-wheeler suddenly
slams into their vehicle after running a red light. Going too fast yourself,
you slam into the first vehicle and the truck, and another car slams into you.
The result is a four-car accident. You can see the people in the car in front
of you, the first car hit. The car is so badly damaged, you can’t see much,
but you can hear someone screaming. You desperately try to get you and
your partner out of your vehicle, but your partner is unresponsive, and you
can’t get the doors open. Another driver who was involved in the wreck
helps you and your partner out of the car, while passersby try to help the
family in the first vehicle hit. You later learn that the family in the first car
died before they could be rescued.
This scenario shows the three different reactions to the trauma. Of all the
people involved, your response is frantic, your partner is collapsed, and the
person who helped you out of the vehicle is focused. However, what
happens next is important. Because of the accident and the trauma of it, you
and your partner go home relatively unscathed but have a hard time calming
down. You both feel the same fear you felt before, but now you’re in a safe
space. To cope with the fear, you might both choose to drink or take
something to numb you. Either way, this feeling of fear doesn’t dissipate.
You may struggle to get into a vehicle again or drive at nighttime. Your
partner may become more emotionally withdrawn. You may have kept in
touch with the driver who helped you, and they might also be struggling.
The trauma you experienced might not result in damage to you, but for
many people, it does result in reduced well-being. Trauma can stick with
you for months or years after the event has passed, and it can make it
difficult for you to continue on with your life the way it was before.
Let’s face it, a traumatic experience will change you. Whether that change
is big or small is based entirely on your physiology and how you handle the
trauma right after the event. For many people, they turn to alcohol or other
substances to help them cope with trauma. In the U.S., this is part of our
culture. After all, in most TV shows, you see people dealing with their
issues by drinking. So drinking might sound like a good idea. However, if
you’re still having a trauma reaction months later, then drinking can
become a serious problem. Those who have experienced trauma have a
higher rate of substance abuse. They also have a higher rate of experiencing
abuse again in the future or even becoming an abuser themselves. This all
goes back to how our bodies react to trauma.
Some of this was discussed in chapters one and two about the autonomic
nervous system and how it responds to danger. Unlike anxiety, trauma
really is a dangerous situation, so your body responds accordingly. During
the event, your ventral vagus starts by changing your facial expressions and
tone of voice to get people to help you. You may literally call for help.
However, if there is no response, or you don’t get help from others based on
your expression, then your ventral vagus deactivates and your sympathetic
nervous system takes over. It prepares your body to fight its way out of the
situation or to flee it. In the example above, you would have been in fight or
flight while having a frantic response to the traumatic event. If there is no
way to escape, or if your body has previously learned to freeze, then that’s
exactly what you’ll do. Your dorsal vagus will activate, causing you to
freeze or go into mental collapse. In the example above, your partner’s
reaction is that of freeze.
Now here’s the thing. After the traumatic event, once you’re in a safe space,
your body should start to calm down. Your ventral vagus should activate
again and help you calm down. However, because of a variety of
circumstances, this may not happen. This puts you in a prolonged fight or
flight state or prolonged freeze state. It can increase your anxiety and stress
in general. Even when you eventually feel calm again (and you will), you
may have things that suddenly reactivate your fight or flight unexpectedly.
For instance, using the same couple from the example above, let’s say that
one day you yell at your partner for something, and they quickly find
themselves going into the freeze state. Or you may get into a car and
automatically go into fight or flight because of your past experience. This is
how your body remembers the trauma, and depending on how often trauma
is experienced, this sudden shift in physiology during safe times can last for
years. It can hamper your social interactions and even what you do in your
daily life. So trauma can have long-lasting consequences.
Whether you experience one traumatic event or experience repeated ones,
like in the case of abuse, the experience can lead to our brains and
autonomic nervous system misinterpreting the information it’s given.
Trauma can cause our sympathetic nervous system to activate too easily and
be triggered even when you’re in a safe situation. The smallest things that
remind your body of the traumatic experience can result in triggering your
sympathetic nervous system. It could be something small like a scent or an
emotion on someone’s face. It doesn’t have to be a big thing that triggers
your sympathetic nervous system and deactivates your ventral vagus nerve.
However, what can be even more distressing is that your body and brain can
see dangerous situations and not activate your sympathetic nervous system.
So dangerous situations can cause you not to react, resulting in further
trauma. These misfired activations can damage your situational awareness,
your understanding of safety, and your relationships, especially with those
who don’t know what you’re going through. Children who have parents that
experienced trauma know this. They remember when their parents would
overreact to small stimuli or be aggressive when aggression wasn’t called
for. So trauma can have far-reaching effects in relationships as well as
situational awareness.
Trauma can result in fourteen symptoms that can affect your well-being. In
general, no matter your response to trauma, you will experience some of
these symptoms, but they are often a normal response to trauma. However,
if you experience multiple symptoms, then you may be having a prolonged
stress response. Here are the fourteen symptoms you may experience after a
traumatic event:

Memories of the event that are recurrent and intrusive. They

may be involuntary memories, occurring when you least expect
them or when you’re not actively thinking about the event.
Dreams that are recurrent and distressing. Again, these may be
about the event or the things that happened immediately before
or after the event.
Flashbacks of the event that are disruptive and occur
unexpectedly.
Intense distress after being triggered by something that reminds
you of the event.
Feeling like you don’t have positive emotions, and being
unable to express positive emotions.
A change in your perception of reality.
Being unable to remember pieces of the event. Often, our
minds will hide parts of the event that were the most distressing
to us so we can’t remember them.
Actively avoiding experiencing memories, feelings, or thoughts
about the event.
Actively avoiding physical or external reminders about the
event. You may avoid the people involved in the event, places
 where it happened, or activities associated with it. You may
even avoid talking about the event altogether.
Having poor, unsatisfying sleep. You might often wake up or be
unable to fall asleep at all.
A change in behavior, resulting in more irritability, even over
simple things. This can lead to aggression, either verbal or
physical.
Hypervigilance. This means trying to be constantly aware of
your environment. It can increase your stress levels because it’s
simply not possible to remain in such a state for a long period
of time.
Problems with concentrating, especially with concentrating on
your next steps after the event.
An exaggerated response to being startled. You may feel
startled by things that, in the past, wouldn’t have bothered you
or resulted in a reaction.
It’s important to remember that some people don’t face all of these negative
aspects of trauma. They don’t experience lingering effects after a few days,
and thus, may not need or want additional help. If, however, you’ve been
experiencing lingering effects from trauma, then consider talking to a
therapist or doctor. They can help you with adjusting to your current life
and the effects the trauma has on it. They may give you a diagnosis like
acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Notice how
they both have the word ‘stress’ in them. This is because after experiencing
trauma, your body goes through recurrent stress responses. Let’s look at
these two possible diagnoses below.
Acute stress disorder is the first diagnosis you may receive if you’re
experiencing lingering effects from the trauma. This diagnosis is only
possible 3 days after the traumatic event and up to a month afterward. This
is because, for some kinds of trauma, the effects after it are reduced as the
days go by. For example, after a devastating hurricane, communities often
come together to help one another cope with the trauma of the event, which
can help people adjust. So acute stress disorder is only diagnosed in the first
month after the event and only after the first few days have passed. To be
diagnosed with acute stress disorder, you have to have experienced a
traumatic event and experience at least nine of the traumatic symptoms
listed above. There also can’t be another reason (like a medical disorder) for
the traumatic experience.
After one month, the diagnosis of acute stress disorder is no longer valid.
However, if the stress response and traumatic symptoms are still occurring,
then you may have PTSD. This is a fairly common word associated with
trauma. While most people know about PTSD when thinking about war or
veterans, PTSD can be experienced by anyone who has experienced trauma.
PTSD has many of the same symptoms that were mentioned earlier, but
also additional ones like different cognitive functioning and physiological
responses. On top of the symptoms already mentioned, there can be a lot of
cognitive changes. These include negative thoughts about themselves and
of others or the world; negative emotions like persistent fear, anger, shame,
or guilt; and distorted beliefs about the event that can cause the victim to
blame themselves for events. There can also be reduced interest or
participation in activities and reduced social engagement. There can be an
increase in self-destructive behavior.
Sometimes PTSD is also connected with dissociative symptoms. These
include flashbacks, feeling depersonalization, and derealization. Flashbacks
are when you feel like you are reliving the event itself. It can be really small
like having a very short period of time where you think you hear or feel the
things you did during the event. Or it can be really severe like you’re fully
there and are completely unaware of your current environment.
Depersonalization is feeling like you aren’t attached to your body, almost
like you were observing your actions without being able to change them.
Derealization is feeling like your environment is unreal, distorted, or
dreamlike. This can, obviously, be very distressing to people and can result
in putting you into a constant state of anxiety and stress.
Because of how distressing trauma can be, it’s important to take the time to
activate your ventral vagus immediately after the traumatic event once
you’re safe. This can help with coping. Additionally, as the days go by, or
even if you experience a prolonged stress response for months, you can take
action to help activate your vagus nerve and relieve some of your traumatic
symptoms. Before we continue with the self-help strategies, remember, it’s
always a good idea to talk to your therapist or doctor when it comes to
trauma, since trauma can have a drastic effect on your life and well-being.
Self-Help Strategies for Trauma

Just like for the chapter on anxiety, this section is divided into two parts:
immediate self-help strategies and long-term self-help strategies. Before we
get into them, I want to discuss the importance of social support for treating
trauma. Trauma itself, and its effects on our responses to the environment
and people can severely impact our social engagement since we’re
constantly put into a state of ‘survival.’ In this state, our ventral vagus nerve
isn’t activated and we can’t nurture those around us. So instead, at that
moment, we must rely on others to promote our feelings of safety.
Since we are not individuals as much as a tribe, having social support after
a traumatic event is crucial. After all, feeling safe and being safe with other
people is probably the most important need for our well-being. So consider
your social support. This can be people in your community or culture who
can provide you with that safety and well-being. They should be people
who you can count on and who will understand where you are coming
from. Often, communities band together after a traumatic event and can
help each other heal. So consider social resources. If you don’t have any,
then consider getting a pet. Dogs and horses are two animals that are often
used for helping those with PTSD. There are also many programs where
you can go and work with horses as part of your healing.
As you’re choosing your path to healing a traumatic past, consider your
own cultural context. The suggestions coming up are based on generic
healing, but often, our cultures have their own take on healing and coping
with trauma. So consider some cultural aspects of trauma that can help you.
Depending on your culture, there can be traditional healing methods that
can help. Often, these methods are really well chosen and can definitely
help. It’s important that you choose your healing methods either based on
your own culture or on scientific backing. Taking another culture’s healing
methods might work for you, but there’s really no guarantee if you’re not
closely connected to that culture. Our beliefs impact our healing, so choose
healing methods that align with your personal beliefs. If you choose to work
with a therapist, then find one who will respect your cultural beliefs and
will help you discuss trauma in that context.
One last thing about these strategies is that some may or may not work for
you based on your traumatic experience. Some people have a hard time
focusing on their body or creating body awareness after trauma happens, so
if you choose to practice these, do so in a safe place and pay attention to
how you react to the exercises. If you’re concerned about the possibility of
body awareness triggering you, then choose exercises that don’t require it.
The grounding exercise, meditation, and working with animals don’t
require body awareness, at least not the way they’re explained in this
chapter. Choose only the activities that actually bring you relief, and find
other alternatives if none bring you relief.

Immediate self-help strategies

The strategies in this part will work to help you activate your vagus nerve
and calm your stress responses. You can use these techniques in the
aftermath of trauma once you are safe but are still keyed up. You can also
use them if you feel like you are dissociating from your reality or are
having a flashback. Really, anytime that you feel your sympathetic nervous
system activates, you can use these techniques to calm down, as long as you
are in a safe space. Practice these activities when you feel safe and in
control before trying them when you feel distressed. Finally, let your loved
ones know these activities so that they can help you with them in the event
that you are in a frozen state where you have completely dissociated from
the present moment. The activities in this section are progressive muscle
relaxation, grounding, meditation, and physical activity. They can all be
done alone or with the help of your social support system.
Progressive muscle relaxation sounds a little weird, but I promise it works.
This type of muscle relaxation requires you to focus on muscles in specific
areas of your body, usually moving from your hands to your head, then
down to your toes. You can, of course, change the pattern as you wish. To
do progressive muscle relaxation, you are going to tense your muscles in
the specific area of your body, holding for about 5 seconds before releasing
all at once. Then take a couple of seconds to be aware of the difference in
your body. You should tense as you breathe in, and release as you breathe
out. Then continue to the next area to tense and relax.
You can do this anywhere with just tensing your arms and legs, or if you
want to do a full-body progression, you should be in an area that is safe and
peaceful. Here’s an example of one you can do anywhere:
● Starting from your fingers, tense your fingers and hold for 5
seconds.
● Release all at once.
● Be aware of how your fingers feel.
● Move up to your hands. Clench them and hold for 5 seconds.
● Release all at once.
● Bring awareness to your hands.
● Move up to your forearms. Tense the muscles there and hold for 5
seconds.
● Release all at once.
● Bring awareness to your forearms.
● Move up to your upper arms. Tense the muscles there and hold for
5 seconds.
● Release all at once.
● Bring awareness to your upper arms.
● Move up to your shoulders. Tense the muscles there and hold for 5
seconds.
● Release all at once.
● Bring awareness to your shoulders.
At this point, you can reverse directions if you want to and move back to
your fingers. If you want to continue the exercise, move up to your face
starting with your forehead, down to your eyes, then your cheeks, lips, and
neck. Then continue down until you reach your toes.
Once you’re finished with the relaxation, the important thing is to bring
awareness to how your body feels. Then take a few breaths in with deep
exhales to continue activating your vagus nerve.
Using grounding is another great technique to help you when you are
experiencing a stress response, flashback, or discomfort from traumatic
memories. You can follow the grounding strategy in the chapter on anxiety,
but here is another option. In this type of grounding, you are looking at
color and shape instead of focusing on the five senses. It’s a very quick way
to bring your awareness back to the present moment and out of a flashback
if you’re experiencing one. As you ground yourself, try to even out your
breathing, and if possible, start a breathing pattern with longer exhales.
Here is the exercise:
● Look at the floor beneath your feet. What color is the floor? What
is it made of?
● Look at the wall. What color is it? What shapes are on the wall?
What other colors (if there are pictures etc.) are there?
● Look back at the floor. What color are your shoes? What color is
the floor again? What size are your shoes? Remember where you
are right now.
● If you can, take 10 deep breaths with long exhales.
This grounding exercise uses your external awareness to bring you back to
the present moment. Take time to categorize what you see to help bring you
out of a flashback or dissociation. Your friends and family members can
help you with this if you can’t clear your mind to do it yourself. Have them
ask you those questions, reframing from the one about “where are you right
now” since that might make you go back into the flashback. Instead, focus
on what is around you, focusing on color, shape, size, etc.
Mindfulness meditation is similar to grounding, in the sense that it asks you
to focus on the present moment. It’s another great technique to use, but can
be difficult if you’re using it for the first time, especially if you’ve
experienced trauma. In general, mindfulness meditation requires you to
explore your inner world. However, this can cause your traumatic
symptoms to increase and activate your sympathetic nervous system. Since
that isn’t what we want, let’s change the mindfulness from internal to
external. Additionally, once you’ve set your stage for mindfulness, ensure
that you follow a set pattern so you know exactly what to do when you need
to meditate. Mediations can be long or short depending on what you need.
Since here, I’ll provide two meditation scripts. One is for your external
observations, and one is for recollecting positive memories. Depending on
your trauma experience, they may not work for you, so proceed with
caution. If they don’t work, take the time to find something you can do as
an alternative.
Nature Meditation Script

1. Take a moment to find a peaceful area, preferably outside. A

park or garden can be a good choice. Make sure that you are
comfortable, either sitting or lying down.
2. Once you are comfortable, take a deep breath in and let it out.
3. Look around you. What do you see? Perhaps some animals,
maybe a few insects. Take a moment to categorize them. What
do they look like? If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to
what you are seeing.
4. Take a moment to breathe in and out deeply if you can. What
do you smell in the air? If your mind wanders, gently bring it
back to what you see or smell.
5. Take another deep breath in, releasing it gently. What do you
hear? Take a moment to look for what is making each sound.
Categorize them. Are you hearing birds or the wind in the
trees? If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to what you
see, smell, or hear.
6. Continue as you see fit.
7. When you are ready to end the meditation, take a deep breath
in, releasing it gently. Then bring your awareness slowly back
to yourself.

Positive Memories Script

1. Take a moment to find a peaceful area. Make sure that you are
comfortable, either sitting or lying down.
 2. Once you are comfortable, take a deep breath in and let it out.
3. Think about a time or person that made you feel happiness,
peace, or safety.
4. What was happening in that memory? How did you feel and
what emotions did you experience? Recollect the memory. Try
to picture it in its entirety.
5. Take a deep breath in and gently release it. Continue going
through the memory.
6. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your positive
memory.
7. When you are ready to end the meditation, take a deep breath
in, releasing it gently. Then bring your awareness slowly back
to yourself.
The positive memory script can not only provide you with some relaxation
but can also help you find physical things that can help calm you as well.
For example, if you remember eating ice cream with your loved ones, then
maybe eating ice cream could also calm you when you’re feeling stressed.
If your memory is about the kindness someone showed you, then perhaps
further kindness (from yourself to yourself or from yourself to others)
would help you.
The final strategy for this section requires physical activity. Often times, if
we are in a state of fight, flight, or freeze, something that is physical and
repetitive can help us out. A negative coping skill that involves this is when
people cut themselves to help them calm their minds. Instead of cutting, try
a different physical activity that has a lower likelihood of hurting you. A
good repetitive activity is simply walking and counting your steps. You
could also play catch or roll a ball into the wall so it rolls back to you. Yoga
is an option, but since this brings body awareness, it might not be right for
everyone. If you want something more active, then try running or biking.
Hiking can also be a good option. If you can’t leave your current
environment, then consider carrying around a pebble or shell with you. Use
your hands to manipulate the object, which can help you get out of your
head and back into your present moment.
Physical activities are also a great option because they can create social
engagement, which we already established is critically important. If your
loved ones are aware of what you’re going through, they can use physical
activities to help you if they see that you’re in a fight, flight, freeze state.
They can roll a ball to you until you start to focus on it. The movement can
help someone experiencing a flashback focus on the here and now. Just
ensure that your family doesn’t touch you when they try to engage you. By
including social interactions as part of the physical activity, it can activate
your ventral vagus nerve and help reduce your sympathetic nervous
system’s reactions.
All of these options for immediate help can aid you when you’re feeling
overwhelmed by your memories. They can put your brain into a safer
mindset and help activate your vagus nerve to reinforce the feelings of
safety. These activities can also help you with your stress reactions or when
your body misinterprets something as being unsafe. Of course, you first
have to be aware that your body has activated its sympathetic nervous
system. Your family and loved ones can help you with this, as they’ll often
become aware of it based on your actions. If they’re prepared, they can help
bring you back into the present moment with these activities.

Long-term coping strategies

It’s important to work through your trauma experience to gain the most
benefit for your life. Trauma can be resolved, so there is always hope that
you won’t have to struggle with traumatic stress responses for all of your
life. In this section, we’ll discuss some options that can help you cope with
trauma, but some won’t necessarily resolve it; they’ll just help you heal
from its immediate and long-term effects. These coping skills can help you
manage your symptoms and start your healing process. The first is
reiterating what has been mentioned before: the importance of having a
supportive network.
Many people who have experienced trauma gain a lot of benefit from
having a supportive network. This is beyond having your family around
you. Instead, a supportive network is a network of people who have also
been in the same place as you. Groups like this can help you understand
more about why your body and mind are reacting the way they do. Groups
can also provide each other services like sharing coping skills that worked
for the individuals and providing feedback when things didn’t work. Groups
are also great for offering life advice. Often, after experiencing trauma, our
lives and relationships change. Support groups can provide you with ideas
on what has and what hasn’t worked for them. They can also provide you
with options if you need to find a new safe place to live. Essentially, a
supportive group network can give you the social network you need to heal,
while also providing you with valuable resources for healing.
In addition to supportive networks, working with a therapist is also
recommended. Of course, this depends on your cultural take on therapists,
but for the most part, working with one can help you with your mental well-
being. If you choose to work with a therapist, find one who is experienced
in working with trauma. Unfortunately, many therapists and psychologists
are not trained in how to deal with trauma, which means they may not
provide you with any benefit. Choose to work with therapists who are
experienced in dealing with traumatic responses and who take a humanist
perspective, focusing on you as an individual rather than just focusing on
generic healing. A good therapist can often be found online using networks
like the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American
Counseling Association (ACA). Your support group can also recommend
therapists or may even be led by one.
If you’re at the point in your traumatic recovery where you really don’t
want to deal with people, then consider getting a pet to help you. Pets can
provide your brain with the same emotional support as people can. Of
course, pets don’t talk back, but they can provide you with comfort and
safety, thus activating your ventral vagus nerve to calm you and keep you
feeling safe. If you’re interested, you can always get a therapy dog, or even
a therapy pony, to help with your emotions and stress response. Animals are
a fantastic alternative if you don’t have a social network that you can trust
or feel safe in. Pets can provide you with what you need to feel safe.
Many times, those who experience trauma find support in their spiritual or
religious beliefs. If you are someone who has a spiritual belief, then use that
to help you heal. Many people find prayer helpful when dealing with
struggles, so if you’re religious, then take advantage of this type of healing
and coping. Additionally, you can find a strong supportive network in
spiritual and religious groups. Often, and depending on the spiritual
following or religion, you can find a lot of people who are willing to help
you with your struggles and support you as you heal. So take advantage of
that! Finally, many people find that their spiritual or religious beliefs help
give them a sense of hope. It gives them a strong belief that things will get
better and that life will move one. This hope and reassurance can really help
with healing from trauma.
To bring this chapter to its conclusion, it is possible to heal from trauma.
Learning how your body reacts to the reminders of trauma and then
activating your parasympathetic nerves to help calm you are the key factors
for coping with traumatic memories. Remember to include your loved ones
in your healing process, as social connections can be so incredibly healing
after a traumatic experience. In the next chapter, we’ll be discussing
depression, which is linked to trauma.
 Chapter 5:
Vagus Nerve and Depression

Imagine this. You’re sitting in a movie theater after watching the ending of
Avengers: End Game. The lights have slowly come up in the theater, and
people are still relatively stunned by the ending of the film. You hear a
teenager in the row behind you mutter, “We’ll that was depressing.” And
you agree. You don’t feel happy. You might feel sad by the ending and
wonder to yourself, what next? However, the moment you leave the theater
and go get yourself something to eat, you’ll probably notice that your mood
is no longer low. It’s gone back to its average of contentment, perhaps with
some variation as you contemplate the movie you just watched. When
people talk about something being depressing, it’s usually just a
representation of a feeling of sadness or having a low mood. This feeling
doesn’t stick around for long before the next events happen and your mood
changes with them. However, for some people, their low mood doesn’t
disappear easily. It clings to them far longer than it should and is very hard
for them to overcome. This is depression.
Depression is a problem that many people experience in their lives. The
level of depression you may feel at any given time really does depend on
your environment and the trigger. In general, we can say that people often
feel mild depression, moderate depression, or severe depression. Mild
depression is manageable and often doesn’t affect your social spheres of life
too much. Some people call this ‘high functioning depression,’ meaning
that they function well at work and socially as needed, but the moment
they’re home alone, they’re hit by the freight train of depression again.
Moderate depression shows some effect on social functioning, with more
serious symptoms. Severe depression has a large number of negative effects
on social functioning and is generally considered very distressing and
unmanageable. Whether the depression you’re feeling is manageable or
severe, activating your vagus nerve can help with coping with depression,
and medical activation of the vagus nerve can help with severe depression.
There are so many different kinds of depression, but the basic symptoms are
often similar; they just change in severity. General depression involves
feeling, well, depressed. It involves a melancholy mood or feeling sad or
hopeless. Depending on how self-aware you are, you might observe these
feelings, or someone else might and they’ll point it out to you. Beyond
sadness, there might even be a lot of irritability beyond the norm and
feeling empty. With these feelings comes possible physiological reactions,
like frequent crying spells. Beyond having a low mood, you may also feel
like there is very little pleasure to be gained from your regular activities. In
fact, you may lose interest in all of your activities. This can cause additional
distress, as things that used to bring you joy no longer help.
Physically, depression can bring you a lot of changes. You may lose or gain
a lot of weight when you’re feeling depressed because your appetite will
change. It’s not uncommon for someone dealing with depression to not feel
hungry during the day. They may not even notice that they haven’t eaten in
a while. With changes in eating patterns come changes in energy. Often,
people who are struggling with depression feel significant fatigue. When we
think of depression, we often think of someone curled up in bed refusing to
leave it. While this might actually happen, what’s more likely to happen is
just general exhaustion and not having the energy to do basic things like
cooking, leaving the house, or even taking care of personal hygiene. You
may even see someone who is depressed being actually slow, as in they
move slow, talk slow, and react slowly. All of this is from the lack of energy
we feel when we’re depressed.
Finally, depression takes a significant toll on our emotions. It can cause us
to feel like we are worthless or nothing. It can make us have guilt for
situations that we shouldn’t feel guilty about. Worst of all, these negative
emotions and other aspects of depression can make us think about death and
have recurrent thoughts about death. Dying from depression is all too
common as depression is one of the leading risk factors of suicidal
thoughts.
After all of this, you might be wondering how depression and the vagus
nerve go together. After all, in the case of anxiety and trauma, the trouble is
with the sympathetic nervous system being on too long, causing a reduction
in the vagus nerve’s activation. But what about with depression? When
you’re depressed, you’re not going to feel that same, quick rush of fight or
flight response randomly, like you might with trauma and anxiety. So what
is it? Well, some researchers think that it has to do with your heart rate
patterns, which are controlled by your parasympathetic nervous system and
your vagus nerve. They believe that, like with anxiety and trauma, in
depression, your sympathetic nervous system is too active, which in turn
suppresses your parasympathetic nervous system and decreases your
healthy heart rate. All of this can then contribute to feelings of depression.
This is all related to vagal tone, which we’ll discuss more in a later chapter.
Suffice it to say, trying to activate more of your vagus nerve can help with
putting your body back in balance, improving your healthy heart rate
pattern, and reducing your depression.

Self-Help Strategies for Depression

In the previous two chapters, this section was separated into two parts,
short-term and long-term strategies for improving symptoms. This format
generally worked because anxiety and trauma can produce situations where
you feel like you need help immediately, like when you’re having a panic
attack or flashback. Depression doesn’t really have points like this. So
instead of dividing this section into two parts, it’s going to be just one part
exploring different kinds of self-help strategies for depression. The
strategies we’ll discuss are reframing cognitive distortions, relaxation
techniques, and exercise. We’ll also discuss some techniques that may be
useful for different kinds of depression.

Cognitive distortions

Since depression can cause a low mood and low self-esteem, when we’re
depressed, we can feel like the world is out to get us. However, this rarely
turns out to be true. These thoughts can create a cycle of negativity that
keeps your low mood in effect. These thoughts that we have about how the
world feels about us are called cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions
are when we take regular everyday things and assign a negative meaning to
them. They create an unconscious bias, and we often keep reiterating the
beliefs over and over again. There are many different kinds of cognitive
distortions, but here are seven that are often experienced if you have
depression or even anxiety.

1. Jumping to conclusions: We often hear this phrase when we

misinterpret an event and make a judgment about it. Basically,
jumping to conclusions is when we come to our own
conclusion about an event without any evidence. Here’s an
example of jumping to conclusions: You’re at a social event
and you see someone walk by you while laughing. If you jump
to conclusions, you may believe they’re laughing at you
because you’re ridiculous. This is a conclusion that has no
evidence but creates a negative bias about yourself.
2. Magnification: When we exaggerate our failures, we are
magnifying them, thus creating a suggestion that we are always
failures. This can be devastating to anyone who is struggling
with self-esteem or depression. For example, if you are
generally a good student, getting mostly A’s and B’s in your
class, you may one day fail a quiz. Instead of seeing this as a
temporary setback, you may start to think that you are a failure
in general. This is a magnification of your small set-back.
3. Minimization: This is right next to magnification, but also the
opposite. Minimizing is about reducing the positive in your life
or outright dismissing the positive. This means that anytime
something good happens to you, you instead put it aside and
focus on the negative aspects. For example, let’s say that you
have been practicing Tae Kwon Do for a long time, and then
you win your first competition. Instead of basking in the
positive win, you dismiss it and focus on the problems with
your form. You may even choose to think that you’re mediocre.
Another example might be something that happens at work. If
you receive praise for a successful project, you may dismiss the
praise and still consider yourself mediocre at best and barely
competent at worst. This is a minimization of your successes.
With minimization, you’ll never feel confident with accepting
 that you’re more than just average or terrible. Instead, you’ll
simply choose to keep thinking negatively about yourself.
4. Catastrophizing: When we often exaggerate or minimize our
failures and successes, we can easily slip into catastrophizing.
This is when we see the worst possible outcome for our
actions. When we catastrophize, we may see things as being
disastrous, when they clearly aren’t. We may also see things as
impossible to correct or improve. If we do a project at work
and run across a mistake that we made, it can be easy to beat
ourselves up. But if we catastrophize, then we may take our
self-flagellation to a whole new level by thinking that the
problem is unfixable, we’re a failure, and that they’ll fire us at
any moment. This is probably not true. One small mistake
probably won’t lead to you being fired, depending on what
field you work in. However, if we have this cognitive
distortion, then we may be absolutely convinced about our
disaster.
5. Overgeneralization: You’re probably familiar with this term,
but when someone overgeneralizes, they take one instance and
make sweeping generalizations based on it. We do this a lot
concerning the cultures and races of other people, creating
stereotypes. But when it comes to this cognitive distortion,
many of the biases are about ourselves and our own abilities. If
your job is as a doctor, then you’ll probably have a time when
you make a misdiagnosis. While this is obviously concerning
to yourself and the patient, if you overgeneralize then you may
say to yourself that you’re stupid or a failure and that you’ll
never be successful as a doctor. This is very similar to
catastrophizing, but it focuses on your career success, and as
such, these thoughts can linger for a while. The result is that
you’ll start doubting your work and may make future mistakes,
thus ‘confirming’ your generalizations and continuing the cycle
of negativity.
6. Filtering: Have you ever been in a relationship and had the
person you love to say one thing that was very critical to you?
Probably, since arguments and criticism are normal, though
 infrequent, aspect of relationships. Hopefully, your relationship
is good otherwise, with many positive aspects and a lot of love.
However, if you choose to focus on that one negative criticism
and ignore all the positives surrounding it, then you are
choosing to filter out the positives. This can have a profoundly
negative effect on your relationships. But beyond this, you can
filter in other areas of your social life with the same negative
effects.
7. Personalization: You’ve probably heard people tell you not to
take things personally. We usually say this phrase after
someone takes an event to heart, even when the intention
wasn’t to cause the person their negative feelings.
Personalization is similar to this. It’s when we take something
completely arbitrary, and then blame ourselves for it. We take it
personally when really, it might not be about us at all. Here’s an
example. Let’s say you walk into your boss’s office and she
looks really upset. Personalization means that you’ll take your
boss’s appearance and emotions and think that you’re the
problem for those emotions. In reality, your boss may have just
gotten some bad news or even came into work with a bad
mood. You take the blame for something that you have no
control over. Personalization can take place in a variety of
situations. If you are in a car accident, but it wasn’t actually
your fault, you may still assign yourself blame and guilt, even
though there’s no reason to.
Working on cognitive distortions will help you regulate your mood, which,
in turn, will help your ventral vagus become a little more active. This can
help to relieve your depression. Dealing with cognitive distortions means
that you have to be aware of them and then reframe the thoughts associated
with them. This all starts with first knowing which distortions you struggle
with. Once you know which ones you’ve experienced, then follow these
directions:

1. Make a list and write down the cognitive distortions you think
you’ve experienced.
 2. Write down the thoughts you’ve had for each distortion.
Consider adding the events surrounding those thoughts if you
remember them.
3. Write down what evidence there is to support or disprove the
cognitive distortion.
4. Using the evidence, rewrite your thoughts and create an
alternative.
5. Bring awareness to how you feel after examining the original
thought, your evidence, and your alternative thoughts. You’ll
probably feel better once you’ve realized that your original
thought was not based on evidence.
6. Keep on practicing this task. Use a journal to maintain a record,
and keep going through it. The goal is to eventually be able to
do this inside your own mind by recognizing cognitive
distortions as you think them.
Another activity you can try to help you overcome cognitive distortions is
to work on understanding the difference between fact and opinion. To do
this, make a list of your thoughts and events surrounding them. Take some
time to then go through them. Which ones are your opinion (not based on
actual evidence) and which ones are fact? Working through this can help
you understand how your thoughts are not actually fact and are not always
based on reality. Instead, look for the reality of the situation, rather than
how your thoughts and beliefs distort the situation. For example, let’s say
that you’re driving down the road and someone cuts you off. You get really
angry and then you may take it personally. You may think that they cut you
off because you’re a slow driver, and they needed to avoid your poor
driving skills. If we look at this from a reality/fact perspective, then the
facts are this: A person chose to cut you off. That’s it. Those are the only
facts. The rest is conjecture and opinion. You don’t actually know their
motivation for cutting you off. Maybe they just drive like that normally, or
maybe they’re late for work. Whatever their reasoning, you don’t know
what it is, and you’re unlikely to know what it is. So it’s important to take
the time to observe your situation and separate your thoughts, which are
opinions, versus the facts of the situation. This can help you handle
cognitive distortions and make corrections.
Both of these repair techniques are ones that will help you regulate your
mood after an event. You may choose to continue to feel depressed based
on the event, but by challenging your cognitive distortions, you can come to
a point where you realize that the event doesn’t mean the end of the world
and that one negative thing in your life doesn't mean that you’re a worthless
person.

Relaxation techniques

Relaxation is universal and can really help your sympathetic nervous

system calm down by activating your vagus nerve. We’ve already covered
some relaxation techniques in the other chapters, but we’ll look at some
others here. In general, some things that might help you relax are activities
like gardening, mindfulness, or other things that generally feel very relaxing
for you. In this case, we’re not talking about activities like video games or
watching TV. Relaxation techniques are ones that require you to focus on
something else beyond entertainment, which can be very passive.
Gardening can be a weird choice for relaxation since it requires work and
can be considered exercise. However, it’s been used effectively for treating
depression and PTSD. This is because gardening requires you to put your
focus on a specific activity while also stretching and experiencing different
stimuli around you. Being in nature can help calm your heart rate and
breathing, also resulting in improved vagus nerve activity. Just being out in
sunlight can help ease the symptoms of depression. There are so many
reasons why gardening can be very helpful.
One of the reasons why gardening can help is because it engages your
social mind. In a way, it requires you to care for something that isn’t going
to judge you. It’s also not a huge caregiving requirement, so there isn’t
stress associated in that way. Having to care for plants can make you feel
like you’re being productive. Just caring for a plant can give you a sense of
accomplishment. Beyond the social aspects of being a plant caregiver, there
is also the fact that many gardens are community-based, resulting in
engagement with other people in your community. I have found by and
large that gardeners tend to be very kind, supportive people and a lot of us
get into gardening to help with our own mental health challenges. You can
find a supportive tribe within a garden and that can also help you with your
feelings of depression.
When you’re gardening by yourself, you won’t be engaged with the
community so much, but it gives you the perfect opportunity to explore
mindfulness in the garden. Using your five senses, you can take the time to
focus on the nature around you, resulting in further calm and relaxation. If
you want a specific nature meditation script, check out the one in the
chapter on trauma. You could use that to help with your depressive
symptoms.
If this sounds like something that you’re interested in, but you don’t have a
garden space or don’t know what to plant, don’t worry. You can create a
garden anywhere, including indoors. Some indoor plants that can be great
first-time plants are the snake plant, Boston fern, or parlor palm. For
outdoor plants, try planting strawberries, lettuce, or most herbs. These can
all grow in pots, and they’re all fairly easy to grow while requiring you to
get your hands dirty. The added benefit of growing herbs or vegetables is
that you can literally eat the fruits of your labor, which can be really
exciting.
While there are so many benefits to be gained from gardening, it’s not for
everyone. In that case, try another relaxation technique like mindfulness
meditation. Mindfulness meditation can really help with symptoms of
depression because it uses breathing and muscle relaxation to create a sense
of calm in your body. There are many different kinds of mindfulness you
can try, but mindfulness focused on breathing can be very helpful when
feeling depressed. There are a couple of different ways you can do to this
type of mindfulness. Many people like to simply focus on their inhales and
exhales or their natural breathing pattern. To do this style of meditation,
here are the steps:
● Find a calm, safe place where you can relax. You can sit or lay
down. Simply position yourself in a comfortable way.
● Closing your eyes, place your hands on your stomach and start to
focus on your regular breathing pattern. You don’t have to change
your breathing pattern, just experience it as it is.
 ● Feel yourself inhale and exhale. Focus on how your body feels with
each inhale and exhale.
● Try to maintain your focus on this movement of your breath. As
your mind wanders, bring it back to focusing on your breath. You
may also notice other body sensations. That’s okay. Observe and be
aware of your body.
● Keep breathing and maintaining awareness of each breath. If your
mind wanders, don’t judge, just bring it back to your breathing.
● When you are feeling calm and relaxed, take one deep breath in
and let it out through your mouth. Open your eyes and continue
with your day.
In this meditation, the focus was purely on our normal body reactions. It
wasn’t about changing physiology in any way, just being present with our
body as is. This can be very calming because it takes us out of our own
heads and worries, and instead focuses us on something that we do well,
breathing. If you want a meditation that focuses on a specific type of
breathing, then here is one that uses number counts to help with breathing
focus. This meditation is different from the counted breaths meditation in
the chapter on anxiety. That one had long inhales and exhales. This one has
a very short inhale and long exhale. The first couple breaths may feel like
you’re running out of oxygen as you exhale, but keep following through
and your body will soon adapt. You can use a metronome to help you
remember your counts if you need to. This breathing pattern follows a 2-2-
10-2 pattern.
● Find a calm, safe place where you can relax. You can sit or lay
down. Simply position yourself in a comfortable way, where you
are unlikely to fall asleep.
● Closing your eyes, place your hands on your knees if sitting, or on
your stomach if lying down, and start to focus on your breathing.
● When ready take your first inhale, counting to two. Pause for two
counts.
● Exhale for 10 counts. Pause for two counts.
 ● Inhale for two counts. Pause for two counts.
● Exhale for 10 counts. Pause for two counts.
● Continue the pattern for 5-10 minutes.
● Bring awareness to your body and how it feels. Start from your
head and continue to your toes. What do you feel physically?
Observe them without changing them. If you are feeling discomfort
in areas in your body, shift a little to ease the discomfort. Listen to
your body for 5 minutes.
● When you’re ready to end your meditation, slowly open your eyes
and extend your inhale and shorten your exhale.
This mindfulness activity requires you to focus on your breathing and body,
but also to change your physiology. By changing your breathing pattern like
this, you’re activating your vagus nerve, reducing your heart rate, and thus
achieving calm. This activity may not work for people who are
uncomfortable with body awareness, but it can be adapted to your own
personal situations.
If mindfulness meditation is not for you, then find another way to relax and
be mindful. Here are some ideas:
● Take a long bath with the purpose of relaxing, not necessarily
getting clean. While you are soaking, take some time to categorize
your five senses. What are some things that you feel? What do you
see and hear? What do you smell and taste? Keep coming back to
these things and the feelings of being in the bath. Feel the water
around you. Regularly bring your awareness to this moment, not to
your emotions, just to your present awareness.
● Go for a walk at sunset. Following the same pattern as above, take
some time to categorize your five senses. What animals can you
hear? What do you see and smell? What do you feel physically?
And what do you taste? Bring your awareness to your current
environment and your present moment without focusing on your
thoughts. Simply observe.
 ● Snuggle with a pet that is snuggly. No hedgehogs please, but dogs,
cats, and rabbits can make excellent pet choices for snuggling. If
you’re okay with reptiles, and they’re okay with you, then large pet
snakes are also great snugglers. Notice the way that your body
reacts to snuggling with a pet. Does your breathing deepen? Do
your muscles relax? How do you feel emotionally, receiving this
unconditional love from an animal? Bring awareness to this feeling.
You can find other activities that bring you relaxation, but remember to
choose ones where you’re focused on your body sensations, and less on
ones that are mindless.

Exercise

Physical activity has always been prescribed by doctors who are treating
depression. This is because exercise changes your heart rate and breathing
patterns to then help regulate your mood within your brain. When feeling
depressed, getting up to exercise can honestly feel like you have to climb a
giant mountain. It can be exhausting and unmotivating, and there are
honestly some days when you don't want to do anything. Respect those
days, but try to move a little. Like walk from one side of your house to the
other if possible, or raise your arms above your head and stretch to the side.
On days when you’re feeling a bit better, try doing some exercise. Doing
even a little bit of exercise when feeling depressed can help you feel better.
Do as little as you want, and don’t feel guilty or judgy about not doing
more. Even just five minutes of stretching is great. Some exercise types that
are perfect, even if you’re not a person who exercises, are yoga, walking,
and biking. You don’t have to go outside for these activities if you don’t
want to or if your depression is making it hard for you to socially engage.
Yoga has been linked with easing the symptoms of depression for quite a
long time. This is probably because it takes you out of your own head and
instead focuses on following a flow. It also requires your breathing to
change, which can help with activating your vagus nerve. If you’re new to
yoga, then start with small stretches and poses. Don’t just jump into an
advanced pose and hope for the best. There are a lot of yoga videos on
YouTube that you can take advantage of. If you’re feeling up to it, then
going to a yoga class can be a great option, since it will provide you with
some social engagement on top of the physical activity. Remember that you
don’t have to do an hour-long session unless you want to. Spending 5 or 10
minutes doing yoga on days when your depression hits you can be helpful.
Walking is also a good physical activity to try when you’re feeling
depressed. If you can get the energy up for it, running is even better. If
you’re struggling with the motivation to do any sort of activity, then try
walking around your house in laps. While you walk you can try to
categorize the things you see. Just take your mind away from your negative
thoughts and focus outward while you walk. If you’re feeling more willing,
then walk outside. This is a great opportunity because it will provide you
with more stimuli while also providing you with sunlight, depending on
when you choose to walk. Being exposed to more sunlight can help your
mood improve while you focus on your activity. If you can, walk briskly for
about 30 minutes. If it’s less, that’s okay, just try to walk when you can.
Running is also a great option because it increases your heart rate more than
just walking will. You can walk or run inside your house using a treadmill if
you don’t feel comfortable being outside or at a gym. Either way, walking
and running can give you some relief when you’re struggling with
depression.
Biking is often a favorite activity because it is often low impact and can feel
very freeing. It raises your heart rate and deepens your breathing, just like
other exercises, but it also gives you the chance to move at great speeds and
distances all on the power of your legs. Biking can be a great way to get
outside, and even if you’re not doing it for fun, you could bike to work to
gain some benefits from it. If you’re not really feeling like you want to bike
far, then don’t. During my own bought of depression, I didn’t feel like
going to any of the trails I normally bike on. I didn’t feel like doing much,
in fact, but I dragged myself out to my bike and literally just rode on my
driveway. That’s all I could manage to bring myself to do, but it helped.
Even a little bit of exercise like this can help you improve your mood and
your mood regulation. Biking can be done outside or inside if you have a
bike trainer stand. Either way, give it a try and see if it’s something that
you’ll like.
If none of these types of physical activity appeal to you, then find
something that does. It doesn’t have to be anything strenuous unless that’s
exactly what you want. Gardening counts as physical activity, so if that’s
what you want to do, then do it. Some people enjoy dancing, which can
help with depressed feelings. Others have access to horses and go riding as
a way to help. All three of these activities have more benefits than just
physical activity. Gardening is naturally very mindful, dancing can be a
great way to express your emotions in a creative manner, and horseback
riding gives you the opportunity to connect with an animal that is very
loving and affectionate. Even walking your dogs can be a great way to get
some physical activity in your life. Whatever you chose, involve some
movement in your life when you’re depressed. Just the smallest bit of
activity can do wonders and give you the chance to succeed at something
when you’re feeling low.
To conclude this chapter, depression is something that affects many adults
in the U.S. It can be debilitating and reduce your functioning in your social,
work, or school life. However, there are things you can do to help you
relieve your depression symptoms. Doing activities that stimulate your
vagus nerve and the mood-regulating areas of your brain can help you feel
better. Activities like challenging your cognitive distortions, meditation or
relaxation, and exercise can all help your symptoms. If you are struggling
with a significant amount of depression or are feeling suicidal, then talk to
someone. You can always talk anonymously to the National Crisis Call Line
if you live in the U.S. Their number is 1-800-273-8255. They can help by
giving you support. If you want to work with a therapist or doctor, most are
familiar with depression and will also be able to help you manage your
symptoms. They may prescribe you medications that can help you regulate
your mood, or they may even suggest an implant that directly stimulates
your vagus nerve, resulting in a better mood. Whichever path you choose,
know that your self-help techniques are always an asset that you can use to
help reduce your feelings of depression.
 Chapter 6:
Stress, Inflammation,
and Vagal Tone

In case you haven’t realized it by now, many aspects of the mental health
discussion above were related to stress. Anxiety causes a stressful response.
Trauma reactions are often literally severe stress reactions. And depression
causes a different type of stress that makes us want to shut down. All of
these reactions result in a more suppressed vagus nerve, which means that
we remain in a state of alertness. Our sympathetic nervous system stays
active long after it should shut off. Knowing how to activate the vagus
nerve can help us reduce our stress responses in so many different kinds of
situations. Because stress is involved in inflammation and poor sleep habits,
we’ll discuss all three in this chapter. We’ll also discuss how our body
reacts to these situations and how activating the ventral vagus nerve can
help us reduce our stress and inflammation while improving our sleep.

Stress

Imagine that you’re at work, plugging away and completing what you’re
supposed to. Suddenly your boss sends you a message requesting that you
complete these other items by the end of the day. You can handle it, so you
take on those additional tasks. Within the next few minutes, you realize that
they’re a whole lot larger than you thought they were going to be, so you
start to feel overwhelmed. Maybe an hour later, your child’s school calls,
saying that little Kate is sick and needs to go home. Suddenly you have a
full plate with work and a sick child to care for, and your original feeling of
being overwhelmed is now a full-blown feeling of being stressed.
Your body starts to release all of these hormones that increase your feelings
of stress. Your blood pressure rises, your heart rate increases, and your
muscles get tense. This is your sympathetic nervous system coming online
to help you deal with the dangerous situation. However, there isn’t any
actual danger, just a lot of work. Your brain, though, sees this situation as
dangerous and puts you in the beginning stages of fight or flight, causing
your ventral vagus nerve to retreat. Eventually, once your work is
completed and little Kate is better, your brain will tell your ventral vagus
that the threat has passed, and your vagus nerve will hit the brakes on your
stress response, giving you feelings of calm and well-being, while reducing
your heart rate and breathing rate.
This feeling is probably familiar to you. You may not even be aware of the
changes in your physiology until you’ve been stressed for a while. By that
point, you’ve been operating in a high alert state for a bit and then need
your vagus nerve to step in. But if your brain still thinks there’s a threat,
then it won’t. The fact is that your body will reactivate its sympathetic
nervous system again and again anytime it perceives a threat, including just
feeling overwhelmed at work. This frequent activation of being always on
alert can do damage to your body. Your heart can start to feel strain, your
hormones can cause your blood pressure to remain high, and you are at
more risk for cardiovascular issues and obesity. If you experience high
amounts of stress every day, then this is how your body responds to it.

Inflammation

Inflammation is when your body decides that it needs to protect itself from
attack. This could be from diseases, bacteria, or wounds. You’re probably
already familiar with experiencing inflammation. If you’ve ever had a cut
on your body, you will have noticed how the area turned red and was
painful. This was your body’s natural inflammatory response to help heal
your body after the wound. It doesn’t matter how big or small your wound
is, your body tries to heal it through inflammation. You would have also
experienced inflammation whenever you’ve been sick with the flu or
similar disease. Your body responds to diseases by increasing your body
temperature, flaring up pain signals, and sending white blood cells to
combat whatever is causing the issue. While all of this is to your benefit
since it can help with healing, too much inflammation can also be very
negative.
Having too much of an inflammatory response means that your body starts
to focus on areas that either don’t need healing or do, but the inflammation
causes the problems to worsen. This results in chronic, debilitating pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one example of a severe inflammatory response that
does more damage than good. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, having negative
inflammatory responses can be triggered by stress.
Inflammation and stress go together hand-in-hand. Chronic stress can
trigger your body to start an inflammatory response. When you’re feeling
stressed all the time, your body gets used to the hormones released and
‘numb’ to the ones released to help you heal. Because your body gets used
to its stress hormones, it becomes less responsive to the inflammatory ones
that are trying to heal it. This can lead to your body being more impacted by
diseases. If your inflammatory response isn’t working well because of
stress, this means that you’re more susceptible to colds, fevers, and
diseases.
Because stress and inflammation are related, that means that you can work
on them both by activating your vagus nerve. So if you reduce your stress
by activating your vagus nerve, you’ll also be able to reduce your
inflammation. Surprisingly, scientists have found that implants that trigger
stimulation of the vagus nerve do help with reduced inflammation,
particularly with inflammation like arthritis. Stress and inflammation are
both connected to your vagus nerve and vagal tone.

Vagal Tone

Vagal tone is how your vagus nerve is measured based on its connection
with your heart rate. It is an indication of how well your vagus nerve is
working. Your vagus nerve regulates your heart rate by slowing it down
during your exhales. So as you inhale, your heart speeds up, and as you
exhale, your heart slows down. This improves your vagal tone and reduces
your blood pressure, makes you feel calm, and keeps you in that ‘rest and
digest stage.’ Needless to say, anything that affects your heart will then
affect your vagus nerve. And stress is a well-known disease that affects
your heart.
Stress lowers your vagal tone or reduces the activation of your vagus nerve.
Because this shifts your vagus nerve, it means that it also changes how your
heart rate changes. This leads to you having a faster heart rate and an
increase in physical illness. A lower vagal tone is associated with all of the
mental struggles we discussed earlier, and it’s also attached to
cardiovascular disease, stroke, and more. So having a lower vagal tone is
not the best for your body. Conversely, having a higher vagal tone results in
you having better well-being.
 Chapter 7:
Techniques to Activate
Your Vagus Nerve

Within each of the chapters discussing mental well-being, there have been a
variety of self-help techniques discussed. Each of these techniques helps
with activating your vagus nerve and improving your vagal tone. Each of
them also works to reduce your state of alertness and help you reach a state
of equilibrium, while also working on your mental well-being. In this
chapter, we will look at additional techniques that can be used anytime you
need to activate your vagus nerve. Some of them can work for anxiety,
trauma, and depression, but some won’t. If you want to focus on activating
your vagus nerve for those issues, then use the self-help suggested in those
chapters first before exploring with these ones. Some of these techniques
may make trauma symptoms worse, so proceed with caution. These
techniques are excellent for reducing some of your generalized stress and
activating your vagus nerve to feel better. Try a few out and make a list of
‘go-to’ strategies that you can rely on in the event that you feel
overwhelmed by your sympathetic nervous system.

Breathing Techniques

Throughout this book, we’ve talked about breathing techniques. This is

because breathing is intimately related to your heart rate and vagal tone.
Deep, long breaths reduce your heart rate and improve your vagal tone, so it
makes sense that breathing patterns can be used to activate your
parasympathetic nervous system. This, in turn, creates a feeling of calmness
and safety, while also improving your decision-making skills. There are
three breathing techniques that you can try to improve your vagal tone.
They are diaphragmatic breathing, alternate nose breathing, and what is
fondly known as Darth Vader breathing, or the Ujjayi breath.
Diaphragmatic breathing requires you to fully expand and contract your
diaphragm. Your diaphragm is the band of muscles beneath your lungs. Its
spasms are what cause hiccups, and when you use it for breathing, you’ll
feel your stomach expand, rather than your chest or shoulders. When you
first start this exercise, try it while lying down, as it might feel easier for
you. As you get used to it, you can try doing it while sitting up in a chair.
● Lie down in a comfortable position. It’s a good idea to place a
pillow behind your knees for added comfort.
● Place one hand on your stomach so you can feel its movements,
and the other hand on your chest.
● As you inhale, breathe deeply, expanding your stomach. You
should feel your belly rise with your hands.
● As you exhale, purse your lips (as if you were going to whistle) and
release your exhale through your mouth. Use your diaphragm to
expel the air. Your belly should decrease as you breathe out.
● Throughout this process, you should feel the hand on your chest
stay mostly still and the hand on your belly move up and down.
● Repeat this process 5-10 times as you need it. You’ll get better at it
as you keep practicing the technique.
In this kind of breathing, your pursed lips help to control how much you’re
exhaling. So your exhale will be long and slow, something that will help to
activate your vagus nerve. You should try to do diaphragmatic breathing
several times a day. Since it’s a short exercise, it won’t take up too much of
your time. For a longer exercise, consider one of the other breathing
techniques below.
Alternate nostril breathing is another technique that can help you feel calm.
While it doesn’t include long exhales, it does restrict some of your air
movement, which can be very calming. It can also help you be mindful as
you breathe, and mindfulness is another activity that can improve vagal
tone. Alternate nostril breathing means inhaling through one nostril and
exhaling out of the other nostril. You use your fingers to block the nostril
you’re not using. So, for example, if you are inhaling through your right
nostril, then you’ll block the left. Then as you exhale, release the left nostril
and block the right so all of your air comes out of only one nostril. You’ll
move back and forth between the two. You only want to do this for about 5-
30 minutes in your day, and you can vary how long you’re inhaling and
exhaling while practicing this. The point is to remain mindful as you
breathe, following your pattern of one nostril to inhale, and one to exhale.
● Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your
hands resting gently on your lap.
● Shape your right hand into the ‘hand loose’ or shaka position,
where your thumb and pinky are out, and your other three fingers
are curled into your palm.
● Raise your right hand to your face before your nose. You will use
your thumb and pinky to close your nostrils.
● Completely exhale before using your thumb to close your right
nostril.
● Inhale through your left nostril and then close your left nostril with
your pinky.
● Release your thumb and exhale through your right nostril.
● Inhale through your right nostril. Close your right nostril with your
thumb.
● Release your pinky and exhale through your left nostril.
● Keep following the pattern, exhaling and inhaling out of one nostril
before switching to the next.
While you may look a little strange when doing alternate nostril breathing,
ignore the strange glances and focus on its many key benefits. Not only
does it change your breathing pattern but it reduces your stress levels and
improves your cardiovascular health. This, in turn, improves your vagal
tone. It lowers your heart rate, breathing rate, and your blood pressure. All
of these are crucial benefits to improving your well-being.
Ujjayi breathing is the last technique we’ll cover in this section. This style
of breathing requires you to focus on your body, specifically your throat,
and focus on the sound you make. It’s often called Darth Vader breathing
because if you’re doing it right, you’ll probably sound like Darth Vader as
you exhale. Or if you want a more peaceful analogy, you’ll sound like the
ocean as you exhale. The Ujjayi breath causes a long, deep exhale that helps
you feel relaxed and also activates your vagus nerve. If you practice yoga,
then you can use the Ujjayi breath during your practice. You can also use it
when sitting or relaxing as well.
● Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your
hands laying gently in your lap.
● Relax your jaw and mouth, letting your mouth open a little. Your
inhales will come in through your nose and go out through your
mouth.
● Inhale and exhale gently, paying attention to the movement of the
air from your nose to your windpipe to your lungs and back up to
your mouth.
● On your next exhale, sigh. Make the noise you do when you sigh,
or act like you are trying to fog up a window.
● Pay attention to how your palate and throat change as you exhale.
They should have a slight constriction.
● Keep inhaling and exhaling, sighing with every exhale, getting
familiar with that feeling of constriction.
● When you feel comfortable and familiar with the sensation in your
throat, try closing your mouth and now exhaling from your nose,
maintaining the same feeling in your throat. You should be making
a sound like the ocean or like Darth Vader.
● Continue your practice for 5-15 minutes.
● Each breath should be smooth and slow. If you feel like your throat
is tight, finish your practice and breath normally.
The Ujjayi breath is a great way to feel calm, but it can cause you to feel
discomfort. If this happens, then release the breath and follow your normal
breathing pattern. In fact, for all of these breathing patterns, if you feel
discomfort, lightheadedness, or faintness, then stop the practice and return
to your normal breathing pattern. If none of these breathing patterns work
for you, that’s okay. There is a myriad of other ways that you can relax.

Mindfulness Meditation

We’ve already discussed some of the great benefits of mindfulness

meditation. It can help you focus on your present moment and make you
more aware of your body. It can bring awareness to physical sensations you
would have ignored before. All of this can help you further understand your
physical reactions to stress and know ways of bringing relaxation to your
body. There are many different ways you can approach meditation. Choose
the one that you’re the most comfortable with.
One mindfulness meditation that can really help with stress, anxiety, and
depression is loving-kindness mindfulness. This is because it creates more
positive emotions which, in turn, change your body physiology and help
you improve your vagal tone. In fact, loving-kindness can help you
overcome any issues with low mood or low self-esteem. They can also help
you with emotions like anger, guilt, and resentment. All of these involve
our feelings about ourselves or others. Loving-kindness is about reminding
yourself of kindness to you and to others. It creates so many positive
emotions that it can change your mentality going forward and is a great way
to start changing your cognitive distortions.
To start your loving-kindness meditation, you’re going to need a safe,
comfortable space. Since this meditation is kind of long, you may want to
have this book open while you do it, or you can listen to a guided
meditation to walk you through it. This loving-kindness meditation is based
on the work of Dr. Emma Seppala.

Start by sitting cross-legged if you can or sitting on a chair.

Relax your body, and close your eyes so that you are focused
on your internal world, rather than the external one.
Take a deep breath in and slowly release it.
 Think about someone who is close to you and loves you. This
can be someone from your life now, someone from the past, or
someone who has passed away. Imagine that person standing
beside you. They are sending you their love and their hopes for
your happiness and safety. See and feel the warm wishes
coming from that person toward you. You might picture it as a
wave coming toward you, filling you, and surrounding you.
Think about a second person who also loves you. They also
send you their love and their hopes for your happiness and
safety. See and feel that warmth surround you and enter inside
of you.
Now, imagine that you are surrounded by all the people you
have ever known who love and cherish you. Your friends,
family members, and community. They are sending you their
love and their hopes for your happiness and safety. Surround
yourself in that love and fill your heart and body with it. You
are overfilled with love.
Look at the first person next to you. Start to send them your
love. You and this person are alike; you both wish for
happiness and love. Send your love and your hopes for their
happiness and safety to them.
Silently repeat this phrase three times, sending the wishes to
that person.

​ May you be safe, may you be happy, and may

you be healthy.

Now focus on the second person on your other side. Start to

send them your love. You and this person are alike; you both
wish for happiness and love. Send your love and your hopes for
their happiness and safety to them.
Silently repeat this phrase three times, sending the wishes to
that person.

​ Just like I hope to, may you live a good life full
of safety, happiness, and good health.
 Now imagine all of the other people who love you. Start to
send them your love. You are all alike; you all wish for
happiness and love. Send your love and your hopes for their
happiness to them.
Silently repeat this phrase three times, sending wishes to those
people.

​ May your life be full of happiness, well-being,

and health.

Think of an acquaintance that you know. Someone that you

have no particular feelings toward. You are all alike; you both
wish for happiness and well-being. Send all of your hopes for
their well-being to them.
Silently repeat this phrase three times, sending the wishes to
that person.

​ Just like I hope to, may you live a good life

with health and happiness.

Think of another acquaintance who you know, but don’t have

any particular feelings toward. You are all alike; you both wish
for happiness and well-being. Send all of your hopes for their
well-being to them.
Silently repeat this phrase three times, sending the wishes to
that person.

​May your life be full of happiness and well-being.

Now imagine the whole world in front of you. All of the living
beings in the world are just like you; they all want to be happy.
Send all of your warm wishes to them.
Silently repeat this phrase three times, sending your wishes to
every living being in the world.

​May your life be full of happiness and well-being.

 Gently bring your awareness back to yourself. Take a deep
breath in and then out. Bring awareness to your body and mind.
Think about how you feel after doing this meditation. Open
your eyes and continue your day.
Once you’ve completed the meditation, you should feel a little better. You
may feel relaxed and calm. You may even feel more compassion for others.
If you don't, that's okay. Keep practicing loving-kindness meditation to gain
the benefits from it. If this isn’t your cup of tea, try some other kinds of
meditation. If you want a more physical kind of meditation, try yoga,
qigong, or taiji (thai chi).
Yoga is often considered to be very relaxing as it uses movements and
breathing to help calm the body. It can sometimes be triggering for people,
so if you’ve experienced trauma or PTSD, proceed with caution or do yoga
with someone who understands trauma. There is some evidence that yoga
can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve. It’s
also been linked with helping to heal depression, anxiety, stress, and
chronic pain. So it can be worth it to try if you want to activate your vagus
nerve.
There are a lot of different types of yoga to try. If you’ve been practicing
yoga for a while, then stick with the ones you know or try something new.
If you’re a beginner, then don’t start with the advanced classes. Here are
some great types of yoga that are good for beginners but also help with
stress reduction.
Hatha Yoga - In a hatha yoga class, you’ll can a basic understanding of the
different poses in yoga. It’s generally considered to be a gentle yoga class
and shouldn’t strain you too much. You’ll learn to work on posture, while
also following the breath.
Iyengar Yoga- This type of yoga is very focused on your posture and poses.
There isn’t a lot of strenuous work, but you’ll have to maintain poses for a
while. The classes should be run by someone who understands the human
body well and can provide you with support in different positions. If you
choose to do Iyengar yoga, make sure that your instructor has been well-
trained and can provide you with the necessary guidance so you don’t hurt
yourself.
Restorative Yoga - Like the name itself suggests, restorative yoga is all
about relaxation. In this style of yoga, you put yourself in poses while being
supported by other materials. So while you are in the pose, you’re not
actually straining yourself
Each of these kinds of yoga can require a class with an instructor. However,
if you don’t want to go to an actual class, then you can find some good yoga
videos online. For rest and relaxation, choose yoga videos that use terms
like gentle yoga, beginner’s yoga, or yoga for relaxation. Find videos that
you enjoy and help you relax. If gentle yoga is not your thing, they try
vinyasa yoga, ashtanga yoga, or Bikram yoga. All of these are more intense,
but also put a lot of emphasis on the breath and movement. All of them can
help you achieve more balance in your body.
Qigong is a very interesting type of meditation. It combines physical form
and movement with focused breathing and meditation. Its goal is to balance
your life energy, or Qi. It has a lot of backing from both traditional
medicine and modern science. Many scientists consider qigong to promote
well-being. It causes relaxation of your muscles, reduces your stress levels,
and deepens your breathing, which, as has been repeated many times thus
far, can help with activating your vagus nerve. Qigong has many different
forms, and because of this, it can be adapted for many different people. It’s
often used medically in China, is related to many different types of martial
arts, and is sometimes just simple meditation and movement. One of the
most well-known forms of qigong in the U.S. is tai chi.
If you’ve ever walked through a park in a major city during the weekday
morning, you may come across a group of people doing slow, fluid
movements that look very much like martial arts. They’re most likely doing
tai chi. It is, in fact, a type of martial arts that focuses on the slow
movement of the body and breath. It is considered a style of meditation,
even though there is an exercise component to it. If you’re interested in
either qigong or tai chi, find a class near you and give it a try. You can also
find videos on YouTube for home practice. Tai chi takes a lot of practice
before the flow of it becomes normal, so keep working with it.
Massage

Many people know that massages can help them relax. There’s just
something so soothing about putting pressure on a point in your body that’s
painful or tight. There’s some research that supports that massages create a
physiological response that reduces stress, blood pressure, and heart rate.
This then results in an increase in vagal tone. In fact, the vagus remains
activated even after a massage has ended. To gain the benefit of a massage,
it has to be a moderate pressure massage, not a light massage. This means
that you can get a decent massage from a masseuse and gain the benefit of
an activated vagus nerve, as well as feeling like you’re relaxed enough to
sleep on the table. You could also get a massage from a chiropractor, who is
there to help you heal. A chiropractor knows exactly how much pressure to
apply to your neck, shoulders, and back to gain you the most benefit from
the massage. It can be a little painful at first, but the results are always
worth it.
If you don’t want to see a masseuse or chiropractor, consider giving
yourself a massage at home. To get some good pressure, you’ll need to use
your body weight to help aid the massage. You can use a foam roller that
you can lay on to help give yourself a back massage.
● Take the roller, place it on the floor, and lie down on top of the
roller with it positioned at your shoulders.
● Using your feet to propel you, roll back and forth on the roller.
● Your body weight will push your back into the roller, giving you a
significant amount of pressure.
● You can also use it on your lower back, thighs, legs, chest, etc.
A foam roller or massage roller are great options for giving yourself a
massage at home. If you don’t have a foam roller, that’s okay. Try using a
tennis ball if you have one. A tennis ball will give you some resistance,
while also give you a strong pressure point. If you want to massage your
shoulders, place the tennis ball against your shoulder and then lean back
against a wall. The tennis ball should be between your shoulder and the
wall. Then move your body like Baloo from The Jungle Book does; move
up and down, using your knees and legs to shift you. You can also move
side to side as necessary. The tennis ball will give you a lot of pressure, so
be prepared for that and keep going until you feel your muscles relax. Then
move to the next shoulder. When using a tennis ball, it’s important that you
don’t put it over your spine. This can cause you significant pain. Make sure
that it’s just on your shoulders on either side of your spine. You can also use
a tennis ball on your feet, hands, thighs, or legs. Just use your body weight
to apply a good amount of pressure.
Reflexology is another type of massage that can reduce your stress and
increased vagal activity. It’s actually something that’s been around for
millennia and can be considered as part of traditional medicine. In
reflexology, the feet are connected to parts of the body and putting pressure
on them results in healing to that part of the body. In general, reflexology is
done with the feet, but it can also be done to the hands or ears. You can go
to a specialist if you want to, but if you want to approach reflexology
yourself and do it for yourself, then you can. You’ll simply need to have
some lotion or body oil that you like, and a reflexology chart that can be
found online.
● Using the chart, you’re going to take your thumb and apply
pressure to the area of your foot, hand, or ear which corresponds to
the chosen organ on the chart.
● Apply pressure and move your thumb in a circular motion before
shifting it slightly into a new position.
● Make sure you cover the entire area that you need for that organ.
● If the area is large, go over it a couple of times, moving back and
forth across the area on your foot or hand. If the area is small, just
spend some time focusing on that area.
● The pressure you apply should be as strong as you can while
remaining comfortable. You want there to be a moderate amount of
pressure.
Working with a reflexologist can give you even more benefits since they
have received the training necessary to pinpoint areas that you want to be
stimulated. They also know exactly how much pressure needs to be applied
to those areas. That being said, you can always do some reflexology at
home for your added benefit.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient way of healing your body. It involves a lot of

needles, though they don’t go deep and don’t cause too much pain.
Acupuncture can help you with stress reduction and mood improvement.
But the best part is how acupuncture on your ear can stimulate your vagus
nerve. It can help you calm your mind from anxiety, reduce your heart rate
and maintain your rate pattern, and help with your mental health. While it
sounds really terrifying, it’s actually not that scary. Ear acupuncture, called
auricular acupuncture, is one on the outside shell of your ear. It doesn’t go
inside your ear canal at all, so there is no risk of something sharp and pointy
entering your ear. Each needle is carefully placed to help stimulate specific
points that are aligned with your body. That being said, ear acupuncture is
not something that you can do on your own. Acupuncture, in general,
should be given by someone who has received a lot of training and also
maintains the hygiene of their workspace.

Change Your Diet

Changing your diet can give you many physical benefits, but it can also
help you activate your vagus nerve. In general, you want to eat heart-
healthy foods since your heart is connected to the vagus nerve. Heart-
healthy foods include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and oily fish. Some
of these foods are rich in omega 3s. Omega 3s can help with your heart rate
and vagal tone, so foods rich in it can be very beneficial for your body and
vagus nerve.
Beyond heart-healthy foods, you should consider adding foods that help
your gut microbiota. This hasn’t been touched on in a while, but remember
how your vagus nerve is connected to your gut so that you have a visceral
response to your environment? Well, improving your gut microbiota can
help with increasing your vagus response. Foods with probiotics in them
can be especially helpful. Probiotics were found to help people regulate
their mood and reduce their stress and cortisol levels (Breit et al., 2018). So
consider adding probiotic foods like yogurt, miso, and kimchi to your diet.
All of these can help you improve your vagal tone and reduce your stress
levels.

Supportive Relationships

The final self-help technique for improving your vagal tone is to create and
maintain supportive relationships. This is because there is an
interconnection between the vagus and our social responses. When the
polyvagal theory was discussed earlier, it was mentioned how the ventral
vagus was our means for social engagement. Because of this, if we want to
improve our vagal tone, then making social connections can help. When we
have supportive people around us, our ventral vagus nerve remains active
and promotes feelings of well-being and safety. So social connections can
improve our vagus nerve’s response.
Conclusion
You’ve reached the end of this book and you’ve gained the ability to control
and activate your vagus nerve to reach a state of calm. The vagus nerve is
like a little magic button in your body that you can press anytime you’re
feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, or depressed. It’s one of the key
parts of your parasympathetic nervous system and helps to ensure that your
sympathetic nervous system doesn’t stay active all the time. Activating the
vagus nerve isn’t hard, and it can be easily done to help you feel calm and
safe. Using the techniques mentioned in this book, you can achieve peace
and relaxation. You’ve probably started reading this book to improve your
emotions and well-being, and I hope this book has helped you achieve this
goal.
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 BOOK 2

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Discover How to Stimulate your Vagus Nerve with Relaxation Techniques,
Mindfulness and Meditation exercises. Relieve Stress and Anxiety for a
Healthy Mind-Body Connection !
 Introduction

Welcome to Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Discover How to Stimulate your

Vagus Nerve with Relaxation Techniques, Mindfulness and Meditation
exercises. Relieve Stress and Anxiety for a Healthy Mind-Body Connection !
Thank you for choosing this book to begin your journey to a happier,
healthier, more well-rested you. Within these pages, you will find all the
information, tips, and tricks that you’ll need to guide you on your way to
activating one of the body’s most important neurological components, the
vagus nerve.
We’ll discuss what the vagus nerve is, how it’s connected to your mental
and physical health, and how you can work towards better sleep, better
digestion, and better overall well-being. This book will teach you how to
eat to optimize your vagus nerve function, how to use gentle exercise to
calm or activate your vagus nerve, and how improving the health of your
vagus nerve can help you get better sleep, mitigate anxiety and depression,
and help you live your best life, now!
All the techniques and exercises in this book will be explained in easy-to-
understand terms to allow you to begin utilizing them right away. You’ll see
that major concepts and the names of techniques have been put into bold
lettering to make them easy for you to find. These will include dietary
suggestions, gentle stretches and meditation exercises like qigong, yoga,
and tai chi, breathing exercises, and mindfulness techniques. When you’re
done, you’ll be able to use this book as a reference whenever you want to
go back over the basics or need a refresher on more advanced techniques.
When you’ve finished this book, you’ll be able to identify when and why
your vagus nerve is irritated, know how to calm it down, and how to
reactivate it properly for your own well-being. You’ll also know what foods
to eat and which foods to avoid to best care for the health of your vagus
nerve, and how to plan and prepare for meals that will give you maximum
vagus nerve benefits.
This book also includes a lot of common-sense advice for making the most
out of mindful moments, for handling everyday stressors, and learning how
to turn all the elements of this book into a total lifestyle designed to
promote and maintain vagus nerve health. You’ll find ways to boost your
mood, quickly turn feelings of distress into feelings of calm, and discover
that laughter might just be the best medicine. This book is even going to tell
you that humming and coloring are perfectly acceptable activities for
adults- at work, even!
The vagus nerve plays a major role in how we view the world, ourselves,
and our health. Your decision to read this book means you’ve made the
decision to open yourself up to a whole new realm of personal reflection
and well-being. Thank you for choosing this guide to help you as you begin
your journey. Let’s get started on the road to vagus nerve health- you and
your nervous system won’t be sorry you’ve traveled this path!
 Chapter 1:
What is the Vagus Nerve?

Before we can even delve into ways to have a happy, healthy vagus nerve,
it’s important to know exactly what the vagus nerve is. The human nervous
system is a vast, complex network of cells and electrical impulses, and the
vagus nerve is an integral part of that network.

Identifying the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is not one nerve, as the name would imply. It’s actually
two bundles of nerves that are found within the cranium (skull), and these
bundles connect the brain and the brain stem. The word ‘vagus’ comes from
the Latin for ‘wandering’, and this refers to the vagus nerve’s connection to
the rest of the body from the brain- it wanders down into the chest cavity
and abdomen from the brain stem.
The vagus nerve is also the longest of the cranial nerves, of which there are
twelve pairs. The vagus nerve is the tenth of these nerve bundles and
sometimes is referred to by number, rather than name. This is indicated as
Cranial Nerve X (the Roman numeral for the number ten).

What Exactly Does the Vagus Nerve Do?

The vagus nerve has multiple functions and is heavily connected to the
parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of the brain and nervous
system which controls breathing, heart function, and digestion. The vagus
nerve also has an impact on sensory intake from the tongue, throat, and
digestive tract, as well as controlling the motor functions which pertain to
speech and swallowing. In fact, the vagus nerve has so many
responsibilities, it’s almost impossible to list them all.
As we go through our chapters, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at how the
vagus nerve’s largest functions can be improved for our optimal health, but
for now, let’s just have an overview of the nerve’s capacities so that you’ll
have a strong fundamental understanding of how the vagus nerve is
connected to each system.

-Anatomy of the Vagus Nerve-

The Vagus Nerve and the Parasympathetic Nervous System

The human nervous system is wondrous and complex and is actually made
up of several smaller systems that work together to control every aspect of
our mental, physical, and emotional functions. It’s both brilliantly
complicated and marvelously simple because each cell has a place and a
specialized task. Millions and millions of these cells are continually
working together to keep your body breathing, digesting, and pumping
blood; learning, thinking and remembering; not to mention protecting you
from both internal and external harm.
The cranial nerves are crucial to the function of the nervous system because
they provide a pathway from the brain to the rest of the body, and the vagus
nerve is the longest of these. It originates in the brainstem and reaches
down through the neck into the chest and the abdomen, where it helps
process sensory information from the stomach. The sensory data
transmitted between the brain and the digestive system can be interrupted or
corrupted if the nerve is irritated or functioning poorly.
The parasympathetic nervous system is one part of the body’s three
autonomic nervous systems. It has been colloquially called the ‘rest and
digest’ system because it is so notably involved in the health of the
digestive system and the functions of heart rate and respiration.
The vagus nerve plays a major role in this system by branching off into
smaller nerves which affect the larynx and throat, and the aorta and heart,
and the pulmonary system. The main part of the vagus nerve continues into
the mid-abdominal region, where it affects the function mainly the stomach,
but also the pancreas, kidneys, liver, and gall bladder.
It is when the vagus nerve is irritated or malfunctioning that we begin to see
a slew of physical and mental health issues, and often, other underlying
medical conditions can act as a trigger for irritation or malfunction. Other
outside stimuli can also cause the vagus nerve to go haywire. It’s the job of
this book to teach you how to recognize and understand those stimuli, and
how to perform exercises to relieve those problems.
In the chapters that follow, we’ll be looking at how that irritation can deeply
affect your health and well-being and how to either properly stimulate or
calm the vagus nerve to alleviate those issues as they arise. Along the way
through this book, you’ll find that you can incorporate all of the techniques
and exercises into a total lifestyle that will keep your vagus nerve (and
you!) feeling fit and well.
 Chapter 2:
An Overview of the Vagus Nerve’s Bodily Impact

Whether we realize it or not, the vagus nerve and our parasympathetic

nervous system are constantly working, and not always in our favor. In this
chapter, we’ll briefly go over the ways in which we feel our vagus nerve
being activated but may not associate with the physical manifestations. Our
parasympathetic nervous system, and the vagus nerve specifically, play a
crucial part in how we feel physically and emotionally as we all go about
our daily lives.

How’s Your Stomach Feeling?

The vagus nerve’s role in digestion and gut health is apparent every day,
and there are several ways in which it can show us it’s not working
properly, either through irritation or malfunction. Stress can also cause our
vagus nerve to malfunction, which can play out as stomach issues.
Because the vagus nerve plays such a vital role in controlling how the
stomach passes food into the intestinal tract, any irritation of the nerve can
affect our digestion. This could range from something as seemingly minor
as acid reflux, although if chronic and untreated, acid reflux can cause
subsequent health issues.
On the more serious end of the spectrum, a malfunctioning, irritated, or
damaged vagus nerve can also cause a condition called gastroparesis, in
which the stomach becomes unable to pass digested food into the small
intestine. This causes vomiting, weight loss, and unhealthy fluctuations in
blood sugar levels. In fact, gastroparesis often goes hand in hand with Type
2 or adult-onset diabetes.
Further down the digestive system, an irritated vagus nerve can cause
abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea as an aftereffect of poor digestion. In
short, your vagus nerve can cause you a lot of tummy troubles if you don’t
keep it calm and healthy. The health of the nerve is also directly tied to
severe intestinal ailments such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ulcerative
colitis, and Crohn’s disease.

Feeling Faint?

The vagus nerve, as part of the larger parasympathetic nervous system, also
affects the heart, and can cause issues with rapid pulse and fainting. This is
because the nerve is tied into how our heart reacts to outside stimuli, such a
something that triggers fear or unease.
Discomfort is our body’s way of telling us something isn’t quite right, and
your vagus nerve is a large component of sensing discomfort. This could be
difficult using the bathroom, such a straining for a bowel movement, or a
sore, scratchy throat and trouble swallowing. This type of discomfort can
trigger vagus nerve irritation.
Fear can also stimulate the vagus nerve into a negative response. Anything
that gets our heart beating rapidly, like fear of heights or getting our blood
drawn, irritates the vagus nerve, which tries to send signals to the heart to
slow down and regulate itself. When your heart rate drops rapidly after
these signals, it can cause fainting- this is known as vasovagal syncope. For
some people, this can be a debilitating issue that affects their daily lives.
We’ll get into more detail about the vasovagal syncope in a later chapter.

Gag Order

For some, irritation of the vagus nerve manifests in its functions in the
throat and larynx. This can include symptoms such as the inability to speak
due to sore or raspy throat, the inability to properly swallow liquids, or pain
in the ears or ear canals. Irritation or malfunction of the vagus nerve can
also result in the loss of the gag reflex, and doctors will often use this as a
test to determine if the nerve is damaged.
Where Does It Hurt?

The vagus nerve is so extensive, it can play a role in both physical and
mental well-being, and irritation or malfunction of the nerve can cause a
host of issues when it comes to pain, depression, and anxiety. The nerve is
supposed to send a signal to the brain to release anti-inflammatory
chemicals, and when it’s not working as it should, some people can see a
rise in joint pain and irritation.
Similarly, people who are depressed or deal with anxiety may not see a
relief in their symptoms if the vagus nerve is malfunctioning, and the stress
of that may, in turn, worsen those conditions. The health of the vagus nerve
is crucial to fighting our internal battles, both physical and emotional. We
rely on the vagus nerve to be a feedback loop to the brain, to alert the
central nervous system to any ongoing issues.
Now that we’ve had a brief introduction to the vagus nerve and its
functions, let’s start a deep dive into how to make your vagus nerve work
for you. In the following chapters, we’re going to go in-depth into some of
the most common issues with the vagus nerve and how you can ensure the
health and proper stimulation of the nerve for your overall well-being.
 Chapter 3:
The Vagus Nerve and Sleep Cycles
In this day and age of constant stimuli, it is as difficult as ever to get a good
night’s sleep. With that in mind, remember that those constant stimuli mean
it’s also more important than ever that we recognize that rest and recovery
are not selfish acts, but that they are crucial to our well-being and peace of
mind. Too often, we sacrifice sleep for obligations- staying up too late to
finish a work or school project, or tending to chores that fell by the wayside
during the day.
The vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system play a large role
in how we sleep and the quality of sleep that we get. Sleep is characterized
by a slower heart rate and a change in brain function, which is evident in
REM cycles. REM sleep is where we are allowed to dream and explore the
vastness of our subconscious lives. Even nightmares, as terrifying as they
can be, teach us something about ourselves. When we do not get enough
sleep, we lose that time in which we leave everything up to our
subconscious. In turn, those thoughts creep into our waking lives,
distracting us, causing additional anxiety, and leaving us feeling confused.
There is also a connection between the vagus nerve and sleep apnea. There
are three forms of sleep apnea- obstructive, central, and complex (the
presence of both)- and they are directly tied to the vagus nerve’s
involvement in the throat and palate. If you suspect that you may have sleep
apnea, you may want to contact your physician or holistic health provider to
discuss treatment options that will work to supplement or complement the
exercises in this book. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health
complications.
When the body does not get restful sleep, we wake up feeling groggy and
fatigued, which is not the best way to start any day, especially for those of
us that lead busy lives of work, school, community engagements, and
raising our children. Poor sleep affects the rest of our physical health; our
bodies do not get the time they need to fight off germs and infection, renew
our cells, and refresh our brains. Good sleep is vital to our well-being. In
the next chapter, we’ll go step-by-step through meditations and exercises
designed to properly stimulate your vagus nerve to help you fall asleep
faster and get more restful, healthful sleep.
 Chapter 4:
Vagus Meditations for Better Sleep

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of how the vagus nerve affects sleep,
it’s time to work on some relaxation and meditation exercises specifically
designed to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. To do this, we’ll work on
ways to get your vagus nerve stimulated in a healthful way. Exercises are
listed below, with step-by-step instructions to make sure you can get the
most out of every technique.

Using Breathing Exercises to Stimulate Relaxation for Sleep

The key to many of these sleep meditations and many of the other
techniques that you’ll find in this book are good deep breathing skills.
There are many ways to practice deep breathing to activate your vagus
nerve in a healthful way, so let’s go over those now to give you a
foundation for the rest of the book.
*Deep breathing while sitting*- If you’re a person who prefers to sit up and
relax while preparing for bed, deep breathing exercises can easily become
part of your nighttime routine. Remember, the body naturally relaxes, and
the heart rate slows when we enter into sleep, so preparing your heart and
lungs from sleeping can help you fall asleep faster, get more restful sleep,
and wake up feeling more rested.
It’s also important to remember that if you are doing deep breathing
exercises in a sitting position before bed, don’t raise your heart rate back up
by sprinting to your bedroom afterward. Take your time and walk slowly, or
perform your exercises on or in proximity to your bed.
You’ll want to find a comfortable surface to sit on, either a chair with a
back or if you prefer to be seated on the bed, be near enough to a wall or
headboard to be able to lean back if you find you need support. You should
seat yourself with your spine straight, with your feet firmly on the floor or
cross-legged.
Let’s start with one of the simplest breathing exercises, one that will relax
you while it raises your body’s oxygen levels; this is known as the 3-step
breathing regimen . Once you’ve aligned your spine, close your eyes and
take a deep breath in. Concentrate on how your body feels as you exhale.
Repeat your deep inhale, and this time, take longer to exhale than you did to
inhale. You want to work towards making your exhale twice as long as your
inhale. You can count slowly as you breathe in and out to try to achieve this.
The goal of this exercise is to increase your oxygenation, slow your heart
rate, and to focus on how your body feels while you’re breathing. Once
you’ve reached a rate exhale that is twice as long as your inhale, repeat
those breaths several times. You will feel a sense of mental calm as well as
bodily relaxation. You should be able to achieve sleep in a shorter time
frame than you previously did.
Let’s move on to another popular breathing technique, known as the 4-7-8
method . This method is based on a yoga technique and was developed by a
doctor named Andrew Weil. It is similar to the last exercise, in that the
exhale is twice as long as the inhale, but adds in an additional step of
holding your breath in between. The technique is fairly simple and is
designed to relax the body and increase oxygen and blood flow. It is
performed as follows:
1- Exhale completely, through the mouth.
2- Inhale, through the nose, for four seconds.
3- Hold that breath for seven seconds.
4- Exhale, through the mouth, for eight seconds.
5- Repeat 4 times for beginners, working up to being able to repeat it 8
times once experienced.
Diaphragmatic breathing is another great way to relax, stimulate the
vagus nerve in a healthy manner, and get your body ready for rest. You
want to be able to really feel your breathing in your abdominal region, and
you want to strive to slow your breathing rate to about half of the breaths
you would normally take per minute. This type of breathing is often
associated with yoga (and we’ll get into more advanced yoga breathing in
our exercise chapter) and can also be used to quickly fight anxiety or
vanquish the fight-or-flight response in stressful situations.
Diaphragmatic breathing is also good for preparing for sleep, as it can be an
excellent way to regulate your heartbeat and slow your resting heart rate. To
practice good diaphragmatic breathing, you’ll want to make sure your spine
is straight. Take a deep breath, drawing in your stomach and filling your
lungs until you cannot take in any more air. Hold that breath for a five-
count, then release it slowly. You can hold your hand on your stomach as
you release, feeling yourself ‘deflate’ like a balloon. Repeat this breathing
cycle at least three to five times, and you’ll begin to feel all the tension go
out of your body as you continue to exhale.
Another great method for relaxation breathing while sitting up is alternate
nostril breathing . This technique is exactly what it sounds like- breathing
into one nostril and exhaling through the other. Begin by closing one nostril
by pressing against the side of your nose. Inhale deeply through the open
nostril. Hold your breath for a one-count, and close the nostril you inhaled
through. Now exhale deeply through the opposite nostril. While this may
sound simple, it actually can take concentration to complete. This type of
breathing activates the vagus nerve and relaxes your body because your
mind is singularly focused on how you are breathing and how it makes you
feel.
*Deep breathing while prostrate*- If you want to already be in a position to
sleep when you do your breathing exercises, here are some techniques you
can try to prepare you and your vagus nerve for bedtime.
For those who prefer laying down while doing their breathing and
relaxation techniques, sleep meditation breathing may be the way to go to
stimulate the vagus nerve at bedtime. Lay still and take a deep breath, and
as you exhale, count to one. Take another breath, and count to two on your
exhale. Work your way up to a count of five, and then go back to one and
start over. Because you’re focused on the counting, your brain will not be
able to let any other thoughts or anxieties creep in while your body relaxes.
This exercise should be performed for about ten minutes before sleep.
Another great way to get your body to kick the parasympathetic system into
high gear for sleep is to visualize your breathing . Use your imagination to
picture your breath flowing through your entire body before your exhale.
Once again, the idea is to get your mind to target a specific task so that your
body can relax and prepare for sleep. Being able to imagine that your whole
body is being affected by a single breath is a great way to focus on how
your breathing makes you feel.
As we’ve noted, breathing techniques that are good for yoga are also good
for general relaxation and sleep preparation. A method known as ‘humming
bee’ or brahmari is another great breathing exercise for bedtime if you
don’t mind making a little noise. In this technique, you should lay on your
back and inhale as deeply as you can through your nose. When you exhale,
constrict your throat ever so slightly and make a humming sound, like a
little bee. This will activate the vagus nerve endings not only in your chest
and abdomen but also in your throat. You can even cover your ears with
your hands or plug them with your index fingers to be able to hear your
hum reverberate in your throat and sinuses.
All of the above breathing techniques will help you relax as you are
readying yourself for sleep. There are other ways to make sure your vagus
nerve is happy and properly stimulated before bedtime, too. Let’s take a
look at how your sleeping position and sleeping environment can affect
your quality of sleep.

Left, Right, Hot, Cold

How we position ourselves for sleep and what kind of environment we

sleep in can also play a large role in whether our vagus nerves are irritated,
preventing good sleep, or properly stimulated, promoting good sleep.
For example, one of the worst positions to sleep in is on your back. To
ensure the health of your vagus nerve, you should sleep on your right side.
Sleeping on your back can increase your chances of developing or
worsening existing sleep apnea, which already has strong ties to issues with
vagus nerve health, or vagal tone, as it is sometimes called.
- Sleeping on your right side is best for vagus nerve health-

Another factor in how well we sleep lies in the temperature of our

bedrooms and sleeping spaces. When the body is preparing for sleep, our
internal temperatures begin to drop. Sleeping in a cold room can help that
drop occur more quickly, and keep the body cooler as you sleep. When our
body temperatures are lower, our heart rates are lower, and our metabolism
can begin to shift into a healthier gear. Lower heart rates and more efficient
metabolisms are directly related to a happier vagus nerve and higher vagal
tone.
Music can also help in soothing an irritated vagus nerve and bringing it
back to a proper stimulation. You can play soft music in your sleeping
space, and sing or hum along quietly to relax before bed. That vibration in
your throat will stimulate your vagus nerve for relaxation. Singing also
helps soothe an angry vagus nerve during times of high anxiety (much more
on that later.)
Scent can also play a role in soothing an irritated vagus nerve or stimulating
it if it’s malfunctioning. Essential oils like lavender can wake up the
parasympathetic nervous system. Bergamot is also a good choice. Don’t
feel that you have to run out and get the fanciest essential oils, though. Just
finding a fragrance that you find pleasant or relaxing can do the trick, so
you might want to get some scented candles or wax warmer to do some at-
home aromatherapy.
Another natural way to stimulate the vagus nerve for sleep is to laugh a bit
at bedtime. End your evening screen time by watching something funny, or
read some satire or humor before bed. Being joyful raises the levels of the
feel-good neurotransmitter oxytocin, which in turn raises the vagal tone.
Find a friend to have a laugh with late at night, or be sure you share your
sense of humor with your significant other.

Put the Pressure On

While science is moving closer to having effective over-the-counter VNS

systems and treatments available, most electrical vagus nerve stimulation is
still only reserved for surgical implantation in patients with severe
depression or epilepsy. For those who don’t have access to electrical VNS
but wish to ‘massage’ the nerve to stimulate it for better sleep, there is a
method.
While sitting upright, you should begin to massage your left collarbone in
steady, circular motions, applying moderate pressure. Move your motions
up the left side of your neck, around the base of your skull, and back down
the right side of your neck to your right collarbone. Your breathing should
be steady throughout this exercise. When you’ve finished the massage, lace
your fingers together and place your hands on your chest for a few
moments, allowing yourself to feel the rise and fall of your breath.
To complete the technique, lay back and place your interlaced hands behind
your head for a few moments. Without moving your head side-to-side, shift
your eyes to look to the right. Hold that line of sight without blinking until
you feel the need to yawn or swallow. You’ve activated your
parasympathetic nervous system, which means you should be relaxed
enough to try to sleep. If you are still feeling some tension, you can try the
massage again or go through your breathing exercises in conjunction with
the massage.
Other forms of pressure like acupuncture or reflexology are also associated
with properly stimulating the vagus nerve, and we’ll go over them in some
detail when we reach the chapter about additional ways you can stimulate
the nerve. In the next two chapters, we’ll explore the strong connection
between the brain and the digestive system, and how having a high vagal
tone can aid in digestion, alleviate the symptoms of gastric and intestinal
distress, and help you lead a healthier, happier lifestyle.
 Chapter 5:
The Vagus Nerve and Digestive Health

It is well documented that the vagus nerve has a large impact on the health
of our digestive systems, and we’ve already discussed how digestive
symptoms can be based on or be predictive of larger health problems.
Diabetes and other health conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome
(IBS) can disrupt digestive functions, but being capable of stimulating the
vagus nerve properly can make for a vast improvement in these conditions,
in conjunction, of course, with whatever pharmaceutical treatments your
health care provider has prescribed.
Our digestion is completely wrapped in our vagus nerve function, from the
moment we try to swallow our food, through the esophagus, into the
stomach, and as food passes into the small intestine. With such major
involvement in one of the body’s most crucial processes- the ability to take
in, digest, and extract nutrients from our food- the health of our vagus nerve
is key. Without it, all other major bodily functions begin to suffer.
The vagus nerve also affects the other abdominal organs, regulating how
they work together to provide efficient digestion and absorption of food,
monitoring and adjusting blood sugar levels, and sending signals back and
for the from the brain to the liver and kidneys to determine the rate at which
they filter toxins.
 - The vagus nerve’s connections to the abdominal organs-

If a malfunctioning vagus nerve is causing you digestive distress, take heart.

There are ways to calm irritation, including dietary considerations and
physical exercises that can stimulate your vagus nerve to improve digestion,
alleviate symptoms of underlying conditions, and help you feel healthier,
happier, and more energetic. Let’s explore those options now.
 Chapter 6:
Eating to Activate the Vagus Nerve

As the old adage says, “You are what you eat.” While that clearly cannot be
literally true, it is true that how we fuel our bodies has a definitive impact
on how we feel and how healthy we are. By eating with your vagus nerve in
mind, you can calm the nerve if it’s irritating, stimulate the nerve to aid in
digestion, and give yourself a ‘gut makeover’ that will allow you to
experience long-term health and well-being.
There are many theories on how to create a diet that will provide you with
optimum vagus nerve stimulation, but one thing is very clear- the vagus
nerve is directly tied to our feelings of fullness. This is why some people
can eat very little and feel satiated, and why some people have trouble with
portion control. They simply don’t feel full even after a very large meal.
It’s important that we remember that the vagus nerve is not a one-way
street. While it is responsible for sending signals to the body to perform
certain functions, it’s also simultaneously sending signals back to the brain.
The vagus nerve’s role in our digestion begins in the mouth, through the
esophagus, and throughout the digestive and endocrine systems which are
in charge of digestion and processing nutrients.
In this chapter, we will be exploring how certain diets can affect the vagus
nerve and help alleviate certain conditions. We’ll also take a look at some
ways to improve and maintain your vagal tone in your digestive system,
how the vagus nerve is related to the other abdominal organs beyond the
heart, lungs, and stomach, and how you can choose the foods that meet your
specific dietary needs and the needs of your vagus nerve.

The Vagus Nerve and Obesity

When the vagus nerve is malfunctioning or irritated, it does not send the
proper signals to the brain to stop eating. This can be both a cause and
symptom of obesity because the nerve and the brain get caught in a cycle of
overeating. In order to break the cycle, it’s important to get your vagus
nerve the nutrition it needs to be healthy and function properly. (Because
there are often underlying psychological causes for overeating as well, it
makes the health of your vagus nerve that much more important!)
Studies have shown that empty calories and diets high in ‘bad’ fats can lead
to obesity. If you want to restore your vagus nerve, you’ll need to adjust the
types of food that you’re eating. You can train yourself to feel fuller longer
by eating foods that provide bulk without providing calories, and upping
your intake of protein while lowering your intake of processed
carbohydrates.
The ketogenic diet, which is high in good fats and proteins, and very low in
carbohydrates, can be an effective diet for both the health of your vagus
nerve and overall bodily health. In the ketogenic diet, the body’s
metabolism is transformed from burning carbohydrates to burning fat,
therefore forcing weight loss. Interestingly, the ketogenic diet is often
prescribed by doctors to supplement the treatment of epilepsy in children,
further supporting the connection between vagal nerve stimulation and the
mitigation of seizures.
There are many wonderful books available on starting a ketogenic diet, as
well as websites and personal health coaches. Resources are available to
almost anyone, and it’s important to understand the implications of any new
diet plan before starting. You may also want to consult your physician.
-Some keto food swapping ideas to get you started-

The Vagus Nerve and Intestinal Conditions

The vagus nerve has strong ties to the ‘gut’, and a healthier vagus nerve can
mean a world of difference to those who have conditions like IBS or
Crohn’s disease. It can even make life easier for those who suffer from
occasional or more than occasional diarrhea or constipation.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is an intestinal disorder in which the
bowels become inflamed and overactive, leading to pain, bloating,
discomfort, gas, and often, diarrhea and constipation. Because we know that
the vagus nerve is also responsible for fighting inflammation, it would stand
to reason that having a higher vagal tone would also trigger the nerve’s anti-
inflammatory responses in regard to intestinal health.
Armed with that knowledge, you can begin to take a multi-pronged
approach to improve the health of your gut through improving the health of
the vagus nerve. Combined with any pharmaceutical treatments from your
doctor, you can add and subtract foods from your daily diet to find a
balance that’s right for you and alleviates pain and flare-ups.
Patients with severe IBS are often told to avoid irritants, and that’s good
advice. Stimulants like caffeine can increase the risk of inflammation, and
work against the anti-inflammatory work that your vagus nerve is charged
with performing. Alcohol can also have the same effect, as can processed
sugars and the oils in fried foods. When the lining of the intestinal tract
becomes inflamed, it causes pain, which in turn triggers stress, which in
turn causes the vagus nerve to become irritated.
People who have intestinal issues may also want to avoid foods that cause
excessive gas- things like legumes or cabbage. Dairy can also trigger
inflammation. While this diet may sound restrictive, it’s all about balance.
Everyone’s body is different, these are general guidelines to reduce the
chance of inflammation.
The mind-gut connection powered by the vagus nerve can be strengthened
by adding probiotics to your diet, as well. Adding ‘good’ bacteria such as
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium can greatly improve the efficiency of
your digestion, balance out the microbiome in your digestive tract, and
reduce the workload for your vagus nerve, improving its overall health and
tone. You can find probiotics in over-the-counter supplements or by eating
naturally probiotic foods like yogurt or pickles (yes, pickles!).
Studies are being conducted as of this writing that is examining the use of
electrical VNS for conditions such as IBS, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative
colitis. Given the success of implants for the treatment of epilepsy and
major depression, it’s likely that vagus nerve stimulation will also be
proven an effective treatment for these intestinal conditions as well.

The Vagus Nerve and Gastroparesis

As we briefly touched upon in the early chapters, a malfunctioning vagus
nerve can be connected to a condition known as gastroparesis.
Gastroparesis is caused by an inability of the stomach to properly digest
food and pass it into the small intestine. The condition is often characterized
by nausea and vomiting, and when left untreated, it can lead to a number of
other health issues.
Gastroparesis is another one of those conditions that can become cyclical if
not addressed. Diabetic gastroparesis is triggered by rapidly fluctuating
sugar levels, which can continue to fluctuate if the body cannot properly
absorb nutrients. If diabetes is the underlying physiological cause of your
gastroparesis, it’s imperative that you work with your doctor or
endocrinologist to find a treatment plan to address your diabetes.
The vagus nerve is connected to the pancreas, where a gland called the
islets of Langerhans is responsible for insulin production. If your vagus
nerve is malfunctioning, your body will have a more difficult time
regulating blood sugar, whether you have a diagnosed case of diabetes or
not.
Another issue connected to gastroparesis and fluctuating blood sugars is
your mental health. When the body is not able to regulate blood sugar, we
become irritable, anxious, and can feel like our brains are a bit foggy.
People who suffer from gastroparesis may not be able to feel functional,
because their body and brains are working against them. Untreated
gastroparesis can also lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and weight loss.
All of these factors can place additional stress on an already irritated vagus
nerve.
To supplement any required medical treatment for gastroparesis, the vagus
nerve needs to be calmed. This can be achieved through a change in diet to
reduce stomach inflammation and a combination of the relaxation
techniques and gentle exercises found elsewhere in this book. To choose a
diet which can calm the stomach irritation caused by gastroparesis, you
should consider the following suggestions:

swapping raw fruits and vegetables for those that are fully
cooked
try a liquid or soft diet, with lots of soups and purees
 drink a lot of non-carbonated liquids to avoid dehydration
eliminate alcohol and caffeine
eat hot cereals like cream of wheat or oatmeal rather than cold
cereals
avoid breads with whole nuts or grains in them
skip the skins on fruits and vegetables
eat baked foods rather than fried foods
try not to each too much spice
Calming the irritation in the stomach will allow the vagus nerve to kick its
anti-inflammatory duties into high gear and give you some relief from the
symptoms of gastroparesis.

It’s Not Just What, But When

While clean, healthy eating can be the key to helping your vagus nerve and
your entire parasympathetic nervous system take the time to relax and be
properly stimulated, sometimes it’s not just about what you eat, but when.
You can give your vagus nerve time to rest and recover by practicing
intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting doesn’t mean that you fast for entire days at a time but
limits the time each day in which you have to eat. For most intermittent
fasters, this means having an eight-hour window every day in which to
consume food, and a sixteen-hour window in which your body can rest
from the work of digestion. It may sound difficult, but it can be easily
worked into the daily routine of anyone who does not have medical dietary
concerns, such as diabetes.
Think of your eating day in the same time frame as your workday. You
could have a small, healthy breakfast, a filling lunch, an afternoon snack,
and dinner within an eight-hour time frame, or you could skip breakfast and
choose to make your time frame for eating later in the day, so you feel less
hungry at bedtime. Other ways to fast intermittently are to choose two days
a week to either take in less than 600 calories total (while eating normally
on the other days) or to choose two days a week to go 24 hours without
eating (say dinnertime to dinnertime).
As long as you choose foods that are both full of nutrients and are bulky
without empty calories, you will not feel hungry. That is after you get in the
swing of the method. When you first begin intermittent fasting, you should
try to avoid the temptation of a late-night snack or mid-morning nosh.
Adding foods that are high in fiber can help you feel more sated for a longer
period of time, and if you like fresh seafood, it has the added benefit of
increasing your heart health and lowering the stress on your vagus nerve.
Other benefits of intermittent fasting include better sleep, weight loss, better
regulation of blood sugar, and stabilization of hormone production.
Intermittent fasting allows your body to rest between digestive cycles,
letting your vagus nerve also rest and recuperate. It should be noted, that
intermittent fasting should be done by adults in good physical condition,
and is proven to be more effective in men than women. If you’re unsure if
you should try this method, you should consult your doctor or holistic
healthcare provider.

Outlining a Vagus Nerve Friendly Diet

We’ve just gone over a large amount of information regarding what you
should and should not eat when it comes to planning a diet for certain
health conditions and handling vagus nerve health. But let’s say you don’t
have any specific underlying conditions and you just want to plan to eat in a
way that supports your vagus nerve. There are plenty of foods that you can
consume! Let’s take a look:
Cereals and grains: Whole grains are best for every diet, and if you choose
to consume carbohydrates, you should look for products that are minimally
processed. For example, steel-cut or rolled oats and oat products, whole-
wheat pasta, brown and whole rice, and hot cereals that aren’t heavy and
sugary like many boxed breakfast cereals. The food guide pyramid now
suggests that healthy omnivores should take in six to eleven servings of
grains and cereals per day. This may seem like a lot, but remember, the
serving sizes of carbohydrates are generally very small, sometimes only a
quarter to a half cup of food.
Fruits and vegetables: Most fruits and vegetables are safe and healthy for
those with regular digestion to consume. Of course, too many fibrous fruits
can cause gastric upset by itself, so you want to stick to the FDA guidelines
of two to four fruit servings and three to five vegetable servings per day.
Try to choose fruits and vegetables in a wide variety of colors; the more
colorful the produce, the higher the anti-oxidant property it has. When you
take in anti-oxidants, you help your cells remove free radicals, which are
cellular waste particles that can clog up your bloodstream and disrupt your
immune system, which in turn causes disruption in your nervous system.
It’s all interconnected with the health of your gut and your vagus nerve.
Some good choices for fresh fruits and vegetables are grapes, citrus,
strawberries and blueberries, as well as tomatoes, sweet and bell peppers,
and fresh green beans.
Dairy: Dairy has wonderful traits that are good for humans to take
advantage of, but it’s best to use dairy as a supplement to your other foods,
rather than as the showpiece of a meal. The food guide pyramid indicates
that healthy adults should limit their dairy intake to two to three servings a
day. This is because many dairy products tend to be high in fat content,
which of course it what makes them taste so good! Many dairy products
also contain active bacteria, and while this is not a bad thing (we like
probiotics), too much of a good thing can throw your gut microbiome into
an unbalanced state. When you choose your dairy, try to consume milk
from antibiotic and hormone-free cows, and pick lower-fat options in your
milk, cheese, and yogurt. You may also wish to try goat milk as an
alternative to cow’s milk products.
Meat : It may be a startling fact to you that most omnivores eat too much
meat. The eating of flesh has long-ingrained connotations of toughness and
manliness and there are restaurants that have contests and eating challenges
devoted to people being able to consume vast quantities of meat. The FDA
recommends that healthy adults only eat two to three servings of meat,
seafood, and nut/legume protein each day. That’s not very much, so how
can you make the most out of those three protein servings? Keeping in mind
that a serving of poultry, pork, or red meat is about the size of a deck of
playing cards, you should choose cuts of meat that are lean in order to
maximize the good-food content. You should also consider eating seafood if
you can because the omega-3 fatty acids in most seafood are good for heart
health. Consider alternative meats, as well. Many game foods, such as
venison, are better for you than farmed meat.
Sweets and Fats: Everyone knows these foods are at the very top of the
food pyramid and should be used very sparingly. When you choose to
consume fatty foods, try to pick ‘good’ fats, like avocados. Limiting your
processed sugar consumption is another good way to keep your vagus nerve
happy because it lightens the workload in the pancreas. If you want to
indulge in sweets or fats, choose wisely. Moderation is the key, so if you’d
really like a piece of candy or a taste of cake, go ahead. Just don’t go
overboard. Eating a small piece of cake slowly and savoring the bites can
be just as, if not more, satisfying as gobbling a big piece in record time. If
you like a good sweet treat, try dark chocolate which has a lot of
antioxidant power, or things that are sweetened with natural sweeteners as
opposed to a lot of processed sugar.
Alcohol and caffeine: When it comes to coffee and wine, it’s not surprising
to anyone that these items are wonderful, but should be limited. Both highly
caffeinated beverages and alcoholic drinks have an irritant effect on the
digestive system, and so you should enjoy them in moderation to keep your
vagus nerve happy. You could try low-test or no-test substitutes like chicory
for coffee or seltzer for soft drinks. You can also substitute sparkling juices
for wines and beers.
The dietary considerations listed above are far from restrictive and
encompass a wide range of foods that can be consumed for a healthy vagus
nerve and a healthy you. Make an effort to be a label-reader. It’s an eye-
opener when it comes to serving sizes, added salts and preservatives, and
fillers. When you can, choose whole foods and ingredients rather than pre-
packaged foods, which are often processed with unnecessary substances.

The Endocrine Connection

While we are mainly focused on the direct link between the vagus nerve
and digestion, we’d be remiss if we didn’t take a little time to talk about
how the nerve affects the other abdominal organs such as the liver and
pancreas. The digestive system is responsible for passing food through the
body to extract nutrients, but the body’s waste systems are responsible for
getting rid of the toxins and byproducts that digestion produces or does not
need.
The vagus nerve’s connection to the liver means that the liver and the
stomach have a direct neural pathway by which to communicate. The liver
is responsible for filtering blood from the digestive system, which means it
is also where much of our medications are filtered and metabolized. The
liver also produces bile which aids in digestion and lubricates the intestinal
tract. If the vagus nerve is not functioning properly, communication
between the digestive organs and the liver can become unclear. While the
liver is not solely an endocrine organ, in many ways it functions as one.
The vagus nerve’s connection to the pancreas and islets of Langerhans is
documented above, but it bears repeating that if the nerve is not functioning
properly, the production of insulin can be disrupted, even in people who do
not have diabetes.

Just a Gut Feeling

When your vagus nerve isn’t working correctly, you can experience
symptoms of gastric upset ranging from heartburn and reflux to vomiting.
This has a strong tie to the vagus nerve’s role not only in your digestion but
also your mental health. Have you ever had that ‘sinking’ feeling in your
stomach? Felt like your stomach was flip-flopping, or had butterflies?
That’s your vagus nerve being overstimulated from a stress reaction, and
manifesting itself in your stomach.
Stress reactions aren’t always negative, mind you. A stressor is simply an
outside stimulus that affects your body’s resting heart rate, respiration, and
emotional response. In fact, we often get that butterflies in the stomach
feeling when we are anticipating something good, or when someone we
love walks into a room. The vagus nerve is simply tied into our body’s
reaction to stressful situations, and because of its relationship with
digestion, it manifests in a funny feeling in our stomachs.
That begs the question, is there a way to calm or redirect the vagus nerve’s
reaction to stress so as not to experience uncomfortable or extreme stomach
conditions when we are faced with these stressors? The answer is yes, and
there are a few quick techniques that have nothing to do with food and
everything to do with instant ‘stressful stomach’ relief.
When you’re faced with a stressful situation, your heart rate and respiration
increase, your stomach begins to flop around, and your brain goes into
fight-or-flight, which is essentially the opposite of the rest-and-digest that
your vagus nerve and your parasympathetic nervous system is supposed to
be performing. To give your vagus nerve a quick ‘reset’, you can perform
any of the following techniques.
A splash of ice-cold water to the face can immediately activate the vagus
nerve and shock it back into its proper function. If you can’t get to a sink,
try sticking your face in your refrigerator’s freezer for a few moments, or
even putting a cold drink against your face or neck.
You can also cough to activate your vagus nerve in a stressful situation. Not
a little throat clear, but a full, forceful cough. Sharply evacuating your lungs
and briefly interrupting your blood and oxygen flow can quickly stimulate
the nerve and restore order to your parasympathetic nervous system.
If you can sit, try to sit with your knees folded against your chest for a
minute or two. This is especially effective with children who may be
experiencing a stress reaction. This technique slows the heart rate and
activates the nerve.
Another method for quickly activating the vagus nerve and reducing a stress
response is to fill your mouth with saliva and submerge your tongue. The
nerve is connected to your throat and your swallow reflex, and after a
moment you will either be forced to swallow or you may gag , which also
activates the nerve.
Of course, all of these techniques are dependent on the situation that is
causing your stress-related stomach upset. For longer-term anxieties or
depression, we’ll go over more extensive methods of relaxation and stress-
relief in the next two chapters. These brief exercises are meant to be for
quick activation of the vagus nerve in response to unexpected stressors or
stimuli.
 Chapter 7:
The Vagus Nerve and the Nervous System

The strong tie between the vagus nerve and how we feel cannot be denied.
Our nervous system and our brain chemistry work together to affect our
emotions, our reactions to outside stimuli, and how we handle mental health
conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Modern medicine backs the connection between the nervous system and the
vagus nerve, most notably by offering vagus nerve stimulation as an
approved treatment plan for some forms of epilepsy, depression, and
anxiety. VNS is also available to patients who may have experienced
irreparable damage to their vagus nerve and are unable to stimulate the
nerve on their own. A small electrical device is placed under the skin near
the collarbone that provides an electrical pulse to the vagus nerve to
stimulate it to act properly.
For those who do not require a surgically-implanted VNS device, it
behooves us to learn how to stimulate our vagus nerves through meditation
and mindfulness. Being able to control how our vagus nerve acts can go a
long way towards greater overall mental health. Imagine being able to
soothe and stimulate the nerve in a positive way when faced with stress or a
frightful situation. Wouldn’t that make you feel stronger and more
confident? Of course, it would.
The conversation about mental health is a lot more public and a lot more
vocal in the twenty-first century than it has been in the past. Many people
are more open to talking about their mental health struggles and are more
likely to seek out treatment and assistance for their concerns. That includes
trying alternative therapies like meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Activities like journaling can also give you some insight into your own
mind and help you decide what type of things you’d like to or need to
meditate on.
Because the American health care system doesn’t always allow for people
to get accessible, affordable mental health care, it may be more important
than ever to help people find methods of self-care which can be useful to
aid them or tide them over until professional therapies and pharmaceuticals
become available to them. If this is where you find yourself, please, take
heart. There are exercises in the chapter that follows to help you deal with
your anxiety and reduce your stress.
Including vagus nerve stimulation in your mental health care regime can be
as easy as practicing the exercises to which you’ll soon be introduced. In
the chapter that follows, you will find tons of techniques for opening your
mind and activating your vagus nerve. Some will take some time to develop
and practice, and others will be easy to immediately incorporate into your
daily life. Once you’ve learned all the basic techniques, you’ll be able to
use them to your benefit whether you’ve got five minutes or an hour to
devote to your meditations.
 Chapter 8:
Mindfulness and Meditation to Activate the Vagus
Nerve

We often hear people talk about using mindfulness and meditation to calm
themselves, and while the two practices are similar in purpose, they are not
exactly the same in form and function. Mindfulness refers to the practice of
being aware or hyperaware of your surroundings and the sensory input
around you. Meditation often relies on blocking out those stimuli to find a
sense of peace within yourself.
Both are effective at calming an irritated or malfunctioning vagus nerve and
stimulating the nerve in an effective manner. Reading through and
practicing the exercises below will allow you to find what works best for
you and your mental health. Let’s get started!

Basic Mindfulness Exercises to Relieve Stress

Mindfulness is a word we hear thrown around a lot these days, but what
does it really mean? Being mindful means that you are aware of the
stimulus around you, taking it in and processing it without feelings of
judgment. To be mindful means that you are cognizant of the world, but are
seeing it through a soft lens and with a sharp brain.
Practicing mindfulness can be a healthy way to relieve stress, activate your
vagus nerve, and overcome anxiety. Let’s begin with some basic techniques
for relaxation.
One of the best ways to get started with mindfulness is to make a conscious
choice to pay attention to . That may seem very simple, and it is, but it
takes a little effort to stay on track. Think about a route that you travel
frequently. This could be something like your daily commute or a walk
around your neighborhood. It could even be something like your weekly
trip to the grocery store.
The next time you take that trip, make a choice to notice things that you
usually wouldn’t think about. If you ride the train to work, count how many
blue buildings you pass before your stop. If you always take the same route
as you walk around the block, you could make an effort to actively listen
for the sounds of birds chirping. The basic idea behind mindfulness is to be
an active part of your own environment.
Now, it may seem that the above exercise is not directly tied to the vagus
nerve, but it is, in that actively focusing on a chosen task can slow your
heart rate and calm you down, a task directly connected to the
parasympathetic nervous system.
To get started with using mindfulness to better know your own body, try the
following relaxation method . You’ll need a comfortable, quiet space for
this exercise, perhaps your bedroom or an area with some pillows or
cushions. You can sit or recline however feels natural for you.
After settling into position, close your eyes, and begin to take deep,
stimulating breaths. As you do, take note of how your body feels. Start with
your head and continue to take your relaxation breaths as you assess every
part of yourself down to your toes. When you are practicing mindfulness,
don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t concentrate the first time around.
Relaxation mindfulness is supposed to calm you and your vagus nerve, not
stress you out.
If you find you’re having a hard time focusing on practicing this relaxation
method, please remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Try to sit still for
five minutes at first, working your way up to ten, and finally fifteen or
twenty. You’ll find that the more you practice, the better you will be at this
method.
This method will ultimately help you lower your heart rate and give your
vagus nerve time to do its jobs with more efficiency and less stress. You can
also combine this method with some of the breathing exercises from our
sleep chapter to aid you in your bedtime routine.
Advanced Mindfulness to Relieve Anxiety

When anxiety strikes, stress levels go through the roof, our heart rate
increases, and we lose control of our vagal tone. Sometimes we need a
quick pick-me-up to reset ourselves and our vagus nerve to regain our poise
and handle a stressful situation.
One well-tested mindfulness method for alleviating sudden anxiety of panic
attacks is called sensory grounding . This technique forces you to
concentrate on a task, allowing your body to calm down from the fight-or-
flight response to unexpected stressors. It goes like this:
5- find five things you can see, and describe them to yourself
4- find four things you can feel, and focus on what you think they feel like
3- find three things you can hear going on around you
2- find two things you could smell or things you see that you like the smell
of
1- think of one thing you like about yourself (“I have nice eyes…”)
This method is also used in cognitive behavioral therapy as a quick de-
escalation method for panic attacks. It is beneficial to the vagus nerve
because it resets the brain and the parasympathetic nervous system.
When you are feeling anxious or depressed and have some time to devote to
a mindfulness technique, you can try the ‘three whats’ method . This is
another method that uses the essential principle of mindfulness, which is to
be present at the moment and focus on stimuli other than what is causing
your anxiety. In this technique, you’ll want to begin by practicing whatever
breathing exercise works best for you to become relaxed.
Once you have stimulated your vagus nerve with your breathing, take time
to focus on the room around you and answer these three questions
thoughtfully:
1- What is here that I can observe?
​ Take the time to think about your surroundings. Look for little
things you may have never noticed- a little crack in the molding, for
instance- or things you may have forgotten about, like that a figurine is
wearing blue shoes.
2- What is here that I can describe?
​ Choose an interesting object. Describe it to yourself with lots of
adjectives. Think about how you’d tell someone else about that object using
texture, color, etc. If you close your eyes, you should be able to picture it
perfectly.
3- What is here that I can interact with?
​ This could be something as silly as flipping a light switch or as
serious as reading an encyclopedia. Let your imagination roam, and let your
happy neurotransmitters flow. Would you like to cuddle up with the afghan
or play with a toy abandoned in the corner?
This method is a great way to relax and be present in the moment. It forces
you to push aside your stress and anxiety and focus, giving your vagus
nerve the stimulation it needs to allow you to begin to feel refreshed and to
lift your mood.
Laughter is another proven way to healthfully raise your vagal tone and
become more relaxed. Can you laugh by yourself while practicing
mindfulness? Of course, you can, by using your imagination to melt away
your anxiety. Here’s a good way to do so, although there’s no wrong way to
make yourself laugh.
If you can, lie down comfortably. Take a few deep relaxing breaths, and
close your eyes. Focus on the subtle noises around you, and begin to
imagine what they are. Perhaps it’s the traffic outside or the sound of your
cat purring. Now imagine that the traffic outside isn’t just people
commuting or going to the corner store. Imagine the cars are part of a giant
circus train. Now imagine that the drivers are all dressed like clowns.
Imagine their clown costumes. You understand where this is going. Just
continue to build up the ridiculous scene you’ve developed in your mind
until the noise of a passing car evolves into the noise of your laughter.
If you don’t fancy yourself an imaginative person, you can try a
diaphragmatic exercise to simulate the effect of laughter on the vagus
nerve. Sitting upright, take a deep breath in, feeling your lungs and
abdomen fill with air. Now, exhale your breath in three sharp bursts, saying
“ha!” on each burst. You should sound a staccato “ha, ha, ha” on one try.
This is an exercise used by vocalists as a warm-up when they want to open
the throat to prepare for singing. It activates the vagus nerve by stimulating
the nerve both through breathing and through the nerve endings in the back
of the throat.
These are techniques you can use whenever stress and anxiety begin to
creep in. They are of benefit to the vagus nerve because they stimulate the
nerve properly and allow the parasympathetic nervous system to do its job
of letting your body relax and find relief. Mindfulness is just one terrific
way to help yourself build a vagal tone. Meditation is another great way to
do so, and while its purpose is similar to mindfulness, its practices differ.
Let’s look at some beginner and some more advanced meditations to help
you achieve vagus nerve health.

Basic Meditations to Improve Vagal Tone

As with mindfulness exercises, the health of your vagus nerve can be

stabilized, stimulated, and improved with the practice of meditation. These
exercises also feature heavily the breathing methods we discussed way back
in Chapter 4 when we went over methods and tips for getting better sleep.
In fact, you have probably noticed by now that breathing exercises play a
large role in nearly every technique designed to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Repetition of the point aside, it is crucial to learn those breathing exercises
in order to practice effective meditation. While meditation and mindfulness
are not diametrically opposed, the two methods differ greatly in that
mindfulness focuses on being present and hyperaware of your surroundings,
and meditation draws you into yourself, at times purposefully blocking out
stimuli that may distract you.
One of the most fundamental of meditations is mantra meditation . By
speaking out loud during this meditation, you will activate the vagus nerve
in a number of ways- through its involvement in the throat, through
breathing exercises, and through the focus which allows the
parasympathetic nervous system to do its job.
To perform a mantra meditation, most people prefer to sit directly on the
floor or a thin mat, like a throw rug or yoga mat. Sit with your legs crossed,
your spine straight, and rest your hands on your thighs. Close your eyes and
breathe in a deep, full abdominal breath. Be sure you can feel your lungs fill
with air and your diaphragm move. Then exhale slowly through the mouth,
while saying “Om”, drawing it out until you are out of breath. Yes, this
method may seem like a trope you might see on television, but it’s been
around for centuries for a reason.
Repeat this exercise several times, concentrating on keeping your breathing
steady and your ‘om’s even until you can feel the tension go out of your
body. If you’d like, you can use another syllable or phrase for your exhale,
but remember that humming or guttural sounds are more effective to cause
vibration in your throat and activate the vagus nerve.

- Keep your spine straight for good posture when meditating or practicing mindfulness-

Another good basic meditation technique is called gazing . Again, the idea
is to focus on one thing, let all other thoughts or stimuli fade away, and let
your body relax and your mind heal. The premise here is similar to the
‘three whats’ of mindfulness, but the concept is to choose one single object
to be the item upon which you meditate. Perhaps you have a favorite piece
of artwork or a piece of jewelry that strikes you. The object you choose is
not the most crucial part of this meditation.
Once you’ve chosen your object, place it in front of you and seat yourself
comfortably. Take some deep, cleansing diaphragmatic breaths and stare
(gaze) at the item. Note its size and shape, its weight and depth. Focus on
the colors and patterns that make up its appearance. You should only be
thinking about the object. Continue to make sure that your breaths are even
and steady. If you should have any other thoughts intrude, don’t even
acknowledge them; even trying to push those thoughts away will break your
focus.
When you are gazing at your object, try sweeping your eyes in a slow spiral
motion to capture every detail of the item. Your goal is to be able to
eventually close your eyes and remember every aspect of the object you’ve
been meditating on. Your focus and relaxation will activate your vagus
nerve, and you’ll begin to feel a sense of peace and calm. If you don’t have
the easiest time with this meditation method on the first couple of tries,
don’t despair- if you practice this technique regularly, you’ll see
improvement in your concentration every time.

Advanced Meditations for Anxiety and Depression

For many people, anxiety and depression are concerns that they must deal
with on a daily basis. Therapy and pharmaceuticals are effective treatments
for some, but finding ways to stimulate the vagus nerve for better mental
health can be a wonderful supplement or alternative to medications. The
basic meditation styles we’ve just gone over can be a great way to mitigate
everyday stress and worry, and even help with mild anxiety.
For more chronic mental health concerns, more advanced forms of
meditation may be needed to be truly effective against the effects that low
vagal tone can have on your emotional well-being. One of the best ways to
alleviate anxiety is through visualization meditation . In this method, you
can take yourself on a mental journey from how you’re currently feeling to
how you’d like to feel.
Seating yourself comfortably, begin again by closing your eyes and
practicing some relaxation breaths. Use whatever method works best for
you, and once you’ve started to feel a sense of calm, think clearly about
how you are feeling. What does that feeling look like? Is it a dark cloud or a
fog? Maybe it’s a hallway with no doors. It’s your feeling of anxiety or
depression and yours alone, and so it is up to you how you’d like to
visualize it.
Once you’ve put a mental picture to your emotions, think about how you’d
like to feel. Happy? Hopeful? Energetic? What does that look like to you?
Flowers and sunshine, perhaps, or driving a convertible with the wind
through your hair. Again, these are the emotions that you can visualize
anyway you’d like. With both your beginning emotion and your target
emotion identified and visualized, you can begin to build a mental bridge
between the two.
By this point in the meditation, you should be approaching or in a state of
relaxation. You may have anxiety, but you are working to find a solution,
and your posture, your breathing, and your focus will ensure that your
vagus nerve is being stimulated in a positive manner.
Now it’s up to you to connect the dots. How can you get from your hallway
with no doors out into the sunshine, driving a fantastic car down a winding
country road? Your brain can begin to fill in the details. For example, your
hallway could have a window at the end. You can mentally open that
window to feel some fresh air. When you turn back around, there’s now a
door at the end of the hallway. Opening that door will get you out of the
hallway and into the sunshine, where your dream car is waiting for you.
Hop in and go for a ride!
Open your eyes. You’ve completed a visualization meditation, and you
should feel relaxed and calm; your anxiety has been left behind in the dark
hallway of your imagination. By stimulating your vagus nerve through good
breathing and calm meditation, you’ve given your body a chance to lower
your heart rate and raise your oxytocin levels- those are those happy
neurotransmitters. The more oxytocin your brain produces, the more it
becomes ‘addicted’ to its own feel-good properties. Over time, your general
oxytocin levels will rise, and you will see even more relief from your
anxiety and depression.
Practicing meditation when you’re anxious or depressed can be difficult
because often we cannot concentrate when in these mental states. If your
anxiety or depression manifests itself frequently in feelings of self-
judgment, you may want to consider some self-compassion meditation ,
which not only can slow your heart rate and calm your vagus nerve, but can
leave you feeling better about yourself physically and emotionally and help
you be less harsh on yourself in everyday life.
Although we’ll have a whole chapter about gentle exercise, we’ll go over
both the stationary and moving self-compassion meditations here, so that
the practice will be easier to reference when you come back to this book at
a later time. We’ll start with the stationary form of this meditation.
Sitting comfortably, you’re going to take some deep breaths using whatever
method you prefer to prepare your vagus nerve for relaxation. Once you’ve
done this, close your eyes and place your hand or both hands over your
heart and feel your heartbeat as your chest rises and falls with steady
breathing. You want to focus on your breath and your breath alone. If your
mind begins to wander, gently bring it back to center on your breath.
Once you begin to feel the peace that comes from that focus, think about
something you like about yourself, or something nice that you did for
yourself, or think about something nice you might tell a friend that is also
something you need to hear. Let the words come to you, don’t force them.
This could be anything from “I really like your eyes” to “You’re a great
person” to one-word phrases like “love” or “smart”.
Roll that word or sentence around in your head. Let your breath remain
steady and repeat the phrase as you breathe. Continue your meditation until
you feel a sense of inner peace and you truly believe the words you are
concentrating on. Try not to let any other thoughts distract you. When you
feel calm and relaxed, you’re going to reverse the process to end the
meditation. Let the words taper off in your head, then focus on your
breathing, and finally, take your hands off your heart and open your eyes.
In the walking form of this meditation, it’s best to be performed outside, but
can also be done on a treadmill, if necessary. Being outdoors simply
enhances your vagus nerve activation, since fresh air, especially cold air can
be an excellent stimulant for the nerve. If you are going to practice this
meditation, it’s best to have at least ten minutes to devote to your walk, and
twenty minutes is the optimum length of time for this meditation.
When you start your walk, take a few deep, diaphragmatic breaths and then
let your respiration fall into an easy rhythm as you step. Again, you’re
going to think about words or phrases that make you feel good about
yourself. You want to be able to repeat them like a mantra as you walk, so
perhaps you could try a shorter phrase or phrases that fall into a cadence
with your stride. Try things like “love”, “happy”, “smile”, or “peace”.
Once you’ve recited those feel-good thoughts for yourself for a little while,
expand your goodwill and compassion to those beings around you. Wish
happiness for the person walking past you. Wish peace for the birds in the
trees. Wish love for the butterfly that goes by. You will begin to feel that
rush of oxytocin that lets you know that your vagus nerve is happy and
sending happy signals back to your brain. When you’re done with your
walk, you will be left with a sense of calm and contentedness.
This meditation isn’t a race- you can walk at your own pace, for as long as
you’re physically able. Like all mindfulness and meditation techniques, you
can start with a shorter time frame and work your way up to longer
sessions. This also goes for the sitting version of this meditation. You can
start with a five-to-ten minute session and work your way up to longer
meditations. Some meditations may take even more time, from upwards of
twenty to forty minutes.

Quick Daily Exercises for Stress Relief and Affirmation

Life is stressful! Work can be full of pressures, and our personal

relationships with our family and friends can suffer from neglect.
Sometimes, life just gets in the way of us living life. Everyone feels stressed
out, tired, and anxious at some point in their day, whether they are students
or executives living a white-collar corporate lifestyle, or work from home
or stay home to parent, or work in any service trade or industry. Age and
income level do not discriminate against stress- it’s universal.
When stress hits in the middle of the day, what do you do? It’s unlikely
you’ll be able to take twenty minutes out of your day to lay down in the
middle of your office or classroom to meditate or practice mindfulness.
Here are a few quick methods you can use to alleviate stress, activate your
vagus nerve, and calm yourself to deal with the issues at hand.
One great way to use a quick visualization technique to calm yourself down
is to imagine you are pressing the reset button . When you are faced with
a sudden stressful situation, take a deep diaphragmatic breath, and look at
your palm. Imagine there is a reset button there. Take the index finger of
your other hand and press the imaginary button. Count to three slowly,
taking a breath on each count. Release the reset button. You’ve given your
body a few moments of calm for your vagus nerve to kick in and perform
its job.

- Pressing an imaginary reset button can help manage stress-

Another way to activate your vagus nerve when you aren’t feeling up to
snuff is to smile . The act of smiling can actually make you feel like
smiling. Physiologically, when you smile, your vagus nerve is triggered to
begin to tell the brain to produce oxytocin. If you’re in a situation where
you can’t just plaster a giant grin on your face, you can try a method called
the Buddhist Half-Smile . Instead of going all out, think about smiling and
let just the corners of your lips curl up slightly. Hold this half-smile for a
few minutes, and you’ll feel your spirits lifting almost immediately.
If you find yourself feeling pessimistic about a project or a meeting, try a
quick mindfulness exercise to dismiss your negative feelings . When you
feel a pessimistic thought or thoughts creep in, stop what you’re doing and
take a deep, cleansing breath. Now sit up straight to align your spine, and
think, “This thought isn’t reality, it’s just a thought.” Repeat that to yourself
a few times, and then imagine that the negative feeling is being blown away
like a tumbleweed.
If you are able to, humming is also a wonderful, quick way to activate the
vagus nerve. Just a few minutes of vibration against the back of your throat
is enough to kick the nerve into proper stimulation. You could do this in a
loud commuter train station, and no one would notice, or you could hum as
you walk down the hallway at work or home.
One very quick way to activate your vagus nerve without being obtrusive is
to chew a piece of gum. This stimulates the nerve, looks like an everyday
activity and can help you calm yourself down rapidly and without drawing
attention.
Doodling and coloring can also provide you with a tiny bit of mindfulness
in the middle of a stressful day. Stash a coloring book or sketch pad in your
desk drawer, and take a few moments at your break time to work on a
picture. It can be something as simple as drawing shapes and coloring them
in or getting a cheap children’s book form your local Just a Buck store. The
act of focusing on creating something colorful can boost your mood and
relieve your stress.
You can also take your anxiety on a break, or at least to the company
breakroom. Give yourself a few minutes to make a cup of coffee or tea ,
and really concentrate on the task. Pay attention to the sounds the coffee pot
makes, and see the steam rise as the brew pours into the cup. Take in the
fresh aroma, and observe the texture of the sugar grains as you stir them
into the coffee, and they dissolve. While this little exercise will only take
you a few moments, it can help reset your vagus nerve and stimulate in to
function more efficiently.
One other little piece of advice to handle stress on a bad day is to make
someone else’s day better . Give a coworker a compliment, share a smile
with a stranger on the elevator, or pay for the next car’s toll. The boost of
oxytocin that you will get from a random act of kindness will reset your
vagus nerve and help you feel better. It’s truly a quick pick-me-up.
By now, you’ve probably realized that the vagus nerve plays a role in nearly
every function that humans need to get through the day. Whether you are
dealing with unexpected stress, have ongoing issues with anxiety or
depression, or just want to have a healthier vagal tone and a more efficient
parasympathetic nervous system, there is a meditation, mindfulness
exercise, or ‘quick fix’ for just about every stressful situation you could
face. That being said, please consider seeing a mental health care provider
if you are having ongoing difficulties with anxiety and depression- these
techniques are wonderful for holistic health, but are not meant to be a
substitute for therapy or pharmaceutical treatment as necessary.
Most have the exercises in this chapter have been methods which are
performed mentally or with minimal physical activity. In the next chapter,
we’ll examine how gentle physical exercise can be extremely effective in
improving vagal tone and general overall health for the long-term.
 Chapter 9:
Using Gentle Exercise to Stimulate the Vagus
Nerve

There is a tremendous amount of evidence to support that gentle, meditative

exercises are exceptional for calming and stimulating the vagus nerve. This
could include practicing yoga, tai chi, or qi gong- all of which are
wonderful for the body as well as the mind. The best part of these exercises
is that anyone in almost any physical condition can take part, even with
modified movements, and they all require very little to no exercise
equipment, other than comfortable clothing and perhaps a mat.
While we won’t be getting into advanced techniques in this book, we’ll be
looking at an overview and providing you with detailed steps for basic
movements in these disciplines. These moves and techniques are all
beneficial to the health of your vagus nerve and many do not require much
time out of your busy day to complete.

Yoga

Yoga is a practice which is believed to be nearly 10,000 years old but has
determinable roots at least 5,000 years ago, according to histories found in
the scrolls and texts of Brahman priests in the Indus region, or what is now
the area along the southern border of Pakistan and northern border of India.
It is based on a series of sutras (positions) that are designed to create
harmony within the body.
There are spiritual implications of yoga, which can be applied to almost any
peaceful religion you choose to follow, but yoga does not have to be tied to
organized religion. Yoga can be performed simply for the physical and
mental benefits it provides, and you can customize your own yoga
experience by deciding how to be introspective while you perform the
exercises. Some people choose to pray, some choose to chant, and some
choose to be quiet and meditative.
Many forms of yoga exist today, including what is considered classic styles,
like Hatha or Raja, and newer, more adaptive forms like Kripalu. There are
studios that offer everything from hot yoga to the newest trends of goat
yoga (yes, yoga with baby goats!) and rage yoga, which also involves beer
and profanity. However you choose to practice yoga, there’s a form for
everyone.
For our purposes, we will draw on some very basic moves that anyone can
perform in the comfort of their own home. These yoga poses will help you
activate your vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system, concentrate
on physical activity to clear your mind and stimulate the release of your
happy neurotransmitters, oxytocin, and serotonin. There are, of course, the
health benefits that come with exercise, as well. Another beautiful thing
about yoga is that it requires very little to no equipment- just some
comfortable clothes, a little space, and a mat, should you choose to use one.
Let’s take a look at some yoga poses that almost anyone can do. We’ll
explain how to properly breathe for yoga, go over how to set up each pose,
and learn what the poses’ specific health benefits are, so you can see how
yoga goes beyond the stimulation of the vagus nerve. We’ll be using the
common English names of the poses to avoid any confusion with Sanskrit
pronunciations.
Yoga breathing is similar to some of the exercises we outlined much earlier,
but for the purpose of actually performing yoga, you’ll want to use a deep
breath, followed by a pause, and a deep exhale. Most of the poses we’ll be
going over indicate where you should inhale and exhale as you move into
position, so that will be indicated below. To get started, sit cross-legged,
spine straight, and try a few practice yoga breaths.
Mountain pose - This is a simple maneuver that can even be completed
sitting down, should you have trouble with lower-body mobility. The
mountain pose involves deep breathing and is designed to open up your rib
cage and get your blood flowing to and from your upper extremities. To
perform the mountain pose:
 1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart (if seated, sit up straight
with your spine aligned), arms at your sides.
2) Keep your legs straight, but do not lock your knees.
3) Take a deep breath in, and raise your arms above your head, hands
straight up in the air.
4) Begin to exhale and bring your arms down, but don’t bring them all
the way back down. Instead, hold them slightly apart from your
body, palms down, and feel the blood flow through your arms and
back into your fingers.
5) Try to hold for a full minute, then bring your arms back to your
sides.
Warrior pose - This pose combines the use of the upper and lower body
and can be great for circulation, strength, and endurance. You’ll want to pay
attention to where the breaths come in this pose in order to get maximum
benefit.
1) Standing with your feet at hip-width, take a deep breath in.
2) As you breathe in, lift your arms slowly above your head, and put
your palms together.
3) Begin to exhale, keeping your palms together, and as you do, take a
giant step forward, like a lunge.
4) Lean into the lunge, keeping your back straight and your palms
together, and breathe steadily.
5) Hold the warrior pose for one minute, then slowly go back to a
standing rest.
6) Repeat the pose by lunging onto your opposite leg. Remember to
keep your back straight and your breaths even.
You can move from warrior pose into one or more variations of the same
position, such as bringing your arms down to shoulder height and holding
them out, one in front and one behind you while you hold your lunge, or to
raise the difficulty one more step, you can deepen your lunge and arch your
back, holding your arms outstretched either above your head or out at
shoulder height.
Child’s pose - This pose is performed on the floor and can be extremely
calming, as it involves a near-fetal position, and we’ve previously discussed
how putting your knees to your chest can be very calming for you and
stimulating for your vagus nerve. This is also an effective pose for women
trying to alleviate menstrual pain.
1) Kneel on the floor, knees tucked tightly underneath you
and spine straight.
2) Take a deep breath in, raising your arms high above your
head, feeling the stretch in your spine.
3) As you exhale, stretch your body out and down toward the
floor, hands as far out in front of your body as you can.
4) Place your palms on the floor, with your head of chest on
your knees.
5) Hold the pose for as long as you feel comfortable,
breathing steadily.
6) When you reverse the pose, take a deep breath in as you
stretch back upwards.
7) Exhale fully as you rest your buttocks back onto your
heels.
Corpse pose - This pose is a meditative pose that will relax you and help
you find a sense of calm. It is performed by laying on the floor, but if you
have health concerns, you may certainly try it by laying on a bed or other
softer surface. The only thing lost by modifying the exercise in this manner
is that the spine may not be completely aligned, but the spirit of the pose
will not be impacted.
1) Lay on your back, with your arms and legs slightly apart.
2) Take a deep breath, pause, and exhale.
3) Breathe steadily, and begin this simple meditation:
​ - Think about your head and take inventory (eyes, ears, nose,
hair, etc.)
​- Move to your torso (Arms, fingers, chest, etc.)
​- Move to your lower body (hips, knees, toes, etc.)
4) Once you’ve taken a complete bodily inventory, sit up slowly,
taking steady breaths as you do so. You don’t want to sit up too
quickly and become light-headed or take away the calm you’ve just
created.
Tree pose - This may be the most challenging of the basic poses we will go
over here. This pose does involve standing one foot, but the spirit of the
pose can be completed seated, as long as the spine is held straight. This
pose is designed to strengthen the core and the upper leg muscles and is
also good for promoting blood flow.
1) Standing with your feet hip-width apart and your spine straight,
take a full yoga breath.
2) Taking another breath, place your hands in front of you palm-to-
palm.
3) Keeping your palms together, exhale as you raise your arms above
your head, extending your arms completely.
4) On your next breath in, raise one foot and place the sole of your
foot against the inside of your opposite thigh.
5) Hold the pose for one minute (or as long as you can), breathing
steadily.
6) Lower your leg as you inhale, and lower your arms as you exhale.

- Tree pose for basic yoga-

Plow pose and shoulder stand - This simple two-pose sequence is possibly
the easiest of the basic yoga inversion poses. These forms are meant to
improve spine flexibility, aid in digestion, and stretch the core muscles
while building strength.
1) Lay down on the floor, legs together, hands palm down on the
floor, close to your hips.
2) Taking a deep breath in, lift your legs upward and roll your spine
towards your shoulders.
3) Lifting your legs over your head, try to touch your toes to the floor
behind your head. If you cannot, don’t worry- simply leave your
legs straight over your head- this is the plow pose.
4) Breathing steadily, hold the plow for a minute, if you can.
5) Take a deep breath in, and bringing your knees toward your face,
thrust your legs upward and roll your upper spine until your body is
resting on your shoulders. Your chin should be facing your sternum.
6) Hold the shoulder stand for a minute (or as long as you can),
remembering to keep your breathing even.
7) Take a deep breath in, and on the exhale, slowly lower your body
back to the floor, using a rolling motion as you feel each vertebra
relax on the way down. Try not to flop back to the floor to avoid
injury.
Downward-facing dog pose - No discussion of basic yoga would be
complete without the inclusion of this popular pose. This pose, while fairly
simple to perform, has a host of benefits, including a full-body stretch and
relief of aches and pains including joint complaints.
1) Get on your hands and knees, spine straight.
2) Taking a deep breath in, raise your lower spine and buttocks, and
lower your head (you want to create a triangle with the floor)
3) As you exhale, draw your elbows slightly outward to open up your
collarbones and give your arms more stability.
4) Straighten your legs and draw in your lower abdomen, lowering
your head to match the angle of your arms.
5) Hold the pose for as long as you can, up to one minute. If you need
to leave your knees slightly bent, you can do so without losing the
spirit of the pose.
6) You can rest in between repetitions of the downward-facing dog by
relaxing into a child’s pose. When you transition between poses,
always remember to breathe in and out with each motion.
You can also modify a downward-facing dog by beginning in a standing
position and using a chair as support for your upper body as you lean
forward.
Modified Downward-facing dog pose -
1) Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart and a chair back in
front of you.
2) Take a deep breath and stretch your arms above your head.
3) As you exhale, place your hands on the back of the chair, shoulder-
width apart.
4) Slowly walk your feet backward until they are under your hips,
creating a right angle.
5) Breathe steadily and hold the pose for a minute.
6) Stand up slowly, arms above your head. Inhale when you raise your
arms, and exhale as you bring them back down to your sides.
Half-Lord of the Fishes Pose - This is a sitting pose with a twist (literally)
that is good for digestion and the health of your internal organs, so it is
directly tied to your vagus nerve.
1) Seat yourself on the floor with your legs directly in front of you.
2) Lift your right leg up, and crossing over your left knee, place your
foot on the floor.
3) Fold your left leg in toward your body so that your left foot is near
your right buttock.
4) Taking a deep breath, twist your body at the torso towards your
right thigh, resting your left elbow against the inside of your right
knee and your right hand on the floor.
5) Hold the pose for about a minute, breathing steadily.
6) Gently inhale and exhale as you return to the position in step 1.
7) Repeat the exercise, but switch sides.
As you can see, there are many benefits to yoga, besides the positive
stimulation of your vagus nerve. Yoga is a wonderful way to explore these
health benefits, and these are just a very few of the dozens and dozens of
yoga poses and their variations. You can find a class locally, often for free
in libraries and community centers, if you want to expand your yoga
practice. If you’d like to continue to do yoga in the comfort of your own
home, there are innumerable videos available on multiple platforms.
Remember- yoga can be a viable form of exercise for everyone, no matter
their age or body type. Please don’t get discouraged if you don’t succeed on
your first try or if you need to modify the exercises. It’s the effort that
counts, and the boost you’ll receive when you succeed will be healthy for
both your physical and mental health.
While yoga is can be a transformative experience with ancient exercise, it’s
not the only gentle practice that can have a positive effect on the health of
your vagus nerve. Next, we’ll take a look at Qi Gong and Tai Chi, which
originated in China and are still practiced worldwide today.

Qi Gong

Qi gong (pronounced chi gong) is an ancient Chinese practice that means to

gather (gong) the life force (qi). Qi gong is, at its core, a set of movements,
each separate and defined by the characteristics of the health benefit they
are designed to provide. It has often been called the mental or internal
component of tai chi, and the two practices are intricately related. However,
tai chi is a series of movements which serve a meditative purpose, and tai
chi is actually defined as a martial art.
To clarify, the fundamental difference between qi gong and tai chi is that the
former is made up of isolated moves or poses, and tai chi is a fluid martial
training that ties together movements (many borrowed from qi gong). In
this section, we’re going to be going over some basic qi gong techniques,
and we’ll describe them with their benefits and steps as we did with our
basic yoga poses.
Like yoga, qi gong has been in practice for centuries and is known to have a
positive effect on the vagus nerve. In the exercises below, you’ll see a
variety of moves that can help you not only improve your vagal tone, but
also address a number of common ailments and issues. Let’s begin- all you
need is your body, some comfortable space, and some room. Many of the
exercises below can be modified or adapted to be done with the aid of a
chair or other support.
To get started with qi gong, you’ll need to know how to breathe to complete
the movements. The first type of breathing is chest breathing, this is how
we breathe normally, with our chest falling and rising as we go about our
daily lives. The second is diaphragmatic breathing, which we have already
gone over in this book, and which you can review in Chapter 4. The third
type of breathing that qi gong practitioners may opt to use is reverse
breathing.
Reverse breathing is a method that may seem counterintuitive at first, but
it can be useful for bringing more oxygen into the body. When we reverse
breathe, we want to draw the abdomen in when we inhale, puffing up the
chest and filling the lungs to capacity. On the exhale, we deflate the chest
and allow the abdomen to protrude. This is the opposite of our instinct to
drop the chest and puff out the abdomen when we inhale. You can practice
doing reverse breathing in multiples of three, starting with three breaths,
and gradually working up to taking nine or twelve reverse breaths in a row.
Now that you’re familiar with reverse breathing, let’s take a look at some
basic qi gong movements and how they can help you.
Gentle sway - This is a warm-up exercise designed to get your blood
flowing and to get you to focus your thoughts. This movement also
provides your internal organs with a gentle massage. This exercise is meant
to be performed for approximately five minutes, but you can work your way
up to that comfort level. You can even perform this exercise sitting down,
provided you use a stool or other backless chair.
1) Standing with your back straight, place your feet shoulder-width
apart.
2) Begin taking steady breaths, and let your knees relax slightly.
3) Let your arms hang loose at your sides, and gently twist at the
waist to one side.
4) Continuing to let your arms swing loose, twist gently in the other
direction.
5) Being mindful that you are moving at the waist, and not the knees,
continue your twisting motion. Your arms should be moving
smoothly, not flailing. If you’re flailing, you’re moving too fast!
6) Time your breaths so that you are completing a set of side to side
twists for each inhale, and another set on the exhale. You should try
 to empty your mind of nothing but the gentle rhythm of your
breathing and movements.
7) When you complete this exercise, take a few deep, cleansing
breaths.
The Bounce - This movement is going to sound slightly silly to describe,
but it is meant to massage your organs and improve vagal tone, as well as
help you clear your mind and relax. You should try to perform this exercise
for one to three minutes.
1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your hands resting
loosely at your sides. This is called the zero position.
2) Raise yourself up onto the balls of your feet, and bounce.
3) Breathing steadily, continue to bounce at a rate just quick enough
to make your arms and legs jiggle.
4) Make sure you keep your shoulders loose and neutral during this
exercise for maximum jiggling effect.
5) When you’re done bouncing, bring your body back to zero position
and take a few steady, deep breaths.
6) You should feel relaxed and energized, and your limbs may feel
tingly.
The Accordion - This movement is designed to help you feel your qi, or
life force, and to give you more bodily awareness. It is a motion best
described as rhythmic or cyclical. It can be completed standing or sitting, if
you need to, just remember to keep your spine straight and your posture
upright.
1) Stand with your feet hip-width apart (shoulder -width if you need
more stability).
2) Hold your hands in front of you and place your palms together,
fingers pointed upward.
3) You can close your eyes or keep them open, but you want to
breathe steadily and clear your mind.
4) Placing your mental focus solely on your palms, move them apart
slowly, keeping your elbows up, like you are playing the accordion.
5) Move your hands back together, and concentrate on the feeling in
your palms when they touch.
 6) Repeat the motion, this time drawing your hands a little farther
apart before bringing them back together.
7) Repeat the motion a third time, this time drawing your hands even
farther apart.
8) Bring your palms back together and hold for a minute. You should
feel a tingling sensation in your hands- this is your qi. The energy
has become concentrated in your palms.
9) If you repeat the exercise, try to imagine your qi as being made of
light, rather than cellular energy. You may have an easier time
focusing your concentration if you are ‘looking’ at something.
Lifting the Sky - This exercise has been described to be the ‘best qi gong
movement’ by practitioners worldwide. It is a full-body motion that opens
the rib cage, improves blood flow and mental clarity, and can lower blood
pressure and provide relief for stress and anxiety. It may seem like it has a
lot of steps, but once you’ve put it together, it is a smooth series of motions
that will have your vagus nerve leaping with joy.
1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2) Open your mouth, and breathe steadily.
3) Put your arms in the zero position and look straight ahead.
4) Move your arms so that your palms are facing down and your
fingers are pointed slightly towards the center of your body.
5) Tilt your head downwards as if looking at your hands.
6) Take a deep breath in, and as you inhale, raise your arms in a slow
arc up over your head. Raise your head as well, so that you are still
looking at your hands.
7) Once your arms are above your head, hold for a moment and lift
yourself up onto the balls of your feet.
8) Exhale, bringing your arms down to your sides like a bird settling
their wings.
9) Repeat the exercise five to ten times.
- Visual aid for Lifting the Sky-

Harmonious Flow - The last basic qi gong movement that we’ll learn is
that of harmonious flow. Like Lifting the Sky, it is a full-body set of
motions that will raise your self-awareness, open up your rib cage, and
stretch and relax your spine. This movement takes some time, so don’t plan
to rush through it. You can practice two different versions of this exercise,
and we’ll go over the basic method first.
1) Stand with your knees slightly bent, feet hip- or shoulder-width
apart, depending on your balance needs.
2) Let your arms hang at your sides in zero position, and breathe
steadily.
3) Lean slightly forward onto the balls of your feet. Hold this position
as long as you can, up to five minutes. Be mindful of how your
body feels, from your head down to your toes.
4) Now lean slightly back, onto your heels, and hold for as long as
you can. Again, be aware of how your body feels now that your
weight has shifted.
 5) Repeat the exercise, but now leaning on your right foot.
6) Repeat again, leaning onto your left foot.
7) Come back to the center. You should feel energized, strong, and
calm.
The more advanced form of exercise actually requires less movement. From
your opening stance, clear your mind and remember how you felt when you
leaned forward. Imagine yourself doing so again, but DO NOT actually
lean. The idea is to use your mind to recreate the sensations you felt while
you were moving and leaning. Practice this meditation for all four positions.
Obviously, these are just a very small selection of the movements that make
up the entirety of qi gong. The practice is centuries-old, has a lot of
geographical variation, and several methods of teaching. If you are
interested in getting more involved with qi gong after practicing these
movements, there are plenty of resources available to you on the internet.
You could also call your local community center and see if you can get
connected to a qi gong teacher or practice group.
Now that we’ve gone over how qi gong works, and how to feel your own
life force (which is pretty neat whether you are a spiritual person or not!),
let’s talk a bit about tai chi and how it can help you activate your vagus
nerve and improve your overall health.

Tai Chi

As we briefly touched upon, tai chi is a traditional Chinese martial art

related to qi gong. It is a series of movements designed to bring you in
touch with your qi, give you gentle exercise to improve your strength and
balance and help you achieve better overall health and well-being. It was
once used in a much faster form as a method of self-defense.
Tai chi originated in China at least 500 years ago, and there are several
schools of discipline. For our purposes, we are going to look at a basic set
of movements that is nearly universal among the schools of tai chi, which
are separated by when they were developed, each school building upon the
movements of the style developed prior to it. The oldest of these is Chen,
followed by Yang, Wu-Hao, Wu, and Sun, which was developed the most
recently.
Tai chi is a wonderful exercise for vagus nerve health because it stimulates
the nerve, is good for digestion and blood pressure, and also incorporates
elements of meditation and mindfulness. It requires very little equipment-
comfortable clothes and sneakers are really all you need, or you can even
perform it barefoot if you prefer. Tai chi movements can be easily modified
or adapted for people who need to sit, as well.
To get started with any tai chi exercise, you should practice your breathing
techniques for a few minutes, and then do some gentle stretching if your
muscles feel tight. One of the hallmarks of tai chi is fluid movement, so you
want your muscles to be loose and warm when you begin.
Tai chi warm-ups - To get truly warmed up for a tai chi session, you want
to be able to move your body in a gentle, fluid style- think slow-motion
martial arts. There are a few ways to get your blood flowing and your body
ready to begin. You should keep your breathing steady and in sync with
your motions as you do these warm-ups.
1) Stand up straight (or sit with spine tall and straight) with your feet
shoulder-width apart, and your arms at your side.
2) Gently begin rolling your head- to the left, rear, right, and front. Do
this for a minute in this direction, then reverse and continue for
another minute.
3) Coming back to a central position, stretch down, letting your hands
dangle down near your feet, or touch your toes if you can. Hold this
position for a few breaths, being mindful of how your blood is
flowing in your arms.
4) Leaving this stretch, slowly stand back up and rest your hands on
your hips for a few breaths before letting your arms fall back to
your sides.
5) Now slowly roll your shoulders, first to the front for a minute, then
to the back for another minute.
6) Putting your arms out to your sides, try to keep them parallel to the
ground. Move your arms in small circles, slowly and ever-
widening, until you are making slow, full, graceful circles.
 7) Next you can ‘pick some fruit’ by reaching one arm over your head
and slowly bring it down, then alternating hands, like you are
plucking an apple from a branch overhead. Repeat this five times
for each arm.
8) After picking your fruit, you’re going to move onto knee circles. If
you are unsure of your balance, feel free to rest one hand on a chair,
because you’re going to be lifting one leg off the ground. Lift one
leg, keeping your foot parallel to the ground and forming a ninety-
degree angle with your knee. Gently lift and lower your knee in a
circular pattern, first clockwise for five repetitions, then
counterclockwise for the same. Lower your leg, then repeat with
your other leg. This wakes up your upper legs and your hips.
9) To finish your warm-ups, you’ll be rolling your hips. This should
be a familiar movement to anyone who has ever tried to use a hula
hoop. Make sure your feet are hip-to shoulder-width apart and let
your arms hang loosely at your sides. Slowly rotate your hips first
clockwise for a few repetitions, then counterclockwise. Be sure
your feet stay planted and that you’re moving only your hips and
not your knees.
Phew! That warm-up was a bit of a full workout, wasn’t it? The great news
is that by simply completing a tai chi warm-up, you’ve already stimulated
your vagus nerve and released a lot of feel-good neuro-transmitters like
oxytocin and serotonin.
Now let’s get into a basic series of tai chi movements. This basic sequence
can be practiced in very slow motion and you can work up to speed at your
own pace. You can even practice all the elements separately and put them
together when you feel ready and comfortable. Remember, the movements
are never to be hurried, even by the greatest tai chi masters.
The Warrior and the Scholar - This move is meant to begin your tai chi
movement sequence and it is very simple. It tells the story of a figure who
leans into a violent act (the warrior), but who then lets his wisdom prevail
and comes back to rest without striking (the scholar).
1) Stand with your feet slightly apart (as wide as you need for good
balance). Again, you can sit if you need to. Your arms should be
relaxed at your sides.
 2) Bring your feet together and bend your knees, while gently closing
your right hand into a fist and placing the palm of your left hand
towards the ground. You should breathe in on this part of the
movement.
3) Slowly bring your left hand up to cover your right fist in front of
your chest. Step forward with one foot and exhale.
4) Uncovering your fist, bring yourself back to a standing rest and
allow your hands to drop back to your sides.
From this standing rest, you will transition into the following movement:
Brush the Knee - This movement is a classic tai chi position that involves
coordination between the upper and lower body.
1) From your standing rest at the end of the Warrior and the Scholar,
you are going to put your body in what’s known as the t-stance. You
will rest your hands lightly on your hips, with your feet together,
left heel slightly raised and resting against your right ankle.
2) From the t-stance, you will lift up your right arm, palm facing to
the front. Your left arm will be in front of you, palm facing the
ground.
3) Step forward with your left leg, twisting yourself slightly at the
waist as you push your right arm forward, and lowering your left
arm.
4) Circle your arms back into a resting position as you bring your feet
back together.
From this resting position, you’re going to move into another basic move:
Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane - This movement coordinates movement
between your upper body and your torso.

a. From your resting position, bring your hands in front of your

chest, palm facing palm.
b. Curve your hands slightly, and leave a space in between them,
as if you are holding a playground ball between them.
c. Shift your weight onto the foot that correlates with whichever
hand you’ve put on top of your imaginary ball.
d. Put your other leg in front of you and shift all your weight onto
your front foot, as you simultaneously move your lower hand
 forward with a similar motion to tossing a frisbee, while you
bring the top hand down to rest at your side.
e. Slowly come back to a standing rest.

- Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane-

The next exercise works well for those who need to sit for their tai chi
routine, but can also be performed standing up:
Golden Lion Shakes Its Mane - This exercise gets the blood flowing in the
upper body and stretches the spine.

a. From a standing rest or sitting straight in a chair, lean forward

slowly until your torso is parallel to the ground (or as far as you
can), breathing steadily.
b. When you’ve reached the correct angle, twist your shoulders to
one side, moving your head along with it.
c. Inhale, and slowly go back to an upright position.
d. Exhale, and bend forward again, this time twisting to the
opposite side.
e. Repeat ten times on each side (or as many as you can handle).
f. Come back to a resting position.
Just two more movements to go in this basic tai chi sequence. Next, we’ll
move to another upper body exercise, this one good for the shoulders and
arms:
The Bow and Arrow - This movement is exactly what it sounds like. You
are going to mimic the motions of drawing and shooting a bow.
 1) From your resting position, gently ball your hands into
fists.
2) Bring your fists in front of you, as chest level, with your
fingernails facing you and the heels of your hands touching
below your pinkies.
3) Inhale deeply, and twist slightly to the left, and put your
left hand out in front of you, open with the palm facing the
right. This is the bow.
4) Draw your right fist back towards your ear, like you’ve
drawn back the bowstring and are waiting to fire the arrow.
5) Exhale slowly as you release the arrow and return to a
central position.
6) Repeat the exercise, this time twisting to your right and
‘holding the bow’ in your right hand.
7) Repeat the exercise five to ten times on each side.
Almost there! We’re going to conclude our tai chi sequence with one last,
very simple move:
Touch the Sky - This move is similar to the Lifting the Sky exercise in qi
gong, and opens up the chest and rib cage.
1) From a standing rest, with your feet slightly apart, place your hands
in front of you, palms up, fingertips facing each other.
2) Take a deep breath, and as you inhale, slowly lift your hands over
your head, keeping your arms slightly bent.
3) Hold your hands above your head briefly, and as you exhale, bring
your arms back down to rest at your sides.
4) Repeat this exercise five to ten times.
That’s the end of our very basic tai chi routine. One thing we did not
address in our sequence was the mindfulness aspect of tai chi. It can be a
very spiritual or very relaxing experience, and it should be. However, it’s
essential to learn the breathing and the movements with some fluency to be
able to clear your mind while practicing tai chi. While you are learning, you
can take heart in knowing that the focus you are putting into studying the
movements is also helping you keep your mind sharp, activating your vagus
nerve, and improving your mental and physical health.
Like with yoga and qi gong, if you’d like to expand your knowledge and
skills, you can look for a group or teacher in your area, or look for resources
online. There are many videos, tutorials, and books available to advance
your proficiency in any of the exercise disciplines we’ve outlined here.

Take a Hike

Maybe you just aren’t someone who is ever going to get into yoga or tai chi.
If that’s the case, then you should take a hike. Seriously. Fresh air and
moderate walking are a wonderful way to boost your happy
neurotransmitters, get aerobic exercise for heart health, and strengthen your
body and your mind. Taking a walk is a good time for introspection and
meditation, as well as mindfulness. However you’d like to spend your walk
is up to you, just know that a simple stroll is an excellent choice when it
comes to activating your vagus nerve.
Some other alternative exercises could include lap swimming or water
aerobics, Pilates, ballet barre classes, and jogging. Whatever exercise you
choose, congratulate yourself. You’ve made a conscious decision to better
your health and that should always be commended.
By this point in this book, we have gone through tips and techniques for
activating your vagus nerve to alleviate stress, get better sleep, and produce
more efficient digestion. We’ve gone through an extensive look at basic
exercises to improve your vagal tone and your overall health. In the next
chapter, we’ll look at some miscellaneous jobs of the vagus nerve and what
you can do to make sure the nerve can do those jobs properly.
 Chapter 10:
Going the Extra Mile with Additional
Considerations for the Health of Your Vagus
Nerve

Your vagus nerve is so integral to the health of your body and your mind,
that even with diet, meditation, and exercise, there are still ‘leftover’ ways
to activate the nerve and stimulate it back into proper function. In this
chapter, we’ll go over some random and perhaps surprising ways to
jumpstart your vagus nerve for your well-being.

Make a Joyful Noise

The vagus nerve can be activated by movement in the back of the throat, so
go ahead and sing! Singing in the car or the shower can help you with this
if you’re a bit shy, but singing in any form stimulates the nerve and helps it
tell the brain to create oxytocin. You can also hum, as we previously
discussed.
Another fun noise to make to activate your vagus nerve is gargling .
Gargling causes the same reaction and improvement in vagal tone as
singing or humming. You should also make sure you get plenty of laughter
in your day because laughter activates the nerve and helps your body
produce oxytocin and serotonin to boost your mood and create feelings of
happiness. Making new friends and building strong personal relationships is
also a great way to create a higher vagal tone. When we feel secure and
loved, our bodies are naturally more relaxed, and we produce more happy
neurotransmitters.

Say It Again, Sam

There is proof that using repetitive phrases such as mantras, chanting, or
reciting prayers can calm the vagus nerve and activate the parasympathetic
nervous system. When we focus on repeating a phrase, we are cleansing the
mind of other thoughts and distractions, and our stress levels decrease. This
allows the vagus nerve to activate properly and lowers heart rate and blood
pressure.
In times of great, sudden stress, it helps to have an affirmation you can
repeat to yourself, or if you are religious, a prayer you can recite. You can
even add affirmations to your daily routine, such as internally repeating a
mantra while you take a morning run, or even while you do something like
brushing your teeth. It’s the repetitive factor that soothes an irritated vagus
nerve and gets it back on track.

Get Cold, Get Clean, and Get Outside

Exposing yourself to the cold is a great way to activate your vagus nerve.
When you are cold, your fight-or-flight response is lessened, and your rest-
and-digest instincts are activated. You can achieve this by giving yourself
brief exposure to cold, whether it is outdoors or from a blast from a freezer.
If you can tolerate it, take a cold shower , or at the least, end your shower
with a rush of cold water before you get out.
Another great way to boost your vagus nerve is to get some sunshine . Not
only will exposure to the sun perk up your mood, but it will also positively
affect hormone levels to balance out activity in the brain and support vagal
nerve function.

Cleaning Out Your Insides

At the risk of being crude, it would be remiss if this book didn’t include a
short section on the effectiveness of enemas, specifically coffee enemas , in
helping restore the health of your vagal nerve. Constipation is a symptom of
low vagal tone because it indicates that the signals from your vagus nerve
are not strong enough to regulate your bowel movements. It should be
noted, enemas should not be used by people with underlying intestinal
conditions, except under the direct order of a medical professional.
If you are a person who has fairly good intestinal health, but who suffers
from occasional stress-related constipation, a coffee enema may be a good
option for you to clean out your gut and reset your vagus nerve function.
You can perform the enema at home, but you may want to have it done by a
doctor or holistic health provider the first time you decide to use this
method.
Coffee enemas are effective for several reasons. The chemical compounds
found in coffee stimulate the nerve endings inside the colon, and the longer
you can hold the enema, the stronger the stimulation of the vagus nerve will
be. Distending the intestine also stimulates the vagus nerve, and also
stimulates the process of peristalsis, which moves feces and bile out of the
body, removing toxins and built-up fecal residue.
In addition, coffee enemas jumpstart the liver into producing new bile and
also boost the production of detoxifiers. While enemas are certainly not for
everyone, you may want to explore this option if you are not squeamish and
want to try something new to activate your vagus nerve.

Identifying and Avoiding Vasovagal Syncope

Way back in Chapter 2, we briefly addressed a malfunction of the vagus

nerve called a syncope, that can cause fainting and irregular heartbeat.
Vasovagal syncope can be a one-time event or a recurring issue that
plagues people. Let’s take a little closer look at the physiology behind a
syncope, what can trigger it, what the symptoms are, and how to treat or
avoid them altogether.
Syncope occurs when your heartbeat and blood pressure drop rapidly. This
is also known as a neurocardiogenic syncope. This reaction can be caused
by many triggers but some of the most common are:

sudden exposure to an extreme temperature change, like

walking into an overheated room
 standing for long periods of time
the sight of blood or the sight of blood being drawn
exposure to an item or situation which is a personal phobia
fear of bodily harm for self or others
straining too hard during a bowel movement
For some people, being suddenly confronted by something or someone they
fear is enough to trigger a vasovagal syncope.
While a syncope may come on so quickly there is no time to recognize
symptoms, sometimes they take a few minutes to sink in. Some signs that
you are about to experience a syncope include but are not limited to:

tunnel vision
nausea
skin that is clammy and cool
loss of color in the face due to a drop in blood pressure
dizziness or lightheadedness
shaking and/or weak legs
blurred vision
the sudden need to yawn, caused by lack of oxygen in the
bloodstream
people nearby may observe that pupils are dilated, or
movements seem uncoordinated
The best thing to do if you think you are about to faint from a vasovagal
syncope is to sit down as soon as possible. This will lower the chances of
you getting injured in a fall or hitting your head. If you can sit down before
you faint, raise your legs to a level above your head to get the blood
flowing back into your upper extremities. The effects of vasovagal syncope
usually wear off very quickly, but you should rest for at least fifteen
minutes to a half-hour before trying to do anything strenuous, lest you
increase your chances of fainting again.
While there may be no way to predict life events that will trigger vasovagal
syncope, there are ways to mitigate known factors. If you are a person who
cannot handle the sight of blood being drawn, when you are confronted
with this sometimes necessary act, you should inform the person charged
with taking your blood, so that they can be prepared to help you should you
feel faint. You could also take charge of the situation by immediately
placing your feet above your head after your blood is drawn. Think ahead
and plan to avoid having an episode.
Occasional vasovagal syncopes, especially those that are triggered by
phobias or known stressors, generally do not cause any long-term ill effects
on your health. However, if you are experiencing fainting spells on a
regular basis that have the symptoms of a vasovagal syncope without a
trigger, you should see a healthcare professional make sure that you don’t
have an underlying condition that could be causing the episodes.
One thing that can be done to determine how well your vagus nerve is
functioning and if the nerve is the cause of your frequent syncope is to get a
biofeedback test. Unlike most medical tests, this one is rather fun. You’ll be
wired up with sensors that attach to the biofeedback monitor, but your real-
time data will appear on a computer or television screen. You’ll be able to
see your own heart rate variability (a major determiner of vagus nerve
tone). You will be asked to perform deep breathing exercises and other
methods of vagus nerve stimulation, and you and your doctor will be able to
see your heart rate change before your eyes.
There are also some commercially available biofeedback measurement
devices, which you can buy to use at home to measure your biometrics if
you are concerned that you may have vagus nerve damage. Some fitness
trackers now offer heart rate variability as a data collection option, as well.
It should be noted that these type of devices are generally meant to be for
personal knowledge and fitness enhancement, and should not be taken as
any sort of valid medical data collection. If you see anything of concern on
your over-the-counter devices, please see your doctor or holistic health care
provider.

Protecting Your Immune System

Because one of the vagus nerve’s side jobs is to manage its anti-
inflammatory capabilities, it’s important to protect yourself from anything
that might cause infection or inflammation. When the immune system has
to work overtime, the vagus nerve can’t keep up with all its duties, and you
could end up very ill or in pain. Take precautions during cold and flu season
to not be exposed to too many germs.
This is especially true if you already deal with an autoimmune condition,
such as IBS, rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, or Crohn’s. Many of the
biologic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of these conditions lower your
immune system and take away a layer of protection from inflammation and
infection. You want your vagus nerve to be able to send anti-inflammatory
neurotransmitters to the places your body needs them, so you should take
all steps necessary to avoid any extra inflammation that could be caused by
your immune system being overworked by a virus.
Taking Vitamin C, eating plenty of citruses, and using a multi-vitamin is a
great way to boost your immune system. Also make sure that if you are not
immunocompromised, that you consider getting a flu shot, if not for your
own sake, but for the sake of those around you. You can also eat lots of
antioxidant-rich foods to clear your system of free radicals, which if left to
linger, can cause havoc in your bloodstream.

Under Pressure

In an earlier discussion, we talked about the massage of the vagus nerve to

relieve stress and stimulate the nerve into functioning properly. Other
methods of stimulating the vagus nerve by applying pressure-based
techniques are acupuncture, acupressure, and reflexology.
The body is full of pressure points that affect our health in various ways.
Acupuncture is a centuries-old alternative medicine technique developed
in China. It involves strategically placing very thin needles into the skin to
activate certain nerve responses and block others. It has been proven to be
able to block certain pain receptors, and reduce nausea. It can also be used
for vagal nerve stimulation.
If you’re not one who is squeamish with needles, you can find an
acupuncturist to help you activate your vagus nerve. If you are not thrilled
about being poked and prodded, there are alternatives to traditional
acupuncture that may help you.
Acupressure is a method of activating pressure points without the need for
the needles that acupuncture requires. You can visit an alternative or holistic
health specialist for a full acupressure or acupuncture session, or you can do
some simple acupressure at home. If you are looking to activate your vagus
nerve, there is a pressure point on the forearm that can provide you with
stimulation, relieve nausea and vomiting, and help you relax. You can find
this pressure point, called the Pericardium 6- Inner Pass, by putting three
fingers against the base of your palm.
The point will be right above your third finger, between the tendons of your
forearm. If you press on this point, you may feel a tingle or a ‘sizzling’
sensation in your hand, which means you may be applying too much
pressure. Lighten your touch a little bit, and apply pressure to the point for
proper stimulation of the vagus nerve and relief from stress symptoms
caused by its irritation or malfunction.

- Finding the Pericardium 6- Inner Pass pressure point-

Another method for applying pressure to relieve stress and activate the
vagus nerve is a practice called auricular acupuncture. This is a method of
activating certain pressure points on the ear to improve vagal tone. This can
be done through the use of traditional acupuncture needles, through
electrical stimulation which simulates the needles, or through acupressure.
You should consult a professional provider if you wish to try this method of
vagus nerve stimulation.
Reflexology is another traditional form of alternative medicine that can be
useful for stimulating the vagus nerve. The practice of reflexology is
another product of ancient Chinese medicine, and those who developed it
believed that there was a strong connection between the nerves in the feet
and hands and the qi (life force). Victorian practitioners of reflexology
placed their belief in the practice because the human skin and its nerve
endings are very sensitive to touch, and it worked because the skin and the
internal organs work in conjunction.
Whatever the connections, there are thousands of nerves in the bottom of
the foot, and reflexologists perform a very specific massage to activate
those nerves which then affects other parts of the body. Reflexology can be
useful in vagus nerve stimulation, but it is not an instant process. Studies
show that the vagus nerve can be activated by reflexology as a cumulative
effect of regular sessions.
If you decide to try acupuncture, acupressure, or reflexology, be sure you
are aware that while these methods are generally very safe, there may be
some side effects, such as tenderness, emotional upset, and lightheadedness.
These are usually very mild and do not linger for long after treatment.
Pregnant women should take caution with these practices, as some pressure
points can induce labor. Those with serious health concerns, especially
trouble fighting infection or open wounds should talk to a physician or
internist before trying these methods. It’s always better to be safe than sorry
before undertaking any alternative therapies. You should also make sure
you thoroughly vet any holistic health providers, as regulations and
certifications vary from region to region.
One other type of massage which can be used to reset your vagus nerve is
called carotid sinus massage. This type of massage is also used for heart
health, and because it carries the risk of injury, it should ONLY be
performed by a doctor in a licensed health care facility. If you are interested
in learning more about this technique, you should contact your health care
provider.

More Guidelines for Better Sleep

In Chapters 3 and 4, we talked about how to activate the vagus nerve for
better sleep. In addition to the exercises outlined there, there are other ways
to ensure that you give yourself the best chance for restful, regenerative
sleep. Try to limit your stimulus before bedtime, including turning off
computers, televisions, tablets, and phones at least a half-hour before
bedtime. Gazing at screens keeps our brains active and doesn’t allow for the
proper transmission of the chemicals we need to produce sleep.
You should also try to make sure that your bedroom or sleeping area is dark
and at a comfortable temperature. As we noted, a cooler bedroom is more
conducive to a happier vagus nerve, but also, too much light can keep the
brain active for too long. Noise is also a consideration. If you live in a high
traffic area or a noisy apartment building, you may want to think about
getting a fan or a white noise machine. You can also play relaxing music as
you prepare for bed, or listen to a guided sleep meditation on a CD or
podcast. There are many available.
One last thing to try is a mindful countdown , which is something that
many anesthesiologists ask patients to perform as they are being put under
for surgery. Take some deep breaths and relax. Begin counting down
silently from 100 to zero, focusing only on what number comes next in the
sequence. Try not to let your brain wander. You’ll be asleep before you
know it!
We’re nearing the end of our time together, so let’s head to the last chapter
to begin reviewing what we’ve learned and talked about putting it all
together for a lifestyle that supports the true health of the vagus nerve.
 Chapter 11:
A Healthy Vagus Nerve for a Healthy Mind and
Body- How to Tie it All Together for Overall Well-
being

Here we are; we’ve arrived at the last chapter of our journey together to
discover all the many ways we can protect, improve, and maintain a healthy
happy vagus nerve. It’s been a wild ride through the digestive system to the
inner workings of meditation and mindfulness, with a lengthy stop at the
home exercise studio. Let’s take a look at the bottom line and see how all
these lifestyle factors can come together to help you have better overall
health.

Putting Sleep to Bed

When we talked about the health of the vagus nerve in regard to sleep, we
talked a lot about mindfulness, meditation, and the use of breathing
techniques to calm our nerves and prepare our body for sleep. Those
breathing techniques could also be applied when we talked about calming
anxieties and practicing gentle exercises. The bottom line when it comes to
sleep is that being able to be relaxed and calm plays a large role in our
ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and experience a better quality of sleep.
Why is sleep so important for our health and for maintaining a healthy
lifestyle? It goes beyond the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous
system. Sleep is the body’s reset button. When we sleep, our cells have time
to regenerate, and our immune systems have time to do their vital work
protecting us from illness. In our sleep, we can explore our subconscious
through dreams, and examine our fears through nightmares. We can learn a
lot about ourselves while we sleep.
Sleep is of course, paramount to the health of and irrevocably tied to the
vagus nerve. Its function within the nervous system is too important to
discount. When we get poor sleep, we feel groggy and foggy, like our brain
is clouded. When the brain is clouded, it sends mixed signals to the rest of
the body, disrupting our digestion, our blood sugar, and our stress levels. In
a way, it is almost like losing sleep can accidentally short-circuit the vagus
nerve.
The bottom line on sleep and the vagus nerve is this: Good sleep means a
happy nerve, and a happy nerve means good sleep. When we remember that
many of the exercises we’ve outlined in this book are about breaking an
unhealthy cycle and replacing it with a healthy one, it makes it easy to
remember how crucial these techniques are.

Tabling the Food Discussion

The talk surrounding diet, digestion, and the vagus nerve is one that could
be continued forever because everyone has different dietary needs and
concerns. For those with underlying conditions, a consultation with your
doctor, specialist, or dietician is in order before beginning any new eating
plan.
There are a plethora of trendy diets these days, as there have always been,
but many of today’s diet ‘fads’ are backed by much more science than they
used to be. There is evidence to say that a ketogenic diet can support a
healthy vagus nerve, but it may not be for everyone.
Instead, consider the food guidelines laid out in Chapter 6. A diet that is
balanced, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, which respects the need to limit
irritants, and which meets dietary requirements without being overly
restrictive will help you feel healthier and happier. A healthier, happier you
will have a much calmer vagus nerve.
Food is a subject of much debate because the ‘official word’ on what we
should and should not be eating is always waffling. There was a time when
we were told that eggs were terrible for us and would raise our cholesterol
levels through the roof and that we should all eschew eggs forever lest we
all have a stroke in the street.
Just a couple of years later, society was hit with the Incredible Edible Egg
campaign, extolling the virtues of the miraculous protein-rich food. Before
our heads could stop spinning from the complete 180, we were bombarded
with words like organic, free-range, and cage-free. The best advice these
days would be to make friends with someone who keeps a few hens and get
your eggs from them. You know where they live and what their chickens
are doing.
Silliness about chickens and eggs aside, you need to decide what type of
diet is best for you and find a way to turn it into a lifestyle rather than a
meal plan. Take all factors into consideration. What is your dietary
preference? Do you have any underlying medical conditions that can dictate
my diet? Do I want to try intermittent fasting? Am I proficient at food
shopping, and if not, how can I improve? What’s my food budget and are
the foods I would like to purchase readily available in my area?
The list could go on, but you see that gist of the conversation. Food is about
so much more than just food. But the bottom line here is that you need to
consider your needs and wants and weigh them against the best ways to
keep your vagus nerve stimulated. We can successfully table the discussion
here because you’ve now got the resources to make a decision that’s best
for you.

Saying Sayonara to Stress

There is no debate that being able to calm and properly activate an irritated
vagus nerve is crucial to being able to de-escalate stress. Throughout this
book, we talked about ways to quickly diffuse stressful feelings and how to
use long-term stress solutions through meditation and exercise.
The problem with stress is that there will always be more of it. That’s just
the way life is, and we all have to deal with it from time to time. This book
has given you the tools to be able to handle all the stress that comes your
way, and all you need to do is put it into practice. Whether you find that
yoga is a wonderful outlet for you, or if you prefer to quiet meditation,
using the techniques you’ve found here, and really, truly putting them into
practice will take you a long way towards having higher vagal tone,
experiencing an overall improvement in mental health, and being better
equipped to manage stress when it occurs.

Making the Most of Meditations and Mindfulness

In the world we live in today, there is not much doubt that the following
two statements are true: People experience much higher rates of anxiety and
depression, and people are much more willing to talk about their mental
health concerns and take action to correct them.
While the underlying causes of anxiety and depression vary from person to
person, there is always a common ground. No matter how you feel,
meditation and mindfulness can help you feel better. The techniques in this
book are designed to give you pause, help you focus, and find real ways to
go into your mind and observe the world in new ways. While there are
many forms of meditation, with the methods you’ve learned here, you have
a solid basis to begin your meditative or mindfulness journey. Remember
not to get frustrated with yourself if your first few sessions aren’t quite as
they’ve been described. For one, it takes a while to train your brain to
comply with these techniques. Also, everyone’s brain is different. It’s part
of what makes you uniquely you. You may find that to get true satisfaction
out of meditation or mindfulness, you need to adapt these techniques to
what suits your needs and your abilities.
The methods in this book are far from the only meditation and mindfulness
methods available to you, and you can find many and varied resources to
expand your knowledge on the subject. You should talk to your friends and
family, or your mental health provider. Bounce ideas off of other people as
to how you can get the most out of your experiences. Consider keeping a
meditation or mindfulness journal to keep track of what you like and don’t
like, what feels effective and what doesn’t, and what you meditate on
during your sessions. It could be a helpful reference for you as you continue
your mental health journey.
Exercising Your Right to a Healthy Vagus Nerve

In our chapter on gentle exercise, you learned a lot of information on three

types of meditative practices. Yoga, qi gong, and tai chi are among the
oldest types of exercises still performed today, and they all have a root in
the spiritual. While we attempted to stay away from too much talk about
religion, this review chapter needs to touch upon it just a bit.
Organized religion, spirituality, and belief play a huge role in society, but
they do not have a place in this book beyond the brief mention. The fact is,
without speaking about spirituality, a small hole was left in the chapter
about exercise. To truly practice Yoga, qi gong, and tai chi, there is almost a
requirement that you have a sense of spirituality that may border on
religion.
In this book, we simply attempted to give you the tools to perform the
physical exercises, with the knowledge that once you have mastered the
movements, you will then be able to add the spiritual part in yourself,
SHOULD YOU CHOOSE. However, we would encourage you to use your
time of gentle exercise to be reflective and meditative, so that you may
clear your mind in the way the methods intend.
Regardless of whether you choose to inject any religion or spirituality into
your exercise regimen, the mere fact that you have chosen to go through the
exercises means that you are working your way toward better vagus nerve
health. You will also begin to see physical manifestations of improved
balance and flexibility. Congratulations on making a positive lifestyle
change for both your overall health and the health of your vagus nerve.

Tying Up Loose Nerve Endings

Within this one book, we’ve managed to talk about all aspects of the vagus
nerve, the roles it plays throughout the human body, and various ways in
which we can care for our vagus nerve health. You’d be hard-pressed to
find a guide more comprehensive, and yet, the vagus nerve is so powerful
and so fascinating, it will be amazing to see what the next wave of scientific
research will uncover.
We’ve just about covered everything there is to cover about the health of
your vagus nerve. Like we said earlier, remember that your vagus nerve is a
feedback loop to your brain, and you want to be able to break the unhealthy
cycle and begin a new, healthy cycle. If you follow the guidelines for better
digestion, better sleep, and better mental health, you will find all those
choices becoming second nature to you over time. Armed with that
knowledge, as well as the know-how to quickly handle vagus nerve stress,
you will be able to keep you and your vagus nerve healthy, happy, and
functioning at an optimal level.
The takeaway from this book should be this: Much of our physical and
mental health and well-being is placed firmly in the hands of our vagus
nerve. We have a responsibility to ourselves to care for the nerve and
protect its health and functions. This book has given you the tools to do just
that, and we hope you’ll be able to craft a lifestyle that will be healthful,
have less stress and anxiety, and is sustainable for the long-term, both for
your sake and the sake of your vagus nerve. Good luck and best wishes to
you on your way to newfound health and happiness.
 Chapter 12:
Daily exercise to stimulate the Vagus Nerve

Throughout this book, we have discussed the role that the vagus nerve plays
in the body’s overall system. In fact, the vagus nerve is at the center of the
entire process. It seems incredible that our understanding of this nerve is
rather limited. After all, wouldn’t you have loved to have known about this
nerve years ago? It would have certainly made life a lot easier.
Be that as it may, we are now going to focus on specific exercises that we
can do to improve the functioning of the vagus nerve and how its adequate
functioning can lead to an overall improvement of the entire body’s
systems. Moreover, you will find that specific ailments, from chronic pain
to emotional issues, will soon become more manageable. Naturally, you
may have to engage in additional therapy such as cutting out certain foods
from your diet (be especially mindful of food which may be causing you
allergies), reducing stressors that may be impacting your life and
reengaging with people that truly give your life meaning and purpose.
By making a concerted effort to improve your vagus nerve’s functioning,
you will uncover hidden levels of energy which you may not have thought
were there. The fact of the matter is that we tend to become complacent
with low levels of energy. We also tend to become complacent with
suboptimal physical performance. Truthfully, it is so easy to become
accustomed to functioning at less than your best. For some folks, there
comes a point where they don’t even notice that they are not firing on all
cylinders.
Well, no more. By now, you have identified areas which you would like to
improve. Also, you have surely made up your mind to stimulate your vagus
nerve and begin kicking your body into high gear. It has been the purpose of
this book to make this a reality. We have also provided strategies and
guidelines which you can put into practice. However, you may still be
wondering how you can put all of these valuable recommendations into
practice within a single framework. As such, that is what we will go about
in this chapter.
But before we can truly hit the ground running, there are some important
aspects to keep in mind to ensure that you will obtain the best possible
results from your dedicated practice. With these guidelines in mind, you
may begin to see results in as little as your first attempt! Of course, long-
term change does not happen overnight. Nevertheless, most individuals
report feeling better and more energized after their first focused session as
compared to the way they had been previously feeling.

Guidelines for effective vagus nerve stimulation

and regeneration

So, let’s take a look at the guidelines which we can implement to maximize
vagus nerve stimulation and regeneration.

1. The first, and foremost, aspect to keep in mind at all times is

consistency. By consistency, we don’t mean that you must quit
your job or give up on other activities in order to focus solely
on these practices. What we mean is that once you begin
dedicated practice, it is of the utmost importance to keep it up
on a regular basis. If you can devote even 10 or 15 minutes a
day to this type of practice, you will begin to see results in a
very short period of time. On the contrary, if you begin one day
and then let days, or even weeks, go in between your next
focused session, you may not be able to see the results that you
wish to see. This is why consistency is the most important
factor in getting the results that you are after.
2. Next, find a dedicated spot for your focused practice. Since
consistency is the biggest element in this matter, part of that is
tied to the place that you choose for your sessions. A dedicated
spot can be any place you like. Ideally, it ought to be a place
near running water, such as a lake or stream (a fountain would
do well, too), a quiet place in the midst of nature (such as a
 park or woods), or your home (especially in a comfortable
chair). This place should ideally be charged with positive
energy. That is why your place of work may not be the most
suitable spot even if you have the option of shutting the door to
your office for 15 minutes. As you begin your practice, you
will find that the energy that you absorb from this place will
begin to permeate your cells. You will begin to imbibe this
positive energy in such a manner that the negativity in your
cells will begin to evacuate your body.
3. Also, don’t be afraid to connect with your conscious mind.
Often, we fear the thoughts that run through our mind. For
example, you might be concerned about an upcoming event. In
this case, it is logical that your mind will gravitate toward those
specific thoughts. However, our initial reaction is to attempt to
block these thoughts. After a while, your mind is like a stone
wall that eventually begins to crack under the enormous
pressure of that cascade that is your thoughts. Then, all of a
sudden, the dam breaks and the waters of your thoughts come
rushing in. As you become inundated with negative thoughts,
you begin to feel anxiety and stress. For some, it gets to be so
overwhelming that they may have an anxiety attack. By letting
your thoughts pass, you will not only diffuse the pressure, but
you will also have a chance to examine your thoughts as they
come in. In a way, if you don’t really pay too much attention to
them, they will go away on their own.
4. Along with attempting to suppress thoughts, we also tend to
repress emotions when trying to “calm down”. In fact, many
people will tell you to “forget about it” and “let it go”, when in
fact you can’t put things down. The fact of the matter is that
you may be so wound up about something that you can’t just
sweep it under the rug or shove it in a closet. When you engage
in focused practice, you begin to notice how your feelings rush
in and out of your being. The trick is to let them swirl around
just like thoughts do but mind them; realize why they are there
and let them go. After all,repressing them doesn’t work. So,
why not allow them to come in and see what they are up to?
Military tacticians like to keep their enemies close so they can
 keep an eye on them. In this case, thoughts and feelings work
in the same manner. If you are able to keep an eye on them, you
will be able to get a grip on them before they sneak up on you
and do a number on you. This is how wise individuals are able
to control their emotions and extricate themselves from
situations they know will only lead them to potential conflict.
5. The last guideline in this section pertains to reflection. After all
the work you do to identify your thoughts and feelings, there is
something that needs to be done with all that data. That is why
reflection is key in determining what you can do to determine
what this knowledge represents about yourself. This is where
all the gurus get it wrong. You can’t expect to use their
personal solutions simply because they are completely different
people than you are. You cannot expect someone else’s insights
to be a panacea for you since their insights are the product of
their own experience and not yours. Let’s put it this way:
someone who hasn’t had it nearly as hard as you have can’t
expect to offer you a “solution” to what ails you; if they
haven’t walked a mile in your shoes, how can they expect to
understand what your life and your journey has been like?
Sure, they may be able to offer you a method that can help you
reach new insights, but at the end of the day, they are your
insights based on your own journey and your own experience.

Ground rules for focused practice

When you choose to engage in focused practice, there are some simple
ground rules which will help you get the most out of each session.

1. Value silence above everything else . In this case, “silence”

refers to the chatter from the outside world. So, do make a
point of disconnecting from your phone and assorted mobile
devices. You will find it very refreshing to get away from
messages and notifications for a while. Once you are done, you
 will be able to tackle your inbox with fresh eyes and a fresh
perspective.
2. Chuck distractions out the window . When you get rid of
distractions, you can really begin to focus inward. Since our
entire lives are focused outward, it is now time to focus inward.
Naturally introverted people have an easier time at this than
naturally extroverted folks. Nevertheless, all you need to do is
get rid of elements that will keep your mind from focusing.
This could mean images for some, smells for others and sound
for most. Whatever the specific distraction that gets to you,
make a point of removing it from your line of sight.
3. Make a point of alone time . When you engage in focused
practice, it is best to be alone. Unless you have a partner that is
willing to go along with you (in which case it would become
guided practice), making room for alone time is ideal for
getting the most out of your focused practice. If you choose to
bring someone else along, then you can take turns leading the
way. Guided practice can be done by describing images, or
even describing events that have occurred or may occur.
Nevertheless, going about focused practice by yourself is
highly effective in helping you delve deep into your feelings.
4. Avoid times of distress. Focused practice is great at getting
you to manage your feelings. But if you are in the middle of a
heated argument, you may find it very difficult to settle down
into focused mode. The same can be said if you have been
through a stressful incident. In such cases, practicing breathing
can be a real lifesaver. By simply breathing, and focusing
solely on breathing, you can oxygenate your blood so that your
brain has enough oxygen to supply the body. This will allow
you to help keep blood pressure in check while maintaining
your heart rate at reasonable levels. Moreover, you don’t have
to check out. You can simply go for a small walk and practice
breathing.
5. Stay positive and wish for the best . Keeping a positive
mindset is unbelievably effective in achieving the results you
want from focused practice. If you happen to enter focused
practice full of doubt and uncertainty, then you may find
 yourself not getting as much out of each session as you would
like. However, if you enter with a positive mindset, the chances
of making serious headway are greater. You will find that
staying positive will help you make the most of every
opportunity you get to engage in the focused practice. Best of
all, you will find that being certain that you have everything
you need to get the results you want is highly motivating. After
all, isn’t it great not having to depend on anyone else?
Moreover, by feeling confident and secure, you are
empowering yourself to become the person that you have
always wanted to be. Indeed, becoming self-reliant will help
you develop stone-cold confidence while keeping your head in
the game at all times.

The seven-day game plan for vagus nerve

development

Now that we have set some ground rules and gone over the potential
caveats which you might encounter in your focused practice, it is time to set
out a practical, seven-day plan which you can begin to implement straight
away. In reality, it is a five-day plan since each day is focused on one of the
senses that we possess. The other two days are used for relaxing the nerves
and focusing on specific outcomes that you wish to obtain.
It should be said that this plan is flexible. As you will see, you can modify it
to suit your specific needs based on how you feel and what you are looking
to achieve. As such, you can begin tailoring it to your personal needs so that
you can obtain the results that you wish to achieve.
Day one
Day one is focused on sight. Our sense of sight is by far out most
predominant. After all, could you imagine losing your sight? Of course not!
That is why visually impaired people are truly amazing.
In this first day of practice, you will visualize a place that you wish to be in.
Also, you may choose an object such as a monument, a painting, a building
or even a person. The objective is to use your mind’s eye.
You can begin by implementing any of the visualization techniques which
we have outlined earlier in this book. Once you have an image in mind, try
your best to hold on to it. At first, having a printout of the image works
really well. If you choose, you can focus your mind’s eye on a photograph.
Ultimately, taking turns looking at the image and then trying to hold on to it
in your mind while breathing will stimulate all the neural network
associated with sight.
As you gain a better sense of relaxation, let your mind loose. Let it take you
to the images that it wants you to see. Don’t judge. Just let it go and you
will have an opportunity to visualize what your mind wants you to see. This
exercise is great when there is something gnawing at you that you can’t
really place your finger on.
When you begin to come out of your focused practice, try to hold on to the
feelings that your chosen image has produced in you. Hopefully, feelings of
happiness and relaxation will linger while you feel your mind, and your
eyes, surprisingly refreshed.
Day two
The second day is centered on smell. For your focused practice, you can use
any type of smell you like. Some folks love the smell of incense burning,
while others choose essential oils. Scented candles work really well, too.
Ideally, use a source that doesn’t require you to get up and refill.
As you breathe and enter a relaxed state, focus on the smell and the feelings
it provides you. Don’t force your mind to visualize anything; let your mind
focus on the smell and the thoughts that provokes. Ultimately, associating
your chosen smell with positive emotions will help you achieve a proper
state of relaxation.
Once you have come out of your relaxed state, try to hold on to that smell.
As you gain more practice, that sensation produced by the smell will tend to
follow you around.
Day three
On day three, the focus moves to touch. Touch is a very powerful sense as it
doesn’t necessarily require you to see what you are touching in order for
your brain to fully process the information it is receiving.
Choose any item you wish to hold in your hands. It can be anything from a
squishy stress ball, or a wooden object with a rough surface. As you hold
the item in your hands, try your best to imagine your nervous system taking
in the information pertaining to the item in your hands. Don’t try to force
your mind to “see” what you are touching; just let your nervous system do
the “talking”.
Thanks to this practice, you will find that your sense of touch will become a
lot more sensitive. This will enable you to be a lot more creative with your
hands especially if your occupation involves the use of your hands and
fingers.

Day four
The fourth day is for reflection. This day doesn’t have a specific script. It is
meant to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on the thoughts that you
have been encountering in previous days. Also, you can take this time to
visualize something that you wish to achieve. For instance, you may be
preparing mentally for a job interview. Likewise, you may be looking to
process your feelings as a result of a negative situation. Take this time to
reflect and process your thoughts. If you wish, you can write down your
thoughts in a journal. This will allow you to keep a record of your thoughts.
Day five
Day five is devoted to sound. For this practice, avoid the use of music.
Ideally, nature sounds, whale songs, or any other type sounds not related to
music provide great stimulation to the nervous system. By avoiding music,
you can stimulate your brain to focus on the various tones of the sounds.
This can go a long way toward activating the various regions of the brain.
As always, don’t force any thoughts. Whatever comes to mind, take it in
and observe it. You can dissect it later. Most importantly, learning to
associate your feelings with sounds can help you become more alert
especially when you are in a noisy setting such as in the middle of a busy
street.
Day six
The sixth day is dedicated to taste. This is the trickiest practice as it requires
you to savor something. So, it is best if you do it in a setting in which you
feel that you might not fall asleep. If you do, you might swallow whatever
you are tasting. Mint candies, licorice or any other treat that can fit in your
mouth and doesn’t require you to chew.
As you savor the taste, try your best to internalize the way that flavor makes
you feel. This will allow you to trigger other parts of your nervous system
which don’t normally get stimulated. As such, you have the opportunity to
consciously trigger parts of your nervous system and your brain which you
might not normally trigger.
Day seven
The last day in our plan is meant to implant thoughts, feelings and attitudes
into your psyche. For this exercise, visualization is key. So, if you are
looking to build confidence, you can use sounds in concert with smell or
touch to help you visualize the scenario that you want.
Also, you can use this day to remove old feelings and patterns and replace
them with new feelings and patterns. That way, you will give your mind a
fighting chance to produce the outcomes that you truly wish to achieve in
real life.
As you look to build these scenarios, picture how they make you feel and
react. Once you come out of your focused practice, try your best to hold on
to those feelings. That way, you can walk around with the sensation and
attitude that you have built as your day to day life unfolds.
With the list of actions that we have outlined in this chapter, you have the
opportunity to build a routine that will stimulate the vagus nerve and your
overall nervous system by way of your five senses. Please bear in mind that
this game plan is flexible and is intended to help you make the best of your
plans and intentions.
 Conclusion

Thanks again for choosing to read Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Discover How
to Stimulate your Vagus Nerve with Relaxation Techniques, Mindfulness
and Meditation exercises. Relieve Stress and Anxiety for a Healthy Mind-
Body Connection. We’re so glad you decided to start your foray into the
amazing world of vagus nerve health. Now that you’ve completed the book,
you should have a working knowledge of what the vagus nerve is, where
it’s located, and how it impacts many of our major organs. You should also
have a clear picture of what makes the vagus nerve happy and unhappy.
Although you’ve been through the entire book, the learning doesn’t have to
stop. You can use the exercises described to build upon, or you can be
content with them, and practice them until you’ve got them down perfectly.
It’s our hope that you now know the quickest ways to alleviate sudden
stress, and that you’ve become interested in taking up yoga or tai chi as a
serious hobby. If anything, we hope you learned something new about
yourself along the way.
This book was written also with the intent of being a guide and reference,
so please feel free to look back through it whenever you need a refresher or
a boost. Within these pages, you’ll find the techniques and the tips to make
sure your vagus nerve is healthy and happy no matter the circumstance, and
you’ll be able to brush up on all the extra information about healthy eating
and healthy sleep, as well.
Whenever you want to refer back to the basics of breathing or remind
yourself how to do that one yoga pose that really did the trick for you, you
can pop back in and easily find the information you are looking for. But no
matter what information you are looking for, it’s here, and we’re happy we
were able to provide it for you. The internet is also a wealth of knowledge
for expanding on the ideas within this book.
We also hope you’ll think about the additional ways you can activate your
vagus nerve, beyond the exercises and the mindfulness and the meditation.
Please laugh and sing, please imagine reset buttons, and please color with
your friends after a nice, long walk. Life is too short to waste on stress and
anxiety, and we’d like to think this book has given you some new ideas to
boost your spirits and lift your mood.

Once more, thank you for choosing Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Discover
How to Stimulate your Vagus Nerve with Relaxation Techniques,
Mindfulness and Meditation exercises. Relieve Stress and Anxiety for a
Healthy Mind-Body Connection ! Enjoy all the benefits of your healthy
vagus nerve, and we’ll catch you on your next read-through.
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