3 Ways to Re-Balance a Stressed Nervous System by Caroline Rushforth

Thank you to my Nikken colleague Caroline Rushforth for this guest blog post.

Having an overburdened brain seems to be the standard way of living in these mega modern times. The mind and body chime as a harmonic unit but as we try to spin all the plates, our energy withers and we become unwell. To help us along with our overwhelming routine we rely on modern technology so we can manoeuvre seamlessly between the chores of daily life, but these come at a cost to our health and most people are completely oblivious to some of the repercussions. Although technology is moving fast, our body and mind continues to beat to the evolutionary drum. So how can we work in harmony with this overflow and allow our emotional and physical well being to keep up with this state of flux?

There are of course many reasons why we may feel tired, stressed out, anxious and fatigued but here are some of the most important (and less considered) contributing factors that I have come across both with clients and in my personal life:

Positive Ions Can Affect Health (in a negative way)

Imagine walking through a forest or sitting by water, sink into the feeling and notice what you see, feel, hear. Maybe you feel calm, relaxed and at ease. Perhaps you feel thoughtful or inspirational.

This is the result of being immersed and surrounded by nature’s gift of negative ions.

So what are positive and negative ions and how do they affect my health?

Positive Ions do not have a “positive” effect on our physical and mental health, they actually weaken the body’s natural magnetic field, and there is no escape from them unless you live in a mountain cave. These positive ions emit through WiFi, mobile phones, air pollution, florescent light bulbs, microwaves, to name but a few. Too much exposure to positive Ions can cause allergies, weaken the body’s natural strength and state, create lethargy, depression, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue and more. Anxiety is proving to be more common in children and teenagers, is it because they are spending too much time on mobile phones or tablets soaking up these positive ions?

Negatively charged ions have a positive effect on our wellbeing. These are found in nature, by water, in forests and in the air that surround these environments. Negatively charged ions elevate our mood by increasing serotonin levels, they help stabilize blood pressure, increase the body’s alkalinity, accelerate physical recovery, purify and clean the air. So if you’re stuck in an office all day with little access to nature, constantly on your mobile phone or at the computer, you may want to think about taking those valuable breaks throughout the day.

Being curious about this subject myself, I decided to seek out solutions on how I could protect myself from this imbalance whilst darting around in my busy life. I discovered there are products that can be used to protect and recalibrate my body’s magnetic field whilst boosting my energy and grounding my mind. I love these products and use them on a daily basis. I wear magnetic insoles in my shoes, and have the magnetic seat cover for my office chair or when I’m driving. Both are great for keeping my energy consistent as the magnets and gentle engineering within them protect and strengthen my nervous system against these positive ions, and at the same time alleviate the aches and pains of a busy day. Both the insoles and the seat cover help to restore my energy and calm an irked nervous system after a busy day!

The technical details - why your body needs good natural sleep

Just like in nature our body needs nourishment through sleep and rest to recuperate. During sleep our eyes go into REM (rapid eye movement) which is our natural emotional processing machine. It is during this time the mind files off all the memories and experiences we’ve had during the day. Sleep allows our right and left brain hemispheres to harmonise and re-balance. When our brain hemispheres are in harmony they rationalise and communicate, we can find solutions to problems and “get over” things more quickly. After a stressful day, disrupted sleep could mean that the brain hemispheres are not firing off to each other properly, which is why some days you may feel more emotional or tired. Small things can bug you more than they normally would. An early night is the best medicine sometimes; it is good to avoid alcohol before sleep to ensure you get as much natural sleep as possible.

Gift your body with healthy hydration

When we are stressed we can often forget to eat or drink water and instead seek out stimulants such as
coffee to give us an overall energy boost. Gifting our body of good nutrition is paramount to self-healing. In order for the body and mind to act consistently, it needs to be given the right fuel. You couldn't drive a car with an empty tank and the same goes for the human body. In fact poor nutrition can bring on further side-effects which is counter-productive to our natural healing process. The brain, skin, muscles, organs all need regular hydration.

Research has shown that having a more alkaline lifestyle can boost physical wellbeing as our bodies can be naturally more acidic if consuming the typical modern day diet. Although it is not recommended to fully convert to everything alkaline, a general boost to having more energy could be focusing on hydration and drinking more naturally alkaline water (also known as ionised water). All water found in nature is ionized to some extent. A good recommendation I have come across is Pi water which is a naturally healthier way to drink water and very popular in Japan.

“Pi Water is the water that is very similar to your bodywater (Living Energy). Living energy means “the energy to live. Pi Water was discovered in 1964 during the study of physiology of plants by Dr. Akihiro Yamashita, a professor at the Agricultural Department, Nagoya University.”

So do you drink enough water or do you dislike the taste and dress it up in coffee or laden it with sugary cordials? Do you filter it through chemically induced plastic?

For more information on naturally filtered and ionised water click here.

If you’d like to read more about Nikken MStrides magnetic insoles click here.

For the energy enhancing Nikken Kenko Seat cover click here.

So to summarize; keep away from too much contact with technology (especially before bedtime). Get out in nature. Have lots of sleep and rest and gift your body with the right nutritional fuel! <3

Caroline Rushforth

Forth Horizons

Tel: 01273 583 987

Mob: 07881 99 88 16

Email: caroline@forthhorizons.com

Website: www.forthhorizons.com

Follow Me on Facebook