Navigating Your Nervous System's Comfort Zone
Where are you in your window?
The Window of Tolerance concept offers insight into where your nervous system and stress levels reside at any given moment, allowing you to recognise when you are within or outside your optimal zone.
When you’re inside your window of tolerance, life feels manageable. You may experience stress or pressure, but it doesn't overwhelm you. This is a healthy, sustainable place to be, where all your systems function reasonably well.
Outside the window, though, you might find yourself in one of two states. The first is being "stuck on on." This manifests as an active energy, where you might experience states like anxiety, anger, irritation, or overwhelm. Maybe you feel restless, jumpy, unable to relax, or stuck in perpetual go, go, go mode. It's hard to switch off.
The other state is being "stuck on off," characterised by feeling spacey, zoned out or shut down. Your motivation might be low, and perhaps you struggle to get started on tasks, leading to procrastination. You may feel flat or low, yearning to shut down and withdraw from the demands of daily life.
Many of us have a default tendency toward one state or the other, while others oscillate between the two. The intensity of these experiences – in either state – can vary from mild to pronounced expressions. And things like early life experiences, shock traumas, and chronic stress (the type most of us experience in daily life) can narrow our window of tolerance, making it easier to be pushed outside.
The great news is that our nervous systems are malleable and open to change. We can rewire and restore, to cultivate a wider window and a greater sense of safety, ease, and resilience.
Practice checking in with your window
You might try checking in with yourself a few times throughout the day. Pause and take a moment to ask, "where am I in my window of tolerance right now?” Observe the signs and sensations that indicate whether you're inside or outside your window. It'll fluctuate throughout the day.
You might notice:
What body sensations are present? e.g. tension, sweaty palms, numbness
What’s the quality of your thoughts? e.g. racing, judging, foggy, clear-headed
What emotions are present? e.g. mild irritation, anxiety, flatness, ease
What behaviours are you reaching for? e.g. mindless scrolling, disengaging, keeping busy.
By cultivating self-awareness, you can become attuned to the particular signals your nervous system presents when you are pushed beyond your optimal zone. This knowledge gives you greater choice. And from this place of choice, you can employ your favourite resource to guide yourself back within your window, AKA your nervous system's comfort zone.
Perhaps that looks like putting your work down and taking a quick walk outside, calling a friend, doing some stretches, or putting your hand over your heart and sending yourself a message of safety. Notice what works for you.
Remember, your window of tolerance isn’t fixed. With self-awareness and practice, you can expand your comfort zone, and find a greater sense of wellbeing and resilience. If you'd like to explore this further, check out my new Restore package below.
Can’t switch off?
Are you feeling overwhelmed, overloaded, and frankly, over it? If you’re sick and tired of feeling tethered to your never-ending to-do list, and can’t seem to catch a break, read on.
Many of us feel overwhelmed by life’s demands – like there’s never enough time. We find ourselves rushing from A to B, in a constant state of urgency, and when it finally comes time to rest, we’re still wired. We just can’t find a way to switch off.
We end up at the mercy of stress and time pressure. Life rushes by and we struggle to be present for it, let alone find the headspace for the things that really light us up. We end up run down, bogged down, and worrying about what this is doing to our health in the long-term.
So many of us want to feel resilient instead. To feel more present to life, and work, and those you love. To be on when we need to be, without impacting our ability to switch off and truly rest and recharge. We want more flow, more resilience and more time, space, and energy.
Doing life and work with more peace, ease and balance isn’t an impossible ask.
Becoming more resilient starts with listening to your body – and more specifically, your stress physiology. Our bodies are specifically designed to return us to a healthy, settled baseline after stress. The problem is, in our current world, we can end up getting stuck in a chronic state of ‘on’.
Introducing the Restore package
My Restore package will support you to start gently rewiring your habits and patterns around stress, and help your body shift gears from always on to a healthier state of flow, relaxation and resilience.
It’s a simple, low-commitment way to explore where your system might be stuck in the stress response, and to move, soothe and settle some of the pent-up stress in your system. You’ll take away tailored regulation practices that you can use in everyday life, for the long haul.
Here's what the Restore package offers:
Prep Work: Kickstart your journey with a simple guide to track stress-inducing situations and observe your body’s responses. This initial step sets the foundation for our work together.
90-Minute Virtual Somatic Session: In this personalised session, we’ll:
visually map your stress response and identify the key signs of stress activation and settling in your body.
identify tailored practices and resources to guide your unique body and nervous system toward shifting out of stress mode.
guide you through a somatic exploration that helps you release pent-up stress and transition from stressed-out to settled. Clients report feelings of relaxation and much better sleep, but beyond the quick fix, the purpose is to help your nervous system reconnect to these relaxation pathways so it does it more easily in future.
Guided Practices: Receive a guidebook featuring neurosensory practices that you can easily incorporate into your daily life. These practices will support your body in shifting out of stress mode, empowering you to build greater resilience and foster a settled state of being.
30-Minute Follow Up Session: Consolidate your progress with a personalised follow up session. We’ll check in, debrief on your experience, and provide tailored support to help you integrate your new knowledge and practices into daily life. This session takes place within 10-14 days of your initial session.
Investment: $99NZD
How to book:
Contact me at vicki@vickievanscoaching.com to book.
I’ll reply within 48 hours to schedule your first session, send your pre-work, and arrange payment.
Limited spaces still available (as at mid-July 2023).
Any questions, don’t hesitate to email me.