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2 Ways to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve — A Nerve Worth Triggering
A tool for managing acute stress
This morning as I was driving my son to school, a deer darted into the road and then froze in place directly in my path. I slammed on the brakes and narrowly avoided hitting him. The buck and I looked at each other, and then he ran off into the woods while I remained frozen with huge eyes and my sweaty, trembling hands gripping the steering wheel.
It was the closest I have ever come to hitting a deer, and my heart was racing a million miles a minute. There were no cars behind me, so I took a moment to compose myself.
I had mistakenly left my water bottle in the car overnight, and it was mostly frozen. I grabbed it and held it against my neck while I took a few deep breaths, and my body began to relax.
In a few seconds, the physical stress response triggered by the near accident decreased, and I returned to my normal state.
There is power in stimulating the vagus nerve.
Stress Doesn’t Like the Cold
An acute stress reaction can feel overpowering, but it is not mysterious.
There is a clear and predictable cause and effect. When we are stressed, our sympathetic nervous system is activated and…
