Mindset
Mindset has two aspects that contribute to your health and wellbeing: your belief system and maintaining parasympathetic tone.
Your belief system is what you believe to be true or possible. Many of your beliefs originate from experiences that occur early in your life. These may act on an unconscious level in your brain and make it difficult to change the ones having a negative impact on your health. Developing an empowering positive attitude is necessary for maintaining or regaining health. Difficulty with this aspect can be helped using energy psychology techniques such as: Neuro Emotional Technique (NET), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or Tapping), Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR).
Parasympathetic tone involves maintaining a dominant nervous state in the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is part of the autonomic or automatic response system. It controls our ability to relax, digest food, repair our bodies and our ability to reproduce. The Vagus nerve is the largest component of the parasympathetic system. It sends signals to and receives information from every organ. Its gut brain and heart brain connection may provide the most important contribution to health and longevity. According to a meta analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, October 2019: the global burden of diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer and COPD can be reduced by improving the parasympathetic balance of the Vagus nerve. There is also evidence that this nerve may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Vagal stimulation also decreases inflammation. This can explain the beliefs that most chronic disease has roots in our digestive system and our stress response. Although habit changes in sleep, diet, exercise and mental relaxation can promote health and reverse disease, the bottom line is thier contribution to Vagal (parasympathetic) tone.
The best way to measure Vagal tone is through heart rate variability (HRV). A high HRV corresponds to optimal overall physical and mental function, whereas a low HRV indicates decreased function. The best source of information for increasing HRV is Heart Math www.heartmath.org. There are other ways to stimulate the Vagus nerve and improve its tone:
1. Slow diaphragmatic and nasal breathing
2. Massaging behind the ear
3. Singing
4. Daily vigorous gargling to point of tears for 4-6 weeks can have a long lasting effect
5. Regular massage or gentle chiropractic manipulation of the neck
6. Meditation and mindfulness practices