Have you started feeling that it is harder and harder to switch off?  You sit down in the everning and instead of relaxing, your mind just moves from one thing to another.  You are constantly picking up your phone without even thinking (I know I am guilty of this one). 

You feel tired but wired and you really want to rest, but your body  doesn't know how to anymore.  This isn't because you are bad at relaxing, it's because the modern world is constantly over stimulating your nervous system in ways it was never designed forSo what is actually happening?

YOUR BRAIN REALLY WASN'T BUILT FOR THIS MUCH INPUT.

Our nervous systems evolved for much slower and simpler environments.  In today's world, you are very likely to experience non stop notifications, constant background noise, artificial lighting (long after sunset), multi tasking across multiple screens, and scary news stories.

Even if all of these things dont feel like big things, your brain is still processing it all.   And all this processing means constant stimulation.

Your nervous system doesn't distinguish very well between an actual real physical threat, a constant stream of notifications, a horrible news event or a tense email. It just registers 'activation' and over time that 'activation' becomes your new normal.

WHY SILENCE NOW FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE

Have you ever noticed that when things go quiet, it can almost feel a bit unsettling.  When we live in constant stimulation, quiet and stillness can really feel unfamiliar.  And what is unfamiliar can feel unsafe to the nervous system. So instead of just resting, we start to scroll on our phones, turn on the TV, fill any quiet time with podcasts or music, and just keep doing.  We have basically lost all our tolerance to quiet, because our brains have had to adapt to the constant input and noise.

THE HIDDEN COST OF OVERSTIMULATION

When your nervous system spends too long in this low level activation, you may start to notice, difficulty in falling asleep, tight jaw, forehead and shoulders,, shallow, upper chest breathing, finding it hard to concentrate and feeling emotionally overwhelmed.  So you live with a constant hum of stress that never fully switches off, which means your body never gets time to fully reset.t

WHY STRUCTURED REST MATTERS

Telling yourself to “just relax” really doesn’t work.

When a nervous system is used to so much daily stimulation, it often needs guidance to help it slow down and this is where structured rest practices become very powerful.  In a Sound Session, something very specific happens:

• You get comfy, cosy and warm and lie (or sit) down.

• There is literally nothing for you to do.

• The sound gives your mind something gentle to anchor to.

And the tones and frequencies help the brain shift out of high alert thinking mode and into slower states associated with rest.

Instead of silence feeling suddenly abrupt or uncomfortable, sound acts as a bridge as it gives the nervous system permission to soften and for many people who come to classes, it’s the first time all week they truly stop.

WE DON'T NEED MORE STIMULATION

The thing is we cant stop using technology completely and we definitely can't escape modern life. so its important to bring awareness to how we can support ourselves so there are moments in your day where your mind isn't constantly consuming, your body isnt always in a tense mode, for the next stressful situation, and having moments where you aren't having to perform or produce, you are simply being.  

And when the nervous system learns that it is safe to soften, everything will then start to shift.

IF SWITCHING OFF FEELS HARD, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS FOREVER.

If you are finding it a struggle to relax, your mind starts racing the minute you stop, and you find your evenings feeling restless rather than relaxing, it not because you 'cant' rest, you may simply be overstimulated, so our nervous system needs support remembering what calm actually feels like.

This is what my Sound Sessions are all about, not to escape, not to have to perform or do anything, just a space to reset your nervous system in a world that rarely pauses.

If you’re in Hull or the surrounding East Yorkshire area and this resonates, my weekly sound sessions are created to give your nervous system a structured pause.  You don't need experience, or to be good at relaxing, you just need to show up for yourself and the sound bowls will guide you to rest.

Book through the link below.

https://www.thesoundspace.me/offerings