How to Rewire Your Brain from Anxiety: 3 Vagus Nerve Exercises

🧠Anxiety is a nervous system state that can occur even when you are safe. It is often caused by accidents, injuries, chronic stress, and emotional shock.

💡Thoughts do not directly cause emotions like anxiety. Emotions are subjective interpretations of sensory data sent to the brain from inside the body.

🏋️‍♂️Vagus nerve exercises can help reprogram your brain and reduce anxiety by sending signals of safety to your brain through the proprioceptive system.

🧘‍♀️Exercises that focus on neck and rib cage movements, such as side bends and head rotations, can help release tension and reset muscles associated with anxiety.

😌Reprogramming your brain and reducing anxiety requires consistent practice and patience. Start with small movements and gradually increase intensity and duration over time.

What causes anxiety?

—Anxiety can be caused by accidents, injuries, chronic stress, emotional shock, and other factors. The exact cause of chronic anxiety is often unknown.

Do thoughts directly cause anxiety?

—No, thoughts do not directly cause anxiety. Emotions, including anxiety, are subjective interpretations of sensory data sent to the brain from inside the body.

What are vagus nerve exercises?

—Vagus nerve exercises are body-based practices that help regulate the autonomic nervous system and reduce anxiety. These exercises involve specific movements and positions that send signals of safety to the brain.

Which muscles are associated with anxiety?

—Muscles along the side of the neck, such as the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), can become tense and contribute to anxiety symptoms. Tension in the rib cage area can also be related to anxiety.

How long does it take to reprogram your brain from anxiety?

—Reprogramming your brain from anxiety requires consistent practice and patience. Start with small movements and gradually increase intensity and duration over time. It is a gradual process that varies for each individual.

00:00Anxiety is a nervous system state that can occur even when you are safe. It is often caused by accidents, injuries, chronic stress, and emotional shock.

04:35Thoughts do not directly cause emotions like anxiety. Emotions are subjective interpretations of sensory data sent to the brain from inside the body.

09:13Vagus nerve exercises can help reprogram your brain and reduce anxiety by sending signals of safety to your brain through the proprioceptive system.

11:37Exercises that focus on neck and rib cage movements, such as side bends and head rotations, can help release tension and reset muscles associated with anxiety.

12:40Reprogramming your brain and reducing anxiety requires consistent practice and patience. Start with small movements and gradually increase intensity and duration over time.