When Anxiety Takes Over Your Nervous System

We're all walking bundles of so many things. Joy, peace, inspiration. Anxiety, fear, trauma. Sometimes all at the same time.

I struggled with what to write today because of the horrific, unsettling and heartbreaking events unfolding in Minneapolis (and beyond). Maybe you're feeling it too—that weight of carrying too much at once. This 360 space being the peaceful community of love, caring, inclusion and support, I want to protect these things as fervently as I can. And this to me, is beyond affiliation.

So I was thinking, what's the best way I can support you right now from my computer screen to yours? Offer a way to bear the weight together? A way to share in the emotionally raw state we sit in together? I know the connection matters more than ever right now, a shared humanity, and that can begin right here within you.

Let's start with what you can do - even in just a few minutes - to process, activate healing and resilience.

As humans—and as musicians—we cycle between sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous states. That's normal. That's inevitable.

But when you're stuck in sympathetic overdrive you lose access to the rest, digestion, and healing your body needs to stay resilient, effective, and healthy.

Here's what happens inside you when anxiety takes over:

Three characters are running the show:

1. The limbic system (your emotional center): "Am I loved?"
2. The brain stem (your survival center): "Am I safe?"
3. The prefrontal cortex (your thinking center): "What can I learn?"

Together, they form a circuit managing emotion, cognition, and arousal.

When you're really anxious—like, really anxious—this is what happens:

Your prefrontal cortex (the part that does planning and strategic thinking) goes offline. It just shuts down.

Meanwhile, your amygdala (the panic button in your limbic system) takes over. It's like having a fire alarm blaring while you're trying to take a test.

The vagus nerve is your reset button.

Running through your body is a remarkable communication highway connecting your brain to nearly every major organ—the vagus nerve. This "wandering nerve" (literally what its Latin name means) plays a crucial role in regulating your stress response, digestion, heart rate, and immune system.

But with all the inputs, anxiety, and reactivity we're constantly getting, the vagus nerve can't do its job. Your body's stuck in hypervigilance. You don't rest well. You don't digest well. You can't heal, find calm, or feel safe.

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The good news? You can turn this around.

When you regulate your body, your brain calms down. And there are many effective tools you can use to regulate your nervous system.

We need everyone using these tools. Everyone.

Here's one I recently started using that I love:

Butterfly Taps (or the Butterfly Hug)

Cross your arms over your chest, placing your hands on opposite shoulders. Gently tap your shoulders alternately—left, right, left, right—in a slow, steady rhythm. Do this for 1-2 minutes while breathing slowly. This bilateral stimulation helps calm your nervous system and process difficult emotions.

Other tools that work:

• Breathe deeply (4 counts in, 6 counts out—longer exhales activate the vagus nerve)
• Walk outside (especially in nature)
• Hum or sing (vibrations stimulate the vagus nerve)
• Cold water on your face (dive reflex resets your system)
• Body scan meditation (notice sensations without judgment)
• Progressive muscle relaxation (tense and release muscle groups)
• Gargling (another vagus nerve stimulator)
• Gentle stretching or yoga

Walk. Breathe. Tap. Scan. Notice.

Your nervous system is trainable. Your body wants to heal. You just have to give it the tools.

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Ixi

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P.S Thanks for all your replies last week regarding my retreat center dream! I'm excited to see it come to life. Everything we do at Music360/DCA is going toward making this real. If you missed it, I revealed my deepest calling to create a in-real-life space similar to the online 360 space. With connection to nature, our work and noble pursuits, and with connection to each other - it's a place to get days and weeks worth of deep rest, good work, and healing in community.

The Practice with Purpose framework is $99 for 2 6-month planners! It includes:

• the complete framework ($37 system)
• your 2 physical planners included (a $80 value, shipped to your door)
• training modules and ongoing resources

A system built on alignment, connection and flow.