REST AND DIGEST

REST AND DIGEST

You might’ve heard of ‘fight/flight’ (our response to stress and adrenaline) but have you heard of rest and digest?

Rest & digest is the opposite of fight/flight. It involves the ‘coming down’ from stress and activating our relax response. When we are relaxed: we better digest our food, our body can repair and renew and our nervous system can regulate.

BUT, a lot of us aren’t resting and digesting: leading to chronic stress, digestion issues and difficulty regulating emotions. The good news is, there are so many ways you can trigger this response, even whilst sitting at your desk. Simply brushing your finger tip across your lip can stimulate rest and digest. Or even fake yawning… Give it a try!

4 Ways to Rest & Digest

1. Humming: Close your mouth and hum. Humming activates the rest and digest response.

2. Tapping: Tapping the sides of your jaw stimulates saliva production. This says to the body: it’s time to digest.

3. Earthing: Walking barefoot/sitting on the grass/earth is a simple way to signal rest and digest

4. Breathing: Create a small hole with your lips and take a deep slow breath in, & a slower breath out