Down Regulation vs. Up Regulation in Achieving Goals
To better manage stress levels, you can learn how to regulate the nervous system. This can be done in one of two ways: down regulation or up regulation. By utilizing these two methods, you can help train your nervous system to stay more balanced.
Down regulation refers to the calming effect certain behaviors have in alleviating anxiety and stress, such as mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, calming music, yoga, and meditation. Most coping skills are focused on down regulation. Up regulation are stimulating behaviors which help the nervous system get a jump start when plagued with excessive tiredness or lethargy.
These two extreme states of your nervous system (hyperarousal or hypo-arousal) are often called dysregulation. Hyperarousal is the fight or flight response or feelings of being overstimulated, while hypo-arousal is characterized by brain fog, depression, or disassociation.
The ideal balance of nervous system control is called the window of tolerance, which is the state of your nervous system being healthy and well-regulated. The window of tolerance allows an individual to deal with stress efficiently without the extremes of hypo- or hyper-arousal. With some practice, you can learn how to shift your state of arousal and regulation within the window of tolerance and avoid the two states of hyper or hypo-arousal.
For those who have done work on coping skills, you often know how to calm yourself down, but may not have the same skills to get yourself into a healthy, energized state to achieve your goals. Try out the following strategies to see what works best for you:
Change your environment - Turn on brighter lights or open your windows
Turn on energetic music - Aim for something that has a beat that is higher than your heart rate
Move your body - Go for a brisk walk, do some jumping jacks, or dance to that high energy music (the goal is to get your heart rate up)
Engage your senses:
Get a drink or snack that will wake you up (sour, fizzy, cold, spicy) without making you feel overfull
Change into work (or workout) clothes, or put on shoes
Put a cold pack on your face or neck to give you a burst of alertness
Shift your position to stand while you work, or rock gently from side to side
By engaging in these coping skills, you’re more equipped to train your nervous system to stay within the window of tolerance and bypass the extremes of hyper and hypo-arousal altogether.
