Daily, we have to ward off attacks on our life and well being. Everything from bad news, traffic delays and sleepless nights, to ill health, financial troubles and disturbing neighbours.

To counteract the damaging effect this constant bombardment poses on our nervous system and physical health, emerging science supports self-compassion exercises as a vital restorative practice.

According to the recent Polyvagal theory, our nervous system is made up of 3 neural circuits that support different types of behavior:

In troubling, stressful and dangerous situations, our fight, flight and shut down circuits are activated. But to counteract the wear and tear that living poses on the vagal nerve, it is important to regularly boost the third circuit, the one of feelings of pleasantness, joy and compassion.

The Vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve, communicating with the major organs. It extends from the brainstem and winds through the body, branching multiple times to connect with all of the major organs. That is why there are so many health benefits to prioritising compassion training during particularly tough times and unpleasant situations.

Areas of improvement when boosting the vagus nerve:

Polyvagal theory suggests that playful arousal and restorative surrender have a unique and healing nervous system influence. Positivity and joy in a calm, pressure free and safe place is crucial to allow the nervous system and healing mind to activate the health building functions.

Compassion is a powerful feature of human experience and is a key component of individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal well-being. According to Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) Program, it is a fundamental skill that can be trained in 6 steps:

Since self-compassion is not as easy to implement as it might seem, I invite you to improve your self healing skills and to boost your self compassion, using the Joy Mastery System >. Sign up today – Be sure not to miss out.