The Perched Night Owl: Tools to Reduce Hypervigilance
Have you every felt like a lone night owl, perched on a fence, waiting, watching for every movement or sound, in constant readiness to fly or attack? Or perhaps a different metaphor works for you, the never-ending, paranoia and waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, the inevitable bad thing that will take the good things away.
What I am describing is a state of hypervigilance. Hypervigilance is a psychological and physiological state, often associated with post-traumatic stress, impacting our nervous system, emotions, and behavior. This state is one of constant awareness toward outside stimuli with a notion of perceived threat, whether the threat is real or imagined.
Hypervigilance usually manifests as a coping mechanism. You can imagine the importance of this vigilant state if you are in war or facing imminent danger. Our brain always searches for data and categorizes it to be efficient. When in hyper-aroused states, the brain learns to act even more quickly in its assessment. The difficulty with hypervigilance is not in the initial use of it, but when it becomes such a constant state that you get stuck in the heightened stress or unable to assess when you can let your guard down. This is often the case when people have endured childhood trauma or abusive relationships.
How do you allow yourself off the perch?
As with any symptom of anxiety or PTSD, calming the mind and body is forefront. Here are some suggestions for tools to reduce hypervigilance over a period of time with practice and consistency: meditation, exercise, journaling, good sleep hygiene, talking to a friend or a therapist. I also want to offer two, in the moment, quick tools that can immediately reduce the heightened anxiety of hypervigilance.
Physiological sigh
Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist and professor at Stanford, has done some extensive research with his team on reduction of stress. One of the tools they have found that helps almost immediately in the reduction of stress is the physiological sigh. This sigh is a long inhale, with another short inhale immediately after the first, then followed with a long exhale. The attached video explains the basics of this breathing techniques. You probably have seen this sigh involuntarily in action if you have witnessed someone crying really hard and then as they come to a stopping place, this breathing often happens as the body responds to the stress. This technique is immediate and easy to do anywhere. Give it a try.
Butterfly hug
The butterfly hug is a practice associated with the therapeutic technique called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing). It is another great tool to immediately implement calm by using bi-lateral stimulation of the hands on the collarbone, engaging both sides of the brain and creating a mindful, present awareness. Check out the steps below to try it.
Steps for the Butterfly Hug:
Hold your hands out in front of you and turn your palms up.
Cross your hands (right over left or left over right), keeping your palms facing you, and hook your thumbs, creating the body and wings of a butterfly.
Move your hands in this butterfly pattern toward your chest, covering your heart.
Allow your index and middle finger to touch your collar bone.
Start a rhythmic tapping (right, left, right, left) of your fingers on your collar bone.
Close your eyes and breath deeply in and out while you continue the tapping until you regain a sense of calm.
I hope these techniques allow your perched owl to take in the beauty of the night moon.