Nervous System Hacking: Why Muscles Don’t Matter (Until This Does)

If I’ve learned anything over 20 years, it’s this: you can’t relax a muscle if your nervous system stays n survival mode.

I used to help release neck or back tension, only to see it return a few days later. That taught me something powerful: it’s not just the muscle, it's the nervous system underneath keeping us braced and tight.

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“Why do my muscles tighten up again after treatment?”

If you’ve felt great after a session, only to tighten again soon after, it’s likely not just posture or activity—it’s your nervous system keeping you in fight-or-flight.
(Yes, posture matters—I'll cover it in a future post—but the nervous system sets tension’s baseline.)

When your system stays stressed—from bills, relationship conflict, or work pressure—your body stores that story. It braces. It tightens. It locks into place. So even expert hands can’t release deeply unless we reset the nervous system.

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Understanding Your Autonomic Nervous System (Without the Textbook)

Your autonomic system has two sides:

• Sympathetic:     Your fight, flight, freeze, fawn switch—kicks in fast.
• Parasympathetic:     Your rest, digest, heal mode—where repair lives.

The sympathetic system is rooted in your spine from T2 to L2, just below your neck down under the ribs—where survival holds tension if it stays activated.

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“What does fight-or-flight feel like in my body?”

Often it’s subtle—not panic, but a steady hum of tension:

• Tight shoulders that won’t let go
• Waking up already clenched
• Shallow breathing or digestive discomfort
• Emotional reactivity over small triggers

Many live with it daily—and don’t notice until it eases.

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Why This Matters for Healing

It means that bodywork alone isn’t enough—because if your mind stays in fear, your body can’t let go.

Osteopathy calls us to treat the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. My approach now blends hands-on care with creating safety, presence, and mindfulness. Those shifts are what open space for release.

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Three Nervous System Hacks to Feel More Grounded

When your mind is spinning or you feel triggered, the most effective reset is to come back into your body. These tools help you do that by reconnecting breath, touch, and awareness.

Think of them as reps in building emotional and mental resiliency. They can be done anywhere and like any new skill, the more your practice, the better your become at it.

A quick note before your try any of these. There is no right or wrong way to perform these, all I ask that you try your best to be present with yourself, let your thoughts come and go and you connect with your body!

1. Breath Awareness (1–3 minutes)

Find a comfortable spot—sitting or standing—where your body feels at ease and you’re unlikely to be interrupted. Close your eyes if you can and relax your shoulders.

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Place one hand on your belly, the other on your chest.
Gently feel the breath—air in and out through your nose, belly rising and falling. Don’t fix anything—just notice.
Stay here for 60 seconds, or up to 3 minutes. Let your breath anchor you.

2. Grounding Through Touch, Sight & Sound

Do this anywhere—walking, driving, working, or during a tense moment.

• Close your eyes if you can and relax your shoulders.
• Bring your fingertips together softly (think steeple posture)—thumbs and index fingers lightly touching.
• Notice texture, warmth, pressure between the ridges of your fingertips.
• Really spend time exploring the features, the ridges, the softness (or roughness) of your fingertips
• Then slowly open your eyes and focus on one color nearby. Observe its shape, light, and depth.

• Listen:
  • What’s the furthest sound you can hear?
  • Then the closest?
  • Finally, tune into your own breath.

This sensory cycle brings you back to body and now.

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3. Tense and Release (Full‑Body Reset)

Best done lying flat—on a yoga mat, preferably in a studio or quiet indoor space. Close your eyes if you can and relax your shoulders.
Tighten ev erything—eyes, jaw, shoulders, arms, belly, glutes, legs, feet—hold for 10 seconds. Then exhale fully and let go. Feel breath spread as your body softens. Pause. Breathe. Repeat two more times.

“Will these really help?”

Absolutely. These tools aren’t meant to solve things with thought—they send the body new signals of safety. Practiced regularly, they support and extend all the hands-on healing work.

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“How do these tie into osteopathic treatment?”

Practicing these between sessions helps your nervous system integrate the treatment deeply. It’s the bridge—hands on the table complemented by tools in your daily life.

💬 Curious about working with these tools in treatment?
Feel free to reach out and book a session—I'd love to support you on both levels.

Tune in next month…

…because next time I’ll teach you how to recognize when you're triggered, and how to build a pause between trigger and reaction. These exercises don’t just ground you—they build emotional strength.

Just like training muscle builds physical strength, these practices help you catch yourself sooner, recover faster, and show up more grounded.

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ith gratitude,
Kevin

Got a Question or Topic You’d Like Me to Cover?

If there’s something you’ve always wanted to ask about your health, your nervous system, or what’s happening in your body—send it my way. I’d love to include your questions (anonymously, of course) in future posts.
You can email me directly at kevin.janna@gmail.com or drop a note through the new site: christiehealth.ca

Thanks again for being part of this journey. Here’s to presence, healing, and the practice of simply showing up.