Yogaland Roundup

Feb. 10th, 2023

This morning I took my daughter to see a new developmental pediatrician. (For anyone out there who suspects their kiddo might be neurodiverse (i.e., autism, adhd, anxiety, sensory processing), I highly recommend developmental peds.

My experience going to these docs with more training and understanding of child development is that they walk in the room and they really see your child. They see the strengths, they’re compassionate and realistic about the struggles, and they offer comprehensive, well-informed treatment options — everything from therapies like CBT to medication to working with teachers and school districts to iron out accommodations.

But mostly, they see your child. The first time we met Sofia’s doc up in SF, she was so fidgety as he talked to her that she couldn’t stay on the exam table. He immediately picked up a nerf ball and tossed it to her as he chatted with her. He met her where she was. I almost cried in that moment.

During today’s visit, the doctor shared a tiny little idea with Sofia that was a lightbulb for moment me, so I thought I’d share it with you. I think this applies to anyone — regardless of whether or not you have sensory processing disorder.

She explained that when our sensory systems are “off,” it can spike our anxiety. And likewise, when our anxiety is heightened, our sensory systems become overactive. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell which happens first. And, if we’re not aware of it, the two can feed off of each other.

What I love about this perspective is that it asks us to become more self-aware so that we can support ourselves accordingly. It’s a way to develop more discernment about the root of our issues and therefore gives us more appropriate options to choose from.

Here’s a scenario for each example: You haven’t slept well all week, so you’re fatigued. You sit through a two-hour meeting at work where one of the fluorescent lights is buzzing and your co-worker is wearing a strong perfume. You decide to venture out for lunch and, as you’re standing on the corner, a motorcycle rips by you and the excruciating sound feels like it tears through the very core of your body.

For the rest of the day, you feel on edge and irritable. When you get home, you snap at your spouse right before dinner. You feel guilty and wonder why you’re so irritable when “nothing” is really wrong. You reach for a glass of wine to calm yourself down.

You find a quiet room where you can breathe alone for 15 minutes. You put some music you love or even a distracting podcast, put some lavender essential on your wrists and temples and visualize the presentation going well.

In that story, your sensory systems have been taxed to the point that it triggers anxiety. If you aren’t aware of how your sensory systems can trigger anxiety, it might leave you feeling like you’re upset about “nothing,” which is incredibly frustrating. And instead of self-soothing by calming your sensory systems, you might choose less helpful or healthy ways to try to come back to baseline.

OK, let’s walk through a reverse scenario: You sit bolt upright in bed at 5:30 am, filled with anxiety. You have a big project at work to present that day and you hate public speaking. Every time you get anxious like this, you find yourself being a little more clumsy and sometimes you even get dizzy. As you move through your day, every little thing sets you off. A papercut feels incredibly painful. You contact lenses feel sand-papery. The smell of your co-workers food coming out of the microwave makes you feel like you might throw-up. All of these painful little distractions make it even more difficult for you to stay calm for the presentation.

Fortunately, you can recognize that the anxiety is making everything feel worse, so what do you do? You find a quiet room where you can breathe alone for 15 minutes. You put some music you love or even a distracting podcast, put some lavender essential on your wrists and temples and visualize the presentation going well. Guess what? You nail it.

Lately, I’ve been thinking the more important questions might be, “How does your nervous system feel today?” and “How does your senses feel?”

In that example, you have the awareness that anxiety is affecting your perception of pain, your proprioception and vestibular systems (the clumsiness and dizziness) and your sense of smell. Armed with that knowledge, you can take some time to soothe your senses so that you can then manage your anxiety.

I think this is such a cool revelation. And the more I learn about sensory processing, the more fascinated I become.

I used to have a Pilates teacher who would ask, “How does your body feel today?” and I loved that because I was so stuck in my thoughts and emotions at that point in my life.

Lately, I’ve been thinking the more important questions might be, “How does your nervous system feel today?” and “How does your senses feel?”

It feels like the best possible path to in-the-moment self-care I can imagine.

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Elsewhere this week: Jason and I did a podcast about how and where yoga builds strength most efficiently (plus, a few spots where it doesn’t). You can listen to that episode here.

I’m going to sign off for now. I seem to be collecting cold viruses in 2023 and have spent today trying to fend off another one. Wish me luck and I’ll see you soon!