Ms. America is coming down the steps!
It doesn’t take much for me to sit back and remember a life-changing day that I experienced about 12 years ago. Nothing major happened that day, it was just like any other day—one where I had to wake up to an alarm, get my toddler ready for grandma’s, and work a regular shift at work. It was also a typical day in that by the end of the day I was totally dysregulated, anxious, crabby, and one second away from tears. That was the norm for me back then. A recently divorced, single, working mom whose career was in children’s mental health. A career that was full of heartbreak, turmoil, suffering, and magical, amazing children.
At the time, I was a member of a neighborhood gym that I went to regularly. A relevant detail about this gym is that it had two levels. The bottom floor had a pool, locker rooms, and some racquetball/multi-purpose courts, and the gym equipment and group fitness areas were upstairs. I was not new to lifting weights or to coming to this gym. I’m not sure why this day was different, but it just was! You see, this day was the first time I noticed that I could heal my crabby/dysregulated mood with weight lifting. I know I must have been already doing that, but I just was so dissociative and keeping up with the pace of everyday life that I wasn’t even recognizing the changes happening in my body or nervous system. On this day, I fully recall walking up the stairs to the equipment, a dysregulated, frazzled, broken, mess of a human and walking back down the stairs with the grace of Ms. America. (That’s a stretch, for those who know me, know even at my best, I’m not graceful. lol). It was like a light switch!! What happened between walking up the stairs and walking down the stairs was where the magic happened. What did I do? I lifted heavy shit!
Exercise can help regulate our nervous system!
By this time in my life…
I had studied trauma and mental health recovery at great lengths. I worked very hard to try to intellectualize and figure out what had been going on with me since the age of 10, when my original trauma took place. I understood at great depths how trauma and other mental health concerns can re-wire our brains and impact our nervous systems. I had the information, but I struggled to apply it to me. Why? Because, just like alot of people in our communities, I was disconnected from my body. I couldn’t even tell when I was getting sick or when I felt joy. That is trauma’s blessing and curse. Our body is built to protect us from pain. It’s a beautiful thing, but it also can keep us from really experiencing reality. Trauma deeply affects how our nervous system regulates itself, leaving us in a heightened state of alertness, waiting for danger, even when no danger is actually present. Our brains, particularly the amygdala, go on overdrive (hyper-vigilance), interpreting normal, everyday, experiences as potential threats. This can trigger the fight-or-flight response more frequently, causing a person to live in a near-constant state of stress. Over time, this false sense of danger can make it difficult to differentiate between actual risks and perceived threats, leaving the body in a cycle of chronic stress, anxiety, and dysregulation. That was me at that time. That is ALOT of humans walking around on our planet today… Something truly profound to think about!
What happened upstairs at the gym that day was not something I truly understood at the time. Since then, there has been a growing popularity of treatments for trauma that involve the mind AND the body. Not just the mind. One of those such movements is related to trauma-informed exercise.
Exercise can play a powerful role in healing trauma by helping to restore the mind-body connection that trauma often disrupts. Physical activity releases endorphins, which improve mood and reduce stress, creating a sense of emotional relief. Additionally, exercise can help regulate the nervous system by allowing individuals to process stored tension and trauma through movement. It allows us to safely activate and reset our nervous systems over and over again. Activities like yoga, running, or weightlifting can also increase body awareness, promoting a sense of empowerment and control. When done mindfully, exercise can create a safe space for self-exploration, helping individuals reconnect with their bodies and emotions, and ultimately aiding in trauma and mental health recovery.
This six part blog is aimed to discuss the newly researched trauma-informed weight lifting and how it has greatly impacted me on my journey of healing from trauma and anxiety. We will explore more about the nervous system “on trauma” and the nervous system “on exercise”. Stay tuned!
Written by Erin Simonson, MSW, LICSW, LADC.