Our limbic system plays a crucial role in shaping our daily experiences and overall well-being as it regulates our emotions, memories, and even learning processes. We have to ensure that our limbic system is calm to reduce the risks of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
That is why I’m here to provide you 5 ways to calm your limbic system that will especially come in handy when your kids get so angry making you feel so overwhelmed in trying to help them be more regulated and calm.
How the limbic system interprets and interprets stress.
The limbic system is that part of your brain responsible for responding, managing and interpreting emotionally coded information. It is an important part of our brain since we are living in such an emotional world considering that sometimes, people are way too emotional.
That is why we also have to be concerned about our limbic system, especially our kid’s limbic system. I’m sure you have already heard of the term “brain on fire” and sometimes, we don’t notice that our kids are already having issues with their limbic system.
And because generally, our kids find it difficult to express themselves, we don’t notice that their excessive and frequent emotional outbursts, including tantrums and uncontrollable crying, could be a sign of a dysregulated limbic system. This may also lead to either social withdrawal or aggressive behavior towards other people.
When the limbic system becomes overactive, it can lead to a range of emotional and behavioral issues. An overactive limbic system can lead to heightened stress responses, making it challenging for us to manage stress effectively.
Doing brain maps significantly helps me assess a kid’s brain as I see the brain activity through those maps and I literally see that some areas of the brain are too active. We have to take note that our limbic brain has different components that help us manage stress.
Chronic stress reduces the volume of grey matter.
When your brain is overactivated, you get into a chronic stress profile and your nervous system starts reacting more to things. However, it must be stressed that this actually reduces the actual volume of our grey matter.
Chronic stress can have significant and long-lasting effects on the brain, impacting both its structure and function. It is thus essential for us to manage stress effectively to protect brain health and preserve grey matter volume. Engaging in stress-reducing activities like meditation, yoga, and regular exercise can help reduce the negative effects of chronic stress on the brain.
The importance of diet and therapy.
As much as we can, we help parents and their kids to not have a brain on fire. We simply can't have a brain on fire but it’s important that you do the necessary steps to achieve this because you can't expect a miracle and not do the work.
When we speak of calming the brain, let’s not forget about doing therapy alongside having a proper and healthy diet to help the brain calm down and get those neurotransmitters working properly. You don’t actually have to take medications immediately since there are a lot of food options available that you can incorporate in your diet in lieu of those medications. If you switch your diet, you actually can get your brain to work better.
How to get your brain to work better.
It’s also important that we let our kids exercise regularly not only because it is detoxifying but it actually promotes good mental health thereby reducing inflammation. Engaging in mindfulness-based activities like meditation and yoga can also boost your kid’s emotional regulation and improve attention and concentration.
Getting enough sleep can improve a child's emotional well-being, reduce carbohydrate\ cravings, and contribute to a more balanced limbic system. Moreover, a well-rested brain with sufficient sleep has a balanced limbic system, which helps regulate emotions effectively.
Personally, I am a huge fan of our Calm PEMF device as well as neurofeedback as they help pull you down into a calm parasympathetic state and support detoxification. Stay active, eat well, and create a healthy lifestyle to promote a calmer emotional brain.
It’s important that when you do these things, you must be consistent. This might be challenging but we have to teach your child better coping skills and if you haven't listened to the coping skills series, you can check out our previous episodes on that.
To learn more about calming the limbic system, you can read this blog post: 5 Ways to Calm Your Limbic System
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