If I could wave a magic wand and grant every newly diagnosed person one essential skill, it would be this: the power to intentionally shift out of stress.
To do that, you need to understand your body’s control center: the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).
💡 Here’s the essential takeaway: Stress is Sympathetic. Peace is Parasympathetic.
Think of the Autonomic Nervous System as a car. The Sympathetic system (Stress) is the Gas Pedal: it’s necessary for emergencies, but constant acceleration will burn out the engine. It’s high-revving, fast, and demanding.
The Parasympathetic system (Peace) is the Brake Pedal/Cruise Control: it slows things down, allows for smooth operation, conserves fuel, and lets the body rest. You need to use the brake to come to a full stop and enjoy the peace.
Constant worry about appointments, treatments, and prognosis keeps your body stuck in that ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic nervous system) mode.
This survival response is useful in an emergency, but it tragically diverts energy away from the vital processes your body needs most right now – healing, digestion, and restorative sleep (the parasympathetic nervous system).
Learning how to intentionally activate your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) isn’t just a coping mechanism—it’s one of the most important skills you can master for your entire cancer journey.
The PNS is the body’s “healing headquarters.” When you activate it (the peace), you are literally telling your body, “It is safe to repair.” Let this be your motivation for practicing relaxation!
In a time of profound stress, like a cancer diagnosis, your sympathetic nervous system is naturally in overdrive. That’s why we need to intentionally give your body a break and shift gears into peace.
Here are some Parasympathetic techniques that can be done anywhere: in a waiting room, during a sleepless night, or before a scan.
Vagal Nerve Stimulators: The vagus nerve is the main line of the PNS. Here are simple ways to stimulate it.
- Longer Exhales: simply making the exhale longer than the inhalestimulates the vagus nerve. Or try4-7-8 breathing.
- Humming or Singing: The vibrations in the throat stimulate the vagus nerve. Try humming a favorite song or even just one long note. Do that several times and notice how that feels.
- Gentle Movement: slow, deliberate movement, like slow-motion stretching or tai chi/qi gong, can be very calming.
Sensory Anchors: do these simple things to ground yourself and cue your brain to calm down:
- Use a specific calming scent (e.g., lavender on a wrist).
- Try a weighted blanket or a soft, comforting object (a “peace object”).
- Quality time with your pet can trigger the relaxation response.
This is a skill, not a one-time fix. Just like you take medicine daily, you’ll need to practice activating peace daily.
Remember, the power to shift into parasympathetic isn’t out there (in the doctor’s hands or the prognosis); the power to initiate peace is inside you.
Michelle Stortz 