Nervous System Knowledge in the Workplace: The Essential Piece You’ve Been Missing

If there was an award for “incredibly important things no one tells you about, even though it would be life changing” – the nervous system would win first place.  Despite impacting every single that we do – most people are never taught much of anything about their nervous system, and it doesn’t occur to them to learn more. 

Given the dearth of information most people have about their nervous system, it isn’t a surprise that the nervous system is rarely on the table during professional conversations, or when thinking about professional growth.  I strongly believe this needs to change – and that we’d all be better for it.  Let’s dive into some basics:

What is it:

In simple terms, your nervous system is your body’s command center. Our bodies carry out many functions (e.g. heart rate, breathing, digestion) without us having to mindfully cue them to occur.  These functions are regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which serves as a “control center” for many of the automatic functions of our body.

Just like our heart beats on its own, without needing our mindful instruction, there are other systems that operate below the realm of conscious thought that impact the way we process and respond to the world as we encounter it.

 These systems impact our responses, actions, thoughts, and more.   Stephen Porges, MD coined the term Neuroception to describe when our nervous system detects and responds to cues before we have cognitive awareness of them. (A)

To understand Neuroception, imagine a time that you were startled. Your body likely responded physically before your cognition (thoughts) caught up. You didn’t have to tell your body to tense up, or to change your breath - your body did it automatically.

These types of responses happen all the time (sometimes more subtly, sometimes more intensely), and our autonomic nervous system is constantly learning to toggle our response system based on what we encounter and how things unfold.  This part of our brain learns to manage risk, keep us safe, and create patterns of connection by changing our physiological state. (B) Neuroception is ultimately driven by a biological drive to survive.

In simple language, this means that our autonomic nervous system impacts the way that our body and brain responds to our experiences.  In turn, this impacts our feelings, how we connect with others (or don’t), and our general state of being (do we feel shut down? social? safe? ready to fight or flee?)  

Why this matters in the workplace:

As noted above, our brain relies on automatic responses to navigate what it encounters throughout the day – and this function doesn’t turn off when we’re in the workplace. This also means that each of us respond to things in accordance with our past experiences, things we’ve encountered before, and what your brain decides that you need to do to protect yourself.  Sometimes, this results in responses to situations that are more reflective of things that have happened in the past, rather than things happening in the present moment.

For example, if someone had a terrible boss who was often hypercritical of them, we’d anticipate that they’d develop sensitivities to criticism, and corollary protective mechanisms to manage that experience. Because of that, it wouldn’t be surprising in the future if a new boss gave a splash of constructive criticism, and the employee’s response was reflective of how they learned to deal with the old boss – rather than reflective of the new relationship with their new boss.  The employee may wonder why their boss is being so critical (even if they aren’t), and the boss may wonder why the employee struggles with feedback (which might result in them giving this feedback, which may perpetuate the cycle).

Should the boss *not* give feedback in this situation?  No – feedback is valid to give!  But, if the employee was aware of their own nervous system responses that influence how they respond in the moment – they might be able to dissect the situation, understand the root of their response, and approach it differently.  And, if the boss also understood that the nervous system was influencing their exchange – it might mean that they approached the situation in a way that supports more productive communication and resolution. 

Even when we cognitively know we “shouldn’t be reacting” a certain way – it doesn’t block our automatic nervous system responses, and we will still likely feel what we feel and respond how we respond.  Unless we learn to break this down further.

 Not having awareness of this nervous system interplay is a huge generator of miscommunication and workplace conflict, because we end up talking about the wrong things, reacting without recognizing the root of the issue– and so much more. 

While we’re not responsible for understanding everything going on in our colleagues’ minds and bodies – communication IS the job of both the sender AND the receiver – and successful communication can’t occur without both parties ensuring that they’re sending and receiving accurate information.

And without recognizing that the nervous system – which impacts EVERY thing we do – we often have the wrong conversations.

So, what can you do with this information?

1.     Learn more!  The Nervous system controls sooo much of what we do and encounter.  The more you know, the better!

2.     Monitor and notice your own responses throughout the day.  Hold curiosity about feelings and sensations that come up for you. 

3.     Notice other peoples’ responses to you throughout the day.  If someone’s response ever seems out of left field, consider inviting them to share more about what they’re thinking. (you both may discover something unexpected!)

4.     Keep your eye on the blog here for more information, tips, and tools!

-Lacy