Do you feel tired and unfocused at your desk? If you spend a lot of time at your desk and feel those mid-afternoon slumps, try this simple visual drill that will up-regulate your nervous system, leaving you feeling alert and focused... even if you don’t have time to leave your desk!
How To Feel More Alert Using Your Visual System
Grab a pen, pencil or use your thumb. Start with your arm extended as far away from your body. Focus your eyes on the pen or thumb, then slowly draw it towards your face, get it as close to your nose as possible without it becoming double vision/blurry. Hold your focus for 5 seconds, then immediately close your eyes.
Extend the arm and repeat.
When you feel more confident, you can increase the speed of your arms movement or bring it closer to your nose. You can also play around with different angles as you bring the pen/thumb towards your face.
Repeat five to ten times with easy but slow breaths in and out of the nose.
Secret tip 🤫 this will also help with your forward folds! Touch your toes before the drill and after - notice if there's any difference!
How does this work?
Eye convergence (using the ocular motor - eye movements) stimulates cranial nerve 3 which up-regulates the nervous system and increases sympathetic tone leaving you feel more alert and awake 🌞
Let me know if it helps in the comments or like this blog post. Next week, we are learning about how to reduce chronic pain simply using your eyes.
If you want to try this with me in real time, then join me for an in-person workshop next Saturday in Marlow - just four spaces remaining!
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