Taking Responsibility for Your Nervous System
It has been my experience, and that of many colleagues, that the entrepreneurial journey - with it’s unique set of risk taking, uncertainty of outcome, unicorn type of unlikely challenges, and overall intensity - creates the environment for our nervous systems to go haywire. In other words, we will have the propensity to shift into and stay in a prolonged state of sympathetic nervous system. As I have been in the CEO seat once again, I am re-familiarizing myself with what it feels like to be in prolonged sympathetic. Not fun.
In my ‘entrepreneurship through acquisition’ MBA class at Wharton, I often ask who is familiar with the two states of the nervous system - consistently less than 10% raise their hands. If you too are unfamiliar with it, please take these next 2 minutes to flip to Chat or Claude or whatever you’re using and learn about it. If you’re still using classic Google, then take those 2 minutes to download one of the AI apps :)
Being in prolonged sympathetic has many adverse affects on health and brain states. Furthermore, more recent research shows that our own nervous system is communicated subtly to those around us. Survivor mode is good for just that, and surviving is not thriving. Creativity, connection, and decision making are limited. This is not a state we should be ok with lingering in for too long.
Getting to know your own nervous system is the starting point. Do you know when you’re in sympathetic and when you’re in para-sympathetic? This is priority #1. For me, the tell-tale signs are in my gut health, my sleep quality, my HRV reading, and the vagal nerve sensations running down the front of my torso. This may be another ChatGPT moment.
After you get to know it, then your responsibility is to proactively shift that state. Find what works for you. There are two levels in my experience that we should get familiarized with - what works immediately and what is the more systematic approach to stay in para-sympathetic. Is it breathwork? Is it cold plunging? Does exercise by itself do it for you? (Usually not). What impact does caffeine to begin the day and alcohol to end the day play in this? These are your to experiment with and find out. No self judgment here. Just responsibility, experimentation and ritualization of what works.
Starting today, resolve to take responsibility of knowing and tending to your nervous system. If for no other reason, do it for those around you. People may not remember what you always say, but they always remember how you made them feel.
FUND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We have a new fund deck available as we do the last round of fundraising for this current fund. Join now as an LP and get the benefit of our 6 investments at the original valuations. Please let me know if this is of interest to you.