The Window of Tolerance
Our recent Sober Sailing and Wellness Retreat at Mindful Recovery featured a pivotal group workshop on self-regulation, with the Window of Tolerance concept at its core. This groundbreaking idea, pioneered by Dan Siegel, a prominent figure in neuropsychiatry, is essential for comprehending the various levels of regulation.
The Window of Tolerance consists of three levels of arousal. In the optimal zone, our green zone, feelings are tolerable, and we feel safe and secure. This safety allows us to explore the world around us and connect with others. We approach life with curiosity and empathy, knowing that we can move between emotions such as sadness, anger, joy, and happiness.
Outside of our Window of Tolerance, we find two arousal zones. We enter these zones when our nervous system detects threats in our environment, which can be real or perceived. Our nervous system scans the environment for threats without us having a conscious experience of this process. You may have noticed that sometimes, out of the blue, you feel anxious and agitated outside of your optimal green zone. This may have happened because your nervous system detected something that it deemed threatening. Your body automatically responds to this perceived threat by sending you signals. Some of these signals take you to a hyper-aroused state. In this hyper-aroused zone, we feel agitated, rage or anger. Our heart beats faster, and we may feel hot and ready to run or fight. Our thoughts race, and we become hyper-vigilant and emotionally overwhelmed. I call it the red zone because of the heat I experience in my body when I am in the hyper-aroused zone.
To move back into the green zone, we need grounding. The aim is to find a way to reduce energy and calm ourselves. Breathing exercises can be incredibly helpful in this process. Start to focus on your breath, taking slow inhales and exhales. Visualise the air entering and then leaving your body. You can also say what you are visualising to keep your focus on the exercise. These techniques empower you to take control of your emotions and return to a calm state.
At times, we can also land in the hypo-aroused zone.
This place is what I call the blue zone simply because it reminds me of being under cold water. While the experience is emotional overwhelm in the red zone, there is a relative absence of sensation and numbness of feelings in the blue zone. We may feel disconnected, ashamed, or shut down. Physically, we lack energy, and we may feel frozen.
To return to your optimal zone, try reconnecting to your environment through your five senses: What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? If you can, try to touch or taste something mindfully.
If you feel frozen or panicked, find a comfortable chair and wrap yourself in a blanket. Take full and slow breaths and bring your attention to the present moment. If you find yourself dissociating from the here and now, gently bring your attention back to the present and continue to do so until you are back in your optimal zone.
Knowing the concept of Window of Tolerance and tracking your arousal zones can help you make sense of your responses to certain triggers. This knowledge can also help you create your own tools that enable you to support yourself when you find yourself outside of your Window of Tolerance and get you back into your green zone.
Below is a picture I drew explaining the different arousal zones.
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