7 Nutrition Tips to Support Your Solar Plexus and Nervous System {Human Design}
7 Nutrition Tips to Support Your Emotional Solar Plexus
Understanding the function of and not-self of the Solar Plexus in Human Design has been one of most profound ways Human Design has helped me.
What is the Solar Plexus?
The Solar Plexus is a bundle of nerves located in the upper part of your belly and it's connected to your brain, spinal cord, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, adrenal glands, and pancreas. It's the nervous system's correspondence with the body and it's also the center for feeling and embracing all spectrums of emotions.
The Emotional Solar Plexus and Human Design
In Human Design, the Solar Plexus is the center where emotions are created. This includes feelings, emotions, passions, desires, and sensitivity, and its function is to allow us to gain a sense of emotional clarity and well-being.
The Solar Plexus is a motor center, which means when it’s creating emotions, it’s creating energy too (because emotions = energy). It’s also an awareness center meaning it’s interested in keeping tabs on what’s going on within you and around you so you can adapt, survive, and thrive. In this case, it’s emotional and spiritual awareness.
What's Your Solar Plexus Status in Human Design?
You either have a Defined or Undefined or Open Solar Plexus.
To learn whether you have a Defined or Undefined Solar Plexus, look up your chart on Jovian Archive. You will need your birthdate, exact birth time, and birth city and state.
If the center is colored in, it’s Defined. If it’s white with at least one gate coming off it, it’s Undefined. If it’s white with zero gates coming off it, the center is Open.
You are either a person who transmits your emotions out into the world for others to feel, or you’re a person who is receiving and amplifying the emotions from other people around you. It’s important to know which you are.
Defined Solar Plexus (53% of the population)
This half of humanity consistently feels their own emotions and transmits those emotions out into the world for others to feel. This person has a continuous and constantly flowing emotional wave and experiences oscillating emotions felt as ups and downs.
These emotional ups and down can be for no apparent reason. Without the awareness, those who are emotionally defined attempt to rationalize their emotions, and to explain or make up a reason why they are up or down on their wave. It can feel like they want to blame something or someone or themself for how they feel. In actuality, all this person needs to know is the wave will move and pass, and observe it rather than identify with the wave as if it is you. Remain the objective observer.
Undefined Solar Plexus (47% of the population)
The other half of humanity absorbs and amplifies emotions from others in their undefined or open Solar Plexus and does not have an emotional wave. A healthy, undefined solar plexus’s natural emotional state of being is cool, calm, and collected.
People with an undefined solar plexus are empathetic and highly sensitive – someone who can feel, sense, and take in other people’s emotional energy. You can truly notice and understand what other people are feeling. You are also able to sense your environment strongly. You can walk into a room and feel bad energy, which translates to not feeling good within that energy. For emotions to be a beautiful experience for the undefined center, they cannot identify with them.
It is easy to “sponge” up other people’s emotions, and often the emotions feel AMPLIFIED in your body so there’s no way to ignore them! For example, if your emotionally defined child is feeling frustrated, but for him it feels like a level 2, you are going to feel that frustration amplified to a level 4 or 5. Without awareness that this is your empathic nature, you might spend the next few hours in an awful mood, trying to search for the reason why you feel so frustrated. But it isn’t your mood to begin with so the answer as to why will not come easily. You are designed to mirror back to your child/partner their own emotional state.
Tip: when you suddenly feel uncomfortable emotionally, leave the room and the conditioning auras of others until the coolness returns. Take time alone every day in order to release the emotional conditioning you’ve taken in.
Completely Open Solar Plexus
Many characteristics of the undefined solar plexus also apply, but someone with a completely open solar plexus differs in that there isn’t any way of filtering or connecting to incoming potent, emotional energy. This can be confusing as to what you’re feeling and don’t know how to interpret it. You may not know what you desire, when to be sensitive or passionate, or how to recognize and deal with people’s needs or moods. They often feel something is wrong with them emotionally. The potential wisdom is to know and understand the emotional waves of others in their purest state without anything coloring or prejudicing them.
Sensitivity can be a superpower. In Human Design, the potential of an Open Centers is for great wisdom! How does wisdom within the centers happen? It is an awareness of understanding what is mine vs. theirs, and to let go of attachment.
My Undefined Solar Plexus Experience
My Solar Plexus is undefined with only one gate. I am the type who receives and amplifies the emotions of those I'm around and the awareness of this has been extremely helpful. Until Human Design, I never realized this about myself. I knew I felt sensitive, but I totally thought the emotions were mine. Now I learning to discern between my personal emotions and other emotions I'm feeling. My typical emotional state feels peaceful, but I am able to experience my own stress, irrational fear, or frustration.
An example of feeling the emotions of someone who transmits their emotions is my son who frequently (multiple times/day) sends out very intense emotions, and boy do I feel them! For years I would get sucked into the meltdowns and blowups, which would escalate the situation, and by the end of it, I was destroyed emotionally (and physically). After much practice and awareness, I can say I am better at setting boundaries with this, but it still happens so I really appreciate certain supplements to support my nervous system.
Nutrition Tips for Supporting Your Nervous System, Stress Recovery, and Calming Emotions
#1: Vegetables
Since the solar plexus resides in the upper gut, the most potent antidote for keeping your nervous system in balance is eating foods that promote and grow a healthy gut microbiome, and vegetables are one of the most important for this! The fiber and nutrient content in veggies feed the good bacteria that already exist in your gut, and they promote the growth of new healthy bacteria.
How does this happen? Through a bi-directional gut-brain communication pathway located in your gut microbiome. If the microbes in your gut change due to suboptimal dietary choices, your brain and mood can change. Equally, if your mood is altered by stress, crowds, noise, sleeplessness, hunger, or even changes in temperature, your microbiome can be dramatically altered.
The microbes in your gut hold the reins of your thoughts, actions, desires, and physiological functions – not your mind! Mind-blowing, right?! What can you do about it? What you feed your microbes makes a massive difference.
#2: Adaptogens
I LOVE adaptogens!! They are seriously my favorite nutraceutical to hack my stress and nervousness! Since discovering Human Design, I’ve learned a lot about how my emotions operate, and how other people’s emotions can affect me, so I really appreciate certain adaptogens to support my nervous system!
Adaptogens are just like they sound – they help the body adapt to stress and support the body’s ability to cope more effectively with stress. They do this by affecting the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) which controls reactions to stress and regulates many body processes, including mood and emotions.
Adaptogens are naturally occurring substances from plants, roots, and fungi, and they must meet strict requirements to proudly wear the badge of “adaptogen.” Common types of adaptogens used for stress include ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, schisandra berry, and holy basil.
There are specific adaptogens that are A-mazing for managing stress, and also specific adaptogens A-mazing for revving you up a little if you’re feeling down. Read more about hacking your health with adaptogens.
#3: Magnesium
Emotional stressors are a major cause of depleting the body's magnesium stores. When you're stressed, magnesium is the mineral the body uses to recover from that stressor. Magnesium is also very calming during times of stress, and can even be taken before bed to promote healthy sleep.
A magnesium deficiency is common and detrimental to health. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 biochemical processes and pathways throughout our body! Here are just a handful of big-time things magnesium is involved with in the body:
Regulates normal muscle and nerve function
Promotes normal blood pressure and blood sugar levels
Supports teeth and bone formation
Metabolizes carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats
Supports a healthy immune system
I recommend a magnesium supplement as a foundational nutrient for everyone. I like Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium powder.
#4: 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)
This is an amino acid that neurons can readily convert into serotonin when they have the necessary vitamin B6 available. Serotonin circuits widely influence other transmitter circuits to promote a positive mood. By enabling serotonin production, 5-HTP also promotes the production of melatonin, our sleep hormone.
#5: GABA
GABA is an amino acid that is a calming neurotransmitter. It's also the chief neurotransmitter that inhibits excessive firing of neurons in the brain. GABA can help flip the “off” switch on overactive circuits and thereby enhance quieting of the mind along with easy transition into sleep. Guess where much of your GABA is produced? In the gut! Hence, go back to suggestion #1 to eat more vegetables. In addition, there are so many ways to support the gut microbiome such as eating fermented foods, removing sugar and foods made with white enriched flour, removing inflammatory vegetable oils, and adding omega-3's and other healthy fats.
#6: L-Theanine
This compound is found in green tea and matcha tea and supports a calming effect on the brain and nervous system. L-Theanine benefits Alpha and Theta brain waves. This alone will help calm your mind, reduce stress, and help you stay alert. L-theanine helps boost neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, improving alertness and attention while boosting cognition and memory.
#7: Nutrients to Support the Adrenal Glands
Vitamin C and Pantothenic Acid are found in high concentrations in our adrenal glands, which sit atop our kidneys and produce our body’s major stress hormones. As you may have guessed, stress depletes vitamin C and pantothenic acid from our adrenals.
Check out my blog about 7 Nutrients for Healthy Adrenal Function. There's definitely some overlap in nutrition for supporting emotional stress and the adaptogens because they're connected.
Whether you have a defined, undefined, or open solar plexus, comprehending the mechanics of the solar plexus can release years of painful emotional patterns, re-establish physical health, and prompt compassion toward ourselves and others.
Do you have a defined, undefined, or open solar plexus? How do you notice emotions in your body? I’d love to hear from you!
Kelly xo