Navigating your Nervous System: Practical Tools for Wellbeing

Stress is a universal experience, but its impact on our nervous system is often overlooked. When stressors trigger the fight, flight, freeze response, our bodies prepare to face danger. In modern life, these reactions are frequently activated by everyday pressures. Once the stress cycle is activated and our body is prepared for danger, regulating our nervous system requires a completion of the stress cycle. If the stress cycle remains incomplete, excess energy, and tension can build up. If unchecked this can lead to issues such as chronic stress, anxiety difficulties, mood dysregulation, and even physical health issues.

The good news? Understanding how to regulate your nervous system can help release this tension, restore balance, and improve both emotional and physical wellbeing. This guide explores practical, evidence based strategies to support your nervous system regulation.

Understanding Your Stress Response

When your brain perceives a threat, your nervous system activates the sympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system (ANS).

In everyday terms, your brain thinks it is in danger and it responds by triggering the fight, flight, freeze response:

• Fight: You feel ready to confront the threat.

• Flight: You want to escape or avoid the situation.

• Freeze: You may feel stuck or unable to move.

These responses, among other things, increase your heart rate, tense your muscles, and flood your body with energy. This system is designed to protect your body from a perceived threat.

Normally, once the threat passes, your parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the "rest and digest" system, steps in to soothe your body and restore balance.

What happens often in modern life is stress cycles remain incomplete thus leading to the physical symptoms lingering in our system. If these stress cycles frequently remain incomplete it can lead to significant impacts on your mental and physical health.

Completing the stress cycle helps your body return to a state of rest and recovery.

Practical Strategies for Nervous System Regulation

Breathing to Sooth Your Stress

Controlled breathing can assist in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. By slowing and deepening your breath, you can help shift your nervous system from stress to rest.

Try the Physiological Sigh:

• Sit or lie down comfortably.

• First inhale a long, deep breath in through your nose.

• Before you exhale, take a quick, short breath through your nose to fill up your lungs completely.

• Exhale slowly and fully through your mouth.

• Repeat for 1-3 cycles or until you feel calmer.

  
  

Research has found brief breathing exercises, such as physiological sigh, may support mood and help reduce stress. They can also be used as a proactive practice to help regulate your nervous system and support your mental health in your everyday life (Balban et al, 2023).

Movement to Release Trapped Energy

Physical movement can help complete the stress cycle by discharging built up energy. In a real life or death situation, you likely would engage in some type of physical movement to survive. Whether this movement was running away, fighting or something else, this would naturally help complete the stress cycle. Thus, as trauma expert Dr. Peter Levine explains, physical movement mimics the body’s natural recovery process (Levine, 2015).

Simple ways to move:

• Gentle stretching or yoga

• Jumping jacks

• Walking or jogging

• Dancing to music

• Shaking out limbs or bouncing lightly

  
  

Even small amounts of movement can help start to reduce tension and work towards restoring a sense of safety to your nervous system.

Music to Regulate

Music has a powerful effect on the nervous system. It can influence heart rate variability and emotional state, helping to regulate arousal levels.

Research shows that music can assist in reducing cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase parasympathetic activity, promoting relaxation (Thoma et al., 2013). Listening to music can often reduce blood pressure, symptoms of anxiety, and help us feel more emotionally regulated.

Try this:

• Listen to calming music such as classical, ambient, or nature sounds if need soothing.

• Alternatively, use fun, upbeat music to energise and motivate movement.

• Create playlists that match your desired mood or activity.

Music can be a simple and enjoyable tool to support regulation throughout the day. It can be used both reactively in times of intense stress, but also proactively to keep you regulated throughout your day.

Nature to Provide a Reset

Spending time in nature has been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce stress hormones. The Japanese practice of “forest bathing” or Shinrin-yoku involves immersing yourself in a natural environment and has been shown to promote relaxation and improve mood (Park et al., 2010).

Ways to connect with nature:

• Walk barefoot on grass or soil

• Sit quietly amongst trees or near water

• Observe natural sounds and sights mindfully

• Even looking at nature images can trigger a calming response

Did you know that even after just 40 seconds of looking at a nature scene, whether through a window, at a pot plant or even on a screen, we can see the start of a reduction in stress levels and increased in ability to pay attention?

Joy & Creativity to Refuel

Engaging in creative activities and experiencing joy releases endorphins and oxytocin, chemicals that counteract stress and promote wellbeing.

Laughter and play have been shown to reduce stress hormones and increase resilience (McGhee, 2010).

Ideas to try:

• Painting, drawing, or crafting

• Playing word games or puzzles

• Laughing with friends

• Watching a funny show

• Participating in any hobby that bring pleasure

These activities help the nervous system shift towards rest and recovery.

Social Connection to Power Togetherness

Positive social connections release oxytocin, known as the “bonding hormone” which reduces fear and anxiety by inhibiting the amygdala, the brain’s fear centre (Heinrichs et al., 2003).

Ways to foster social support:

• Spend time with trusted friends or family

• Join community groups or clubs

• Engage in meaningful conversations

• Practise active listening and empathy

Strong social bonds help regulate the nervous system and build emotional resilience.

A Gentle Reminder

Your nervous system is always working to keep you safe. Sometimes, it just needs a little help to find its way back to calm. By incorporating these tools; breathing, movement, music, nature, joy, and connection, you can support your nervous system with kindness and care.

What is one small step you can do today to help your nervous system feel safe and regulated?