Exercises for Calming Your Nervous System
The Importance of Having Exercises to Calm Your Nervous System
In our increasingly fast-paced and demanding world, stress and anxiety can quickly overwhelm our nervous system, leading to feelings of panic, physical tension, and emotional instability. The nervous system, which controls the body's fight-or-flight response, can become overactive when we face constant stressors. This overactivation can manifest as chronic anxiety, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and other mental health challenges.
Having a set of exercises to calm your nervous system is essential for maintaining emotional balance and overall well-being. These exercises can help you reset, bringing your body back to a state of calm and allowing you to navigate life's challenges with greater resilience and clarity.
Movement Exercises
Movement is a powerful way to release tension and regulate the nervous system. By engaging in intentional physical activity, you can help your body let go of built-up stress and restore a sense of equilibrium.
Nervous System Shake: Shake out every part of your body for 30 seconds. This quick exercise helps to release pent-up energy and stress, resetting your nervous system.
Noodle Exercise: Tense all of your muscles for 30 seconds, then completely release for 30 seconds, like a raw and cooked noodle. This exercise helps to relax the muscles and bring a sense of calm to the body.
Yoga Poses or Stretching: Take a moment to stretch and roll out your neck and shoulders, paying attention to areas that feel tight. Yoga poses can also be a great way to ease tension and promote relaxation.
Free Dance Expression: Allow yourself to engage in movement without judgment. Dancing freely can be an excellent way to express emotions and release tension.
Safe Touch
Touch is a fundamental way to soothe the nervous system, whether through self-touch or receiving touch from others.
Light Pressure: Use your hands to apply light pressure to any areas of your body that feel tense or need nurturing. This gentle touch can help relax tight muscles and calm the nervous system.
Ask for a Hug: If you feel safe and comfortable, ask a trusted person for a hug. Physical contact can be incredibly grounding and comforting.
Self-Hug: Wrap your arms around yourself for a gentle hug. This simple gesture can help you feel more secure and supported.
Weighted Blanket or Pillow: Using a weighted blanket or pillow can provide a sense of security and help calm areas of the body experiencing stress or tension.
Body Work: Seeing a trusted body worker, such as a massage therapist, acupuncturist, or cranial sacral therapist, can be highly beneficial for releasing tension and promoting relaxation.
Pendulation
Pendulation involves alternating between states of tension and relaxation, helping the nervous system find balance.
Tense and Relax: Spend 10 seconds tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. Notice the shifting sensations as you go.
Walking: Go on a walk and notice how your attention shifts between internal and external experiences. What are you noticing in your surroundings? What are you feeling inside?
Breathing Practice: Take a moment to practice breathing. Notice how your mind wanders and gently bring yourself back to center.
Emotional Tracking: Track your emotions and their intensity throughout the day. Notice how they ebb and flow, allowing yourself to experience the natural rhythm of your feelings.
Rhythmic Movement
Rhythmic movement helps regulate the nervous system by creating a predictable and calming pattern.
Swaying: Allow your body to sway back and forth naturally, moving at whatever pace and direction feels most comfortable.
Walking or Running: Go on a walk or run, allowing your body to fall into a rhythm that requires little thought or effort.
Playing an Instrument: Engage with an instrument, either by playing a song you know well or allowing yourself to flow freely with the music.
Visualization
Visualization is a powerful tool for calming the mind and body by focusing on peaceful and comforting images.
Safe Place Visualization: Picture a place in your mind that feels safe and calm. Notice how it looks, smells, sounds, and feels. Allow yourself to fully immerse in this peaceful environment.
Calm Photo: Keep a photo on hand or on your phone that reminds you of a time when you felt calm and content. Visualize what that moment felt like in your body.
Stress Release Visualization: As you breathe, visualize stress and tension slowly leaving your body. Picture yourself inhaling calm and peace, and notice what images come to mind.
Body Scan
A body scan involves moving your awareness through your body, noticing areas of tension and relaxation.
Full Body Scan: Find a comfortable position and move slowly from the top of your head to your toes, relaxing every part of your body as you go.
Check-In: Take a moment to check in with your body. Notice any sensations or areas of tension. Ask yourself what that part of your body needs to feel more safe or relaxed.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are a simple yet effective way to calm the nervous system and bring your mind and body into alignment.
Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds. This technique helps regulate your breathing and calm your nervous system.
Deep Breathing with Intention: Visualize exhaling stress and inhaling peace. This mindful approach to breathing can help you release tension and invite calm.
Belly Breaths: Place a hand on your belly and chest, noticing your diaphragm expand and contract as you breathe. Pay attention to each sensation and allow your body to relax with each breath.
Grounding Exercises
Grounding exercises help anchor you in the present moment, reducing anxiety and bringing a sense of calm.
Temperature Awareness: Run your hands under cold or warm water, noticing how the temperature feels. This simple act can help ground you in your physical sensations.
Fidgeting: Play with a fidget toy and notice what movements feel best. Engaging your hands can help redirect anxious energy.
Sensory Stimulation: Use candles or essential oils to stimulate your sense of smell. Scent can be a powerful way to bring yourself back to the present moment.
Mindful Eating or Drinking: Drink tea or eat a snack, pausing to notice the taste, temperature, and texture. This mindful approach can help ground you in the here and now.
How Embodied Therapy Group Can Help
At Embodied Therapy Group, our therapists are dedicated to helping clients develop coping skills, including techniques to regulate the nervous system. Whether you seek in-person counseling in Fort Collins, Colorado, or virtual therapy anywhere in Colorado, we are here to support you. Our practice focuses on providing trauma-informed care with expertise in working with individuals who have experienced religious trauma, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those in non-traditional relationships.
We emphasize the power of somatic and mindfulness-based therapy, helping clients connect with their bodies and cultivate inner peace. If you're ready to explore these techniques and improve your mental health, reach out to Embodied Therapy Group today. We're here to help you find balance and well-being.
