These days, simply existing can feel like running a marathon while juggling flaming swords. Between endless phone notifications, unpredictable world events, and, well, life in general, our nervous systems are pushed to the max. We spend more time in a stressed response, versus being relaxed and at rest.
The good news? You don’t need to escape to a silent retreat or go on an eat, pray, love journey to get a sense of calm and clarity. The body is wise. And it comes equipped with built-in tools to help you reset your nervous system—tools that are free, gentle, and surprisingly effective when practiced consistently.
Here are five of my favorite ways to soothe your nervous system, returning it to a parasympathetic state—no yoga mat, voyage to the Himalayas, or fancy device required. Just simple, practical actions.
1. Humming: Your Inner Tuning Fork
Yes, humming. As in what many mammas do in rocking chairs when soothing their babies. This simple sound-making habit activates the vagus nerve (the queen of rest-and-digest), helps regulate your heartbeat, and can gently shift your body out of stress mode.
Try this:
Close your mouth, inhale through your nose, and hum softly on the exhale. Aim for 5–10 rounds. Play with pitch. Feel the vibration in your chest, face, and sinuses. Bonus points if you add a hand to your heart or belly for grounding.
Also try different sounds. Hum, then try OM, Ong, or Ahhhhhh. See what works best!
2. Eye Movements
If you start looking around the room while paying attention to your eye movements, you might notice that they are darting from object to object. Maybe moving rapidly from one place to another. Our eyes scan for threat, so it’s important to be able to do that. But these days, our bodies and brains think EVERYTHING is a threat.
When we guide our eyes with intention, we can help signal safety to the brain, which triggers the parasympathetic nervous system. Slow, rhythmic horizontal eye movements (like those used in EMDR therapy) are known to calm the limbic system and reduce anxiety.
Try this:
Without moving your head, slowly look left, hold for 30 seconds, then look right, hold for 30 seconds. Don’t strain here. This isn’t an Olympic event. If your eyes are strained, gently come back in a little bit. Repeat once again. You can pair this with slow breathing or soft music. It’s like a lullaby for your overcaffeinated amygdala.
3. Breathwork
You’ve probably heard “just breathe” more times than you care to count. But when done with intention, slow breathing really can be your body’s built-in stress reliever. The trick is to make your exhale longer than your inhale, which helps nudge your system into parasympathetic calm.
Try this:
Inhale through the nose for 4 counts, exhale through the nose for 8. You can also try a box breath: inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4. This one has a balancing effect. Set your timer for 10 minutes and breathe!
4. Grounding: Get Your Feet Dirty
When your thoughts are spiraling and you are living in your head, grounding helps tether you back to earth. The goal is to reorient your senses to the here and now—and remind your brain that all is well in this moment.
Try this:
Go outside and place your bare feet on the grass, in the sand, or whatever surface is available to you. (If it’s winter, ok, just take off your shoes and stand inside on your warm floor.) Press them down with awareness. Feel the texture, temperature, where your feet are contacting the ground. Look down at your feet and notice the texture of the surface you are standing on. Notice the color, notice the density. Close your eyes, notice anything you smell, name anything you hear. Take 10 minutes and just BE.
5. Mindful Movement: Slow Is the New Strong
When we are stressed, our instinct is to do something fast—run, go to a Zumba class, scrub the baseboards. We end up like a charging bull. However, slow, intentional, micro movements release stored tension instead of amping everything up. So while you feel like running, what you need is to slow down.
Try this:
Lie on your back on a yoga mat, sofa, or bed with knees bent and soles of feet on whatever surface you are lying on. With an inhale, slowly arch your lower back so that your pelvic bone tips forward just a little bit. On an exhale, come back to a neutral spine. It’s like doing mini cat-cows lying down. Do this for 5 minutes, then try making slow, little hip circles while still lying down. Reverse direction. Movement doesn’t have to be “exercise” to be medicine.
The Bottom Line
Your nervous system isn’t broken—it’s just working overtime in a very loud, very fast, very noisy world. These gentle practices are like whispering “you’re safe now” to your body. And over time, they build resilience, clarity, and yes, can restore your sanity.
About the Author
Lore Goldstein is a licensed psychotherapist, 200HR Kundalini yoga instructor, 200HR meditation teacher, and Level 3 AYAMA™ (Applied Yoga Anatomy & Muscle Activation) practitioner. She supports people in their journey to eliminating persistent back, sciatica, hip, knee, and shoulder pain, as well as releasing any unhelpful emotional energy for greater peace, joy, and fulfillment in life. www.loregoldstein.com
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