Ep 45: 65 Strategies to Calm your Nervous System

This is a very special episode because I think we all need some strategies right about now! Get your journal and jot these down!  Whether you're listening for the first time or you've come back to this episode when you have a chance to sit for a moment, this list of strategies to help soothe your nervous system & can be utilized whenever you need them. 

You could be at home or out with friends. Some of these you can do without anyone around you, knowing what you're even up to,  because sometimes you feel the most stressed when you're not alone. 

The busiest time of year is approaching with holidays, family celebrations, elections, and so forth, so you just might get a little stressed out. 

So I'm glad to offer you this list of stress, reducing practices just for you. Pick one or pick a few, try them out and notice what happens.

Transcript

Yeti Stereo Microphone: 0:00

This is a very special episode and I would love it. If you take notes on this one. Whether you're listening for the first time or you've come back to this episode when you have a chance to sit for a moment. This list of strategies to Sue the nervous system can be utilized whenever you need them. You could be at home or out with friends. Some of these you can do without anyone around you, knowing what you're even up to. And I love that because sometimes we feel the most stressed when we're not alone. We're coming up on the busiest time of year with holidays, family celebrations, elections, and so forth. You just might get a little stressed out. So I'm glad to offer you this list of stress, reducing practices just for you. Pick one or pick a few, try them out and notice what happens.

0:58

Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright, and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you if you're a yoga teacher, you're looking for support, you love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business, and helpful ideas, tools, strategies, and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you want to dive deep and set yourself up for success. I'm so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now, let's do this together.

Yeti Stereo Microphone-1: 2:07

Welcome back to the podcast. And if you're new here, welcome to you. This is a really special episode and I would love it. If you take notes on this one, whether you're listening for the first time. Or you've come back to this episode. When you have a chance to sit for a moment, this list of strategies to Sue the nervous system. I can be utilized wherever you need them. You could be at home or out with friends. Some of these you can do without anyone around you, knowing what you're up to. And I love that because we feel the most stressed sometimes when we're not alone. I put together this list of 65 ideas to Sue the nervous system. To help you find ways to restore balance. Reduce stress and promote overall wellbeing. Your nervous system, particularly the autonomic nervous system. Plays a crucial role in regulating bodily functions like heart rate. Digestion and how we respond to stress. However, when it gets overwhelmed by stress trauma or chronic tension, It can stay in a heightened state of alertness, which leads to issues like anxiety, insomnia. Digestive problems and even chronic pain. The strategies I'm sharing, focus on calming the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers the stress response and activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and healing, helping your body return to its natural state of balance. These 65 strategies address both physical and emotional stress and are important because you learn through experiencing the outcomes. That they will teach you how to regulate your stress responses and become more aware of your body's needs. Practices like breath work, gentle movement. Sensory grounding techniques and mindfulness are incredibly powerful in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. But I've got some unconventional techniques as well. When you lower your heart rate. Reduce muscle tension and encourage your body's natural healing processes. You have the potential to prevent chronic stress from turning into burnout, anxiety, or other health issues. When you feel stressed or upregulated, try practicing these strategies to help maintain the balance we need in today's fast paced world. So let's get into it. What are the specific things you can do to calm a dysregulated nervous system? I'm just going to go through the list and I might add that they are in no particular order. All right. Number one. Go for a long drive and listen to your favorite music. Number two. Jump on a trampoline. Number three. Get readings or do angel card or tarot card readings. Number four. Splash your face with cold water. Number five. Drive through a carwash. Number six guided meditation, also known as yoga nidra. Number seven EFT tapping. This is emotional freedom technique tapping. Where you tap on different areas of your body. Number eight. Taken Uber instead of driving in traffic. Number nine. Body shaking. I lie down and shake. To move energy throughout your body. Number 10. Dance, whether it's in public or private, it doesn't matter. Dan's like no one is watching you. Number 11. Watch old movies or your favorite movies? Interstellar is my favorite movie of all time. And it always puts me in a calm state of being. Number 12. Take a long nap. Emphasis on long. So a nap like three plus hours, enough time. For you to get into a deep sleep. Number 13. Humming. The vibrations from humming stimulate the Vegas nerve and promote relaxation. Number 14. Clean or organize. Whether it's one room or it's your whole house. I definitely do this when I'm stressed out. Number 15. Retail therapy. Okay. Be responsible, right. But treat yourself to something you've always wanted. Number 16. Go for a walk. Just leave your front door and walk somewhere, whether you're in a big city or a small town. Number 17. Get off social media. Right away. Just the idea of that is a calming. Number 18. Listen to white noise. It could be. A thunder storm. It could just be regular white noise. It could be birds humming, but just listen to noise in the background. Number 19. Cry. Sometimes we think crying is taboo, or we shouldn't be crying to get through some of our stress and our trauma, but crying can definitely help you release. Number 20. Grounding take your shoes and your socks off and stand in the grass, the dirt, or even sand. Number 21. Talk to your inner child. What would you say to your seven year old self? How might you comfort them, knowing what you know now. Number 22. Take a bath or a shower. With all the lights off. And in candlelight, it's so calming. I definitely recommend this one. Number 23. Put on some clean cotton pajamas. Feels amazing. Number 24. Connect with animals or your pets just spend some time. Stroking their hair or rubbing their ears. And see how they respond to you. Number 25. Play a racket sport. Number 26. Go for a run. Number 27, take a hot bath and add bubbles. If you can tolerate them. Number 28. Do some brain play like crossword puzzles, word searches. My favorite. Some people like, so duke who. Do something to help nourish your brain? Number 29. Go outside and just be, don't worry about walking or running or doing anything. Just be outside. Number 30, do a breathing meditation. A guided meditation. That's focused on your breath and breathing. Number 31. Get a weighted blanket for your bed or your sofa. Number 32. Be around a body of water, just so in the nature. Number 33. EMDR that's eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing. You could find a professional to help guide you with this. Number 34. Journal. Number 35. Paint or color, you can find coloring books all over the place. Now. Number 36. Lounge in a hammock. Number 37. Sit in the sun. Number 38. Enjoy the sauna or the steam room. Number 39, listen to bilateral stimulation music. You typically listen with headphones and the sound moves from one ear to the other. It's helpful with processing stress and trauma. Number 40. Bed ride. Have you heard of this? My daughters introduced me to bed rotting and it's literally what it sounds like. You just get in the bed. And you rot my favorite days and times to bed. Right? Our Saturday afternoons in the middle of winter. It might be. Snowing outside or frigid cold. But those are my favorite days to do this. Number 41. Read a good book. Number 42. How about solo karaoke? Turn up your music and sing your heart away. It's so therapeutic. Number 43 go horseback riding. Number 44. Uh, butterfly hug. This is a tapping method, which is also a bilateral stimulation exercise, where you alternate tapping the right and left sides of your body. Number 45. Crochet knit or so these are super calming and therapeutic. Number 46. Hiking or nature walks. So these are slightly different than just taking a walk here. You immerse yourself in nature outside of the city. Number 47. Go for a bike ride. Number 48. Breathing techniques in yoga, we call it and it can be effective for some. So try them out. Number 49. Place an ice pack on your chest. I know this one sounds kind of crazy, but try it out and see how it feels for you. Number 50, do a full body cold plunge. This also sounds like yikes. I would be freezing, but it has so many benefits for your body. Number 51. Hug a tree. Number 52. Go swimming. You could either do laps or just float either. One's fine. Number 53. Body scan meditations, focus on awareness of specific body parts throughout the meditation. Number 54. Just slow down. Whatever it is that you're doing. Can you do it slower? Number 55. Sound baths. These can be calming for some, some includes singing bows and others include instruments. That mimic nature sounds. Number 56. Cook or bake something. Don't worry. If you don't know how, just find a recipe and follow it. Bonus points. If you share what you made with someone special, even your neighbor. 57. Garden. Get your hands in dirt. And if you don't have a yard. Get some plants. Number 58 is a yoga pose. That's called legs up the wall. And if you don't have an available wall, you can lie down and put your lower legs up on a couch. This does wonders to help calm you down. Number 59. Restorative practices. Any kind, it could be yoga or another modality, whatever makes you feel good. Number 60. At a central oils in a diffuser. My favorites are lemon and lemon grass like clean since. And I love when I walked through my home and notice how pleasant it smells. Number 61. this is part of my daily self care routine. I love taking five minutes in the evening just for me. Number 62. Jumping jacks. These big movements help to get the energy moving around in your body. Number 63. Wash your hair. This was also big on my self-care routine. I enjoyed taking care of my hair and I treat it as it's a gift to myself. Number 64, create a custom music playlist full of your own favorite songs. I have songs from different genres that I love to hear each and every time I play them. And I always smile whenever I hear those songs. And number 65. Drink something hot. Whether it's tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. It'll force you to slow down. Here's a bonus. Smile more. We can all do that. It takes little effort and it'll make you feel good on the inside too. A key element of these strategies is the focus on sensory awareness. These tips are all about reconnecting with your body and staying present, which is crucial for calming the nervous system. Sensory based activities like listening to calming music, practicing mindfulness with nature sounds or lying under a weighted blanket. Help your brain focus on safe, soothing stimuli. Breaking the cycle of stress or overwhelm. Grounding exercises can help to pull you out of your head and into your body helping to reduce anxiety or emotional distress in the moment. Many of these strategies highlight the importance of self care and rest. In our busy lives, we often forget how essential regular downtime is for our nervous system. We often hear messages like go hard or go home or multitasking is the way to go. Instead, you must for the health of your nervous system. Make time to slow down. Suggestions like taking breaks, engaging in creative activities and getting enough sleep are simple, but vital for giving your nervous system. The rest it needs. Learning and practicing how to consciously unwind and create space for recovery sets you up for longterm nervous system health. And resilience. I love talking about ways to regulate your nervous system. In addition to yoga practices, there are so many ways you can find nervous system balance. Or at least learn effective ways to climb down from fight flight and freeze and find your bridge to rest, digest and recover. I hope that this episode sparks some deeper thought around ideas that you can incorporate into your life. To help you wind down. When you feel upregulated, I've added a link in the show notes for you to send me a quick text message about your thoughts on this episode or any other. I won't know your phone number. It's just a neat addition to the platform I use that allows for this new and really easy way for you to communicate with me. Once you click on it, it will take you to your messages. Don't delete the code. That's how your message will get to me. And I would love to know your thoughts on this topic. I love diving into these conversations because there are so many important discussions to be had in the teaching world. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life and allow it to be fulfilling and rewarding. The ability to take care of yourself while you care for so many of your students. Is important too. If you love this episode, let me know, subscribe to the podcast. So you're always in the know when a new episode drops and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. Thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. And if you've been taking notes in your journal, as you listen to these episodes, I'm so glad you are. And I'd love to hear about it. Now don't forget to download the e-book sequencing for different injuries. The link is in the show notes, and I promise you, it will help you form a foundation for teaching students with injuries. And it'll be a great resource for you to return to again and again. Finally, if you download the ebook, you'll be joined in my newsletter. That's just for yoga teachers. I've got more exciting teachings coming soon. So I want to share those with you. The link is in the show notes below, and I would love for you to join it so we can always stay connected. All right, that's it for now? Bye.

20:24

Mhm.