Nervous System Regulation: 21 Practical Exercises to CALM

Written By Ben Tannahill

These nervous system regulation exercises and techniques will help to bring you from a state of overwhelm back to the safe zone.

Use these tools when:

  • You feel anxiety and worry

  • Your thoughts are racing

  • Your body is nervous

  • Your nervous system is agitated

These tools are split into small groups:

Breathwork, touch, voice, body, sound, meditation, life & nutrition, people & nature.

BREATHWORK

1. 4-7-8 Breathing

Slow, deep breathing to reduce anxiety,
get to sleep, manage cravings and triggers

How To Do It:

  1. Empty your lungs

  2. Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds deep down in the belly

  3. Hold your breath for 7 seconds 

  4. Exhale through pursed lips making a ‘whoosh’ sound for 8 seconds

  5. Repeat for a few minutes

  6. Don’t worry if you don’t get the timing perfect. The ratio between breaths is more important than the number of seconds.

Helpful Resources:

2. Sitali / Cooling Breath

Cool and calm the body with this
tongue-based breathing exercise

How To Do It:

  1. Get comfortable and take a few deep breaths through your nose to prepare

  2. Roll your tongue and stick it out of your mouth

  3. Inhale deeply through your mouth like you’re drinking from a straw

  4. Focus on the cooling sensation of the breath on your tongue and into the body

  5. Pull your tongue back, close your mouth and exhale through the nose 

  6. Repeat for a few minutes

Helpful Resources:

3. Valsalva Manoeuvre

A technique to stimulate the vagus nerve,
inducing relaxation and slowing the heartrate

How To Do It:

  1. Pinch your nose tight and close your mouth (so no air escapes)

  2. Exhale forcefully, as if trying to inflate a balloon

  3. Hold for 10-15 seconds

Helpful Resources:

TOUCH

4. Self-Holding

Give yourself a hug! Feel the body as a container
of all sensations and to help settle them

How It Works:

These exercises were developed by Peter Levine to create a ‘settling’ feeling where we can feel ourselves held in a ‘container’, where emotions/sensations are less overwhelming.

How To Do It:

  1. Give yourself a hug: place one hand under the opposite arm and one hand on the upper part of the other arm

  2. Allow yourself to feel supported and contained

  3. Breathe slow and deep

  4. Pay attention to your body

  5. Watch to see if anything shifts: breathing, sensations, felt sense of the moment

  6. Sit with it as long as you like!

Helpful Resources:

5. Five Self-Calming Hand Positions

A series of hand positions to calm and
decrease activation in the nervous system

How It Works:

There are a variety of hand positions that are really wonderful for helping you feel held and contained as well as calming the system. 

You can use any of these in sequence or on their own. If you don't like one of them, feel free to replace it with something else or move on.

The 5 Hand Positions:

  1. One hand on each side of your head 

  2. One hand on your forehead one on the back of your head

  3. One hand on your forehead and one on your heart

  4. One hand on your heart and one on your belly

  5. One hand on your solar plexus and one at the base of your skull

How To Do It:

  1. Get comfortable and take a few deep breaths

  2. Take each hand position in turn, holding each for a few minutes (the whole thing should take about 15 minutes)

  3. Feel yourself being held; the sense of support

  4. Go slowly, taking slow, controlled breaths

  5. Notice the shifting felt sense of your experience as you go through the steps

Or throughout the day you can simply take your favourite hand position when you are feeling overwhelmed or agitated and hold that for 5-10 minutes.

You could even include some breathing techniques as well or do some sighing/yawning/hissing/humming/singing as you hold the position.

VOICE

6. Conscious Humming

Using voice and vibrations to reduce stress and anxiety

How To Do It:

  1. Find a comfortable spot, sitting or lying.

  2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths

  3. Put your fingers in your ears! 

  4. Start humming: either spontaneously or a favourite tune

  5. Keep your focus on the sound of humming and bring your attention back if you get distracted

  6. Hum for 10-15 minutes

Helpful Resources:

7. Yawning and Sighing

Yawns and sighs stretch the vagus nerve
(which controls relaxation) and relax your muscles

How To Do It:

  1. Give a big yawn. Go for it like you’re gonna win the lottery if you yawn big enough

  2. Lift hands above head and stretch outwards and upwards 

  3. Sigh on the exhale, being quite noisy about it 

  4. Maybe shake a bit, letting go of any tension

  5. Repeat!

Helpful Resources:

BODY

8. Progressive Body Relaxation

Move through your body, bit by bit, tensing muscles as you
breathe in and relaxing them as you breathe out

How To Do It:

  1. Breathe in, tensing the first muscle group tightly (but not to the point of pain) and hold for 3-5 seconds 

  2. Breathe out, completely relaxing the muscle group suddenly (not gradually)

  3. Notice the difference in energy as you wait 10 to 20 seconds for the next muscle group

  4. Repeat with the next muscle groups moving through your entire body.

    Recommended Order of Muscle Relaxation: 

    • Hands, wrists/forearms, biceps/upper arms, shoulders, forehead, eyes/nose, cheeks/jaws, mouth, back of the neck, front of the neck, chest, back, stomach, hips/buttocks, thighs, lower legs (source)

Helpful Resources:

9. Yin Yoga

A slow, restorative style of yoga with postures
that are held for longer periods of time

How It Works:

Yin is a great class for beginners. The classes are relaxed and relaxing, as you let gravity do most of the work.

The point is not to ‘stretch’ your muscles per se, but to foster harmony in body and mind by slowing down and paying attention to our body, our breath and our emotions.

Guided Yin Yoga Classes on YouTube:

10. Qi Gong

Integrate posture, movement, breathing, and meditation
for physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing

How It Works:

‘Qi Gong’ means ‘energy work’. The idea is to harness Qi—the life force—by opening energy pathways and moving energy around with thought and movement.

Guided Qi Gong Routines:

Helpful Resources:

11. Walking

A surprisingly deep and varied wellspring of wisdom and calm

Different Ways of Walking:

Don’t be fooled into thinking walking is ‘just walking’. There are many different kinds of walking that have different effects.

My Personal Tips For Excellent Walking:

  • Make it aimless: don’t try to get anywhere

  • Follow your nose: if you see an interesting nook somewhere, explore it! 

  • Stay mindful: keep your senses focused onward on the sights and sounds of life

  • Mix up where you walk: fresh places engage the mind 

  • Go walking at different times: try day, night, rain and shine 

SOUND

12. Sound Bath

Using the power of sound to enter into a deep, relaxing meditative state 

How It Works:

A meditative experience where you are bathed in the sounds from bowls, gongs, chimes, percussion and the like. They can last between 30 minutes and several hours. 

The best are in-person sound bathes, do some Googling :). But there are some online versions below to get you started.

Online Sound Baths:

Helpful Resources:

13. Autonomous Sensory
Meridian Response (ASMR)

Relaxation and tingles triggered by whispered words and repetitive sounds

How It Works:

ASMRtists record the soothing sounds of papping, crackling, crinkling, scrunching, stroking, whispering...all recorded with super sensitive microphones.

Weird, yet utterly relaxing.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Top ‘ASMRtists’:

14. Words of Wisdom and
Spiritual Readings

Wisdom from throughout the ages give us
the fortitude to deal with difficult circumstances

I have found words of wisdom and spiritual readings to be surprisingly comforting when life is at its bleakest!

Spiritual readings and teachings:

MEDITATION

15. Mindfulness

Non-judgemental awareness of the contents of your experience 

Important Note on Meditation and Trauma:

For some people, especially those with trauma, meditation can be very difficult as they are attempting to sit with a lot of survival stress in their system. This can do more harm than good or can even feel very unsafe. In this case, it is advisable to either find a different spiritual practice (perhaps something more physical like yoga) or to find specific trauma-informed meditations (check out Roland Bal or David Treleaven, for example).

How to Do It:

There are many different mindfulness techniques. Below is a very basic set of instructions that are helpful for calming the nervous system alongside some guided meditations.

  1. Settle down somewhere comfortable and take a few deep breaths 

  2. Open your attention up to the present moment 

  3. As best you can, let your experience be exactly as it is 

  4. Be a container for the thoughts, feelings and sensations in your experience

  5. If you find yourself getting lost in thought, just notice and come back to open awareness

  6. There is no goal, just an intention to stay present with what is

Guided Mindfulness Meditations:

Helpful Resources:

16. Concentration / Breath Meditation

Using your breath as the object of meditation to build concentration

How It Works:

This is a form of meditation that builds concentration by focusing on a single object: your breath. 

How to Do It:

  1. Settle down comfortably and take a few deep breaths to relax

  2. Focus your attention on the sensation of your breathing (either the feeling of the air moving past the nostrils or your abdomen moving up and down or anywhere you can feel it clearly).

  3. Keep your attention on the sensation of the breath as best you can

  4. When you get distracted, simply notice and gently return to the sensation of the breath

  5. If you want, you can count your breaths, starting again every time you get distracted

  6. Continue for 10-15 minutes

Guided Breath Meditations:

17. Mantra Meditation

Focusing on a repeat syllable word or phrase to
make the mind one-pointed and present

How to Do It:

  1. Choose a mantra that suits you. You can use anything, but here are some classics:

    1. Aum or Om: the universal vibration

    2. Om mani padme hum: a Tibetan Buddhist mantra

    3. Invoke the attribute you want to cultivate, e.g. calm, joy, peace etc.

    4. Ram

  2. Repeat the mantra in your mind (not too fast!) 

  3. Keep your attention on the mantra, watching it arise, disappear and arise again

  4. Whenever you get lost in thought, come back to the mantra

  5. This can be done in sitting meditation or during the day

Guided Meditation:

Further Instructions and Resources:

LIFESTYLE & NUTRITION

18. Sit By Water!

Humans are naturally drawn to water,
which has a profoundly calming effect

How It Works:

People who live by the coast are healthier and spending time near water counteracts the depression and anxiety created by modern, tech-fuelled lifestyles. 

The combination of vast expanses of water and the rustling white noise of the waves shrinks our self-centred ego and places our attention instead on the movement of life itself. 

19. Anxiety-Reducing Foods

Foods scientifically proven to reduce anxiety

How It Works:

Many foods are scientifically proven to reduce anxiety. You are what you eat, after all.

Foods That Reduce Anxiety:

So get stuck into a dark-chocolate-drizzled salmon yoghurt!

PEOPLE & NATURE

20. Co-Regulation with Friends/Family/Partners

Nature gifted us the most powerful ‘regulation technique’: other people 

How It Works:

Humans evolved to be hyper-social and to need connections to others.

Other people who make us feel safe influence our nervous systems, bringing us back to a state of rest and connection.

This is nature’s way of regulating our nervous system and is utterly foundational!

Hallmarks of Most Excellent Co-Regulation:

  • Warm, calming presence

  • Safe, welcoming tone of voice 

  • Verbal acknowledgement of distress

  • Physical attunement and mirroring

  • Eye contact  

  • Ability to hold space

  • Lack of judgement

How to Do It:

  • Reach out to others. Even if you don’t feel like it

  • Build a support network or join support groups

  • Notice if you are starting to isolate

  • Notice mental blocks to connection (negative inner voice, projection etc.)

Helpful Resources:

21. Hug. Hug. Hug.

Hugs build the sense of safety that is critical for emotional healing 

How It Works:

Hugs creates a sense of trust and safety, relieves stress, blood pressure, relaxes the body and strengthens the immune system. Among a million other benefits. Get hugging!

BUT! I find lots of people today are kind of rubbish huggers. They go in, give you a weak squeeze and retreat as soon as they can. 

Don’t get me started on the light back tappy thing. This is the hugging equivalent of getting a takeaway that’s all rice and no sauce!

How to Do a Proper Hug:

  1. Grab someone (who you know!) and give them a proper squeeze

  2. Hold and breathe! Feel them! 

  3. Don’t do the light tappy thing on the back - it’s a sign of inauthenticity in the hug (a firm slap, however is encouraged)

  4. Hold for 20 seconds or longer to allow the bonding hormone oxytocin to get in on the action!  

Helpful Resources:

Get The Full Nervous System Regulation MEGA-TOOLKIT

115 Super-Practical Tools, Techniques, Skills and Practices

The tools in the article above are just one chapter of my FREE Nervous System Regulation MEGA-TOOLKIT.

This toolkit contains 115 tools that, along with a sprinkling of self-compassion, can help you to:

  • Calm anxious and fearful states 😨

  • Engage and uplift depressed states 🔥

  • Connect to your mind, body and spirit 🌳

  • Release emotional wounds 💨

  • Uncover the root of painful emotions 🔎

  • Gain greater emotional self-understanding 👋

  • Live in greater freedom and authenticity 🙏

  • Develop self-trust, self-acceptance and self-love ❤️

Ben Tannahill https://www.drunkenbuddha.net
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