Nervous System Regulation | Soothe Your Nervous System with Simple Techniques

The end of the year is approaching, and I try to be mindful of myself. Not to let myself get carried away by everything that needs to be done, caught up, concluded, and handled. All that we think must be done before the next session begins... to give your family a fantastic Christmas! We hear immediately how this sounds, exhausted before one has finished writing this sentence.

Nervous system regulation is trendy, but it's a good term. It hints that we can actively do something to regulate our own well-being. More and more people are seeking simple ways to find calm in everyday life. For me, it's about habits and rituals to invite softness and presence. I also see it as an exploration of techniques that actually affect our nervous system. It is possible to regulate the nervous system. I have felt it myself. Suddenly, a shift happens within me. Calmness and warmth spread.

The first thing that struck me was a strong insight from last spring when I again felt exhausted. I realized I was so tired of being exhausted. I was so tired that I finally felt that I was done with being exhausted. I am not naive. I also know that we are organisms that merge with other organisms. I can protect myself, but at the same time, I am affected by you and everyone else who is affected by something greater than ourselves. But I still concluded that I will stop thinking the thought that I am exhausted.

The next step I have spent a lot of time on is trying to remember the moments when I experienced the shift within me. The moments when I actually felt my nervous system calm down. I experienced them as magical, only to then fall into oblivion.

Here is my list of techniques and rituals that affect my nervous system. These are techniques often mentioned in connection with increased recovery: vagus nerve-inspired exercises, warmth and the power of herbs, and focusing on the hips. All these techniques are also free. Enjoy

What is nervous system regulation
When people talk about regulating their nervous system, it often involves finding ways to transition from an agitated state to a more relaxed one. This can involve slow breaths, quiet moments, or returning to the body through movement. The goal is not performance, but a feeling of softness and flow.

The Vagus Nerve | Hum your way to relaxation
Have you tried using techniques for the vagus nerve, the nerve often associated with the body's rest and digest system? Slow exhalations, gentle humming, and a moment with cold water on your face are examples of techniques that many describe as centering. Try humming for a while. You will feel a vibration that affects the vagus nerve.

Very exciting and very simple technique we can do ourselves.

Research has studied the vagus nerve and found the greatest effect on rheumatism, but other inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, and Crohn's disease may also be treated in the future by stimulating certain nerves.

– This is already being done in clinical studies. Just a short activation of the vagus nerve is enough to achieve a long-lasting effect on inflammation, says Peder Olofsson, professor of bioelectronic medicine at Karolinska Institutet.

Warmth and Herbs for transformation
Warmth has been a central issue for me and strangely enough a great revelation. What I want when I'm stressed is warmth. It can be warm socks. It can be a warm blanket. It can be starting a fire and drinking a good herbal tea. Then I realized that I should, of course, maximize all these and use them together. Socks, blanket, heating pad, warm tea, and a crackling fire. It has a very quick effect on my nervous system.

In other contexts, I have brought up the importance of getting to know oneself based on properties such as energy. Is your organism cold or warm? Is it hot or dry? If your organism inherently has warm qualities, you will not want to add warmth as I gladly do. But to fundamentally understand my own organism and that it needs plenty of warmth, that has been of great help.

My choice of herbs falls on warming herbs in combination with mild sedatives. I don't want sedating herbs. If I were to brew myself an infusion of herbs today, my choice would fall on scullcap, chamomile, rosehip, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Once the infusion has steeped, I pour a cup with a teaspoon of honey.

Herbal tea has been used for generations as a ritual for calm and peace. Herbs such as scullcap, chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender are often found in evening blends. Many use herbal tea as a way to wind down for the evening and create a softer rhythm.

I have also written about how herbal oils can be used externally to create calm and peace. For example, a calendula oil made from calendula and sesame oil when the calendula was in its prime in the summer. An oil filled with warmth and scent. I pour some of my calendula oil into a glass jar and gently warm it in a water bath. The calendula oil becomes warm and pliable when I rub my body with it. Read how to make your own calendula oil here.

Warmth is one of the most intuitive forms of comfort and security. A heating pad over the stomach, chest, or shoulders can create a feeling of enveloping softness. What do you prefer, cold or warmth?

Hip movements and dance
During periods of stress, I have automatically started to focus on moving my hips more. The first time I experienced a liberating power was at a yin yoga class in Gamla stan, Stockholm. I snuck away for a moment of recovery and entered a warm cave in a basement in Gamla stan. Very still movements with an emphasis on the hips. The effect came the next day. Suddenly, I was no longer in my head but felt softness and presence in my hips. A shift had occurred.

With the help of Anna from Läketrädgården, I have received many tips regarding migraines and tension. What recurs is the importance of relaxing the hips. For example, through child's pose, you probably know it from yoga.

Another way I use at home is to dance, and my choice easily falls on bachata. Simple steps. One, two, three, bend. I don't just think it's because I'm shifting my focus elsewhere; I notice that the movement of my hips more actively makes my organism shift and transform.

Dance is used in many cultures as a way to release tension and reconnect with the body. Hip-based movements, in particular, recur in traditions worldwide. Although there is no specific research that hips themselves create nervous system calm, many describe that rhythmic hip and pelvic movements help them release thoughts and land in the present moment. It is often the flow itself, the rhythm, and the body contact that gives a feeling of relaxation.

How do you balance your nervous system?
The nervous system is affected by more than just stress and everyday pace. You can use these and many other techniques that actually have an effect, even when you are very agitated. My way is through the vagus nerve, warmth, herbs, and dance.

How do you do it?