How to calm the nervous system

Most of us experience times when we feel completely overwhelmed. In these situations, it might seem like we’ll never be able to calm ourselves down.

When we feel this way, people may say something like “My nerves are shot.” While this is likely intended to be a metaphor for feeling stressed or anxious, there is actually a biological connection between our nerves (or nervous system) and our feelings of overwhelm.

The good news is that we can control parts of our nervous system, bringing us from a state of anxiety into a place of calm. 

My name is Robyn Gray, and I’m a somatic therapist, meaning that I use a body-based approach to help people on their healing journey. I’m also a yoga and meditation instructor, so I’m a strong believer in the power of the mind-body connection.

Here, I’ll touch on the relationship between anxiety and the nervous system. I’ll also give you my tips for how to calm the nervous system, including exercises you can try today.

If you’re looking for a more tailored approach, head to my meditations shop and check out the meditations I’ve created to target several different needs. You can find additional meditations and mind-body exercises on my Insight Timer page.

The nervous system’s role in calming

Our nervous system has many different roles and functions, but for the sake of this article, we’ll focus on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

Our SNS is mainly responsible for our body’s “flight,  fight or freeze” response. It is constantly looking for input to detect danger--real or perceived--in order to keep us safe.

On the other hand, the PNS is responsible for our body’s “rest and digest” response. This is the part of our nervous system that calms our body--the part we want to activate when we’re feeling particularly stressed.

The vagus nerve is the main nerve within our PNS. It helps to regulate many important bodily functions, including breathing and heart rate. By stimulating our vagus nerve, we can help regulate the body functions that contribute to our feelings of anxiety (increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and more).

Tips to calm the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve

It can be incredibly empowering to learn that we can control our body’s reactions to stress. These “bottom-up” approaches (focusing on the mind-body connection) are some simple ways to stimulate the vagus nerve which, in turn, calms our nervous system and helps us feel less anxious.

Take a cold shower

Even though it may seem counterintuitive, exposure to cold actually activates your vagus nerve. While your body adjusts to the sudden shift in temperature, activity from your SNS decreases as activity from your PNS (including the vagus nerve) increases.

If taking a cold shower is out of the question, you can achieve the same effect with other methods. Try splashing some cold water on your face, stepping outside in chilly weather, or holding an ice cube.

Sing or hum a song

When we sing, hum, or even gargle, we use the muscles at the back of the throat. These muscles are connected to the vagus nerve, so using them can send our brain the message to relax. 

Plus, singing or humming your favorite song is bound to spark a little joy in and of itself.

Breathing exercises

Since the vagus nerve is involved in regulating our breath, we can use breathing exercises to stimulate this nerve and send our brain the signal to relax. There are many different breathing exercises out there, so it’s important to find one that works for you. 

In general, I encourage you to sit quietly and try to deepen your breath. It can be helpful to inhale, hold, and exhale to a certain count—say, 4-7-8—or simply focus on making your exhale longer than your inhale. It can also feel comforting and grounding to rest one hand on the heart and one hand on the belly when breathing for an added layer of calm.

No matter which kind of breathing exercise works for you, it can be useful to incorporate a technique called ocean breath (from the Sanskrit Ujjayi breathing). In this kind of breath, you simply constrict the back of your throat when you exhale, as if you were fogging up a mirror. You can breathe like this with your mouth open or closed. This helps to further stimulate the vagus nerve and help your body relax.

Engage in meditation

Meditating is another way to incorporate breath work, which we know helps to calm the nervous system.

In meditation, we grow our awareness of the mind and body. This awareness helps us to recognize when we feel overwhelmed, then intentionally act in the opposite direction by slowing down and taking time to calm down. 

Through meditation, you can learn how to observe your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without reacting to them. By growing the space between sensation and reaction, we can have a greater understanding and mastery of our mind and body.

I craft meditations that focus on specific things, like sleep, chronic pain, and inner child work. Each bundle of meditations is infused with my years of professional experience as a somatic therapist, as well as things I’ve learned on my own healing journey. 

Learn more about my meditations by clicking here.

Practice a yoga sequence or mindful movement

Yoga is a great way to help you achieve a calm nervous system. Practicing yoga involves breathwork, and deep breathing can stimulate the PNS as we discussed above. 

Moderate exercise—such as yoga—also helps us regulate our nervous system. Engaging in regular physical activity can help reduce our baseline level of stress and anxiety, which can make “flare-ups” more manageable when they do happen.

Not into yoga? That’s OK! You don’t have to force a yoga practice if it’s not your jam. Instead, focus on finding movement that you enjoy and incorporate a mindful approach by focusing on your breath and body sensations - utilizing an “interoception” lens in your practice, meaning bringing an awareness to your internal sensations while engaging in the movement.

If you need a quick release and re-set for your nervous system, get up and shake and/or dance. Seriously, this works quickly and helps release tension, cortisol and adrenalin form your nervous system, which helps release stress and tension from the body and mind. Animals naturally shake after they have a stressor and it helps them not get stuck in a fight, flight or freeze state. As humans, we tend to judge and prevent ourselves from engaging in this natural tendency to shake after a stressful experience. By incorporating shaking and dancing into your self-care routine, you can help release old traumas and shift into a more grounded state.

Achieve a calm nervous system with the help of my meditations

If you’re unsure about how to begin calming your nervous system, start by checking out my meditations. I have designed each bundle of meditations for different needs so you can choose whichever one resonates with your experience. You can also begin your healing journey by exploring my meditations on Insight TImer.