The best way to keep your nervous system balanced and regulated is not to avoid all stressful activities. Given that some stress builds resilience, one is best off creating a daily routine of positive, supportive habits and practicing discernment. Here are 9 ways you can regulate your nervous system daily:
Exposure to full spectrum sunlight in the morning causes our bodies to produce serotonin, which not only helps maintain our circadian rhythm and improves sleep, but improves mood throughout the day.
Engage in moderate exercise for at least 10 minutes a day. This produces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNR), which in essence is miracle-grow for the brain.
Engage in social face-to-face play with others as this engages the social engagement system part of the nervous system that the body associates with safety and calm.
Practise daily stillness, such as meditation or Tai Chi to down regulate the nervous system and to familiarize it with the Stillness state.
Wind down at an appropriate time every evening and maximize sleep in order to help your body rest and repair. Similarly, avoid eating within 3 hours of bedtime so that the body is not digesting food when it is best off prioritizing rest and repair.
Avoid stressful online content including the news and social media or limit these to just a few minutes a day.
Avoid social interactions that feel frustrating or draining to avoid the “emotional contagion” effect of your nervous system. This is when it automatically absorbs the emotional state of other people.
Complete a daily BALANCE exercise to maintain nervous system balance. This helps reduce allostatic load buildup and brings the body back into the Ventral Vagal rest and digest state.
Engage in a somatic releasing or BALANCE practise when you are experiencing the buildup of negative emotions. Focus on the emotion as you are doing the exercise to clear it out of the body.
By engaging in these simple daily practices and discernment that balances the nervous system, the body most often will take care of the rest.
Loren is Co-CEO at NEUROFIT, and a Master Somatics + Business Coach with a decade of experience coaching thousands of clients worldwide.
After facing years of chronic stress, burnout, and nervous system dysregulation after a loss in her family, she launched NEUROFIT as a fast, effective and accessible solution to these challenges.