Your nervous system is in control of everything you do. It plays a part in the way you think, feel, and act. You might not always be aware of it, but this never stops working for you.
Regulated vs Dysregulated Nervous System
When your nervous system is regulated, everything just feels simpler. There’s less physical tension in your body, you experience less anxiety, your base state is happiness and calmness, you might be more confident when making decisions or communicating with others, and you feel productive and motivated in daily life.
On the other hand, a dysregulated nervous system can manifest in physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms. You might be feeling anxious or angry all the time. It’s also possible you experience frequent headaches or digestion issues. It might be difficult to focus and concentrate on your goals. When you’ve been living in such a state for a long time, it’s easy to lose yourself in the process.
Time to (Re)connect with Your Core Self
Have you ever been stuck in survival mode for too long?
Have you ever neglected healing or caring for yourself thinking that it’d be too much work?
If the answer is yes, no worries. Many of us have been there – at least once. But, does self-love require a ton of effort and time? No, because it doesn’t truly require excessive routines, expensive subscriptions, or investing a lot of free time. Things can be simpler.
Besides, the biggest change comes when you become intentional.
One Key Thing to Do
If you want to regulate your nervous system, start by breaking the patterns that keep you stuck . One key way to achieve that is by intentionally creating flow in your everyday life — flow that comes by creating art, and connecting your body and mind to your soul.
In this article, I’m sharing 5 creative and mindful ways that’ll help you regulate your nervous system by living more intentionally.
5 Creative & Mindful Activities That’ll Help You Regulate Your Nervous System
1. Practice breathwork
Breathwork helps with nervous system regulation by calming down your fight – or – flight response and making you feel calmer. It can also help you control your stress levels and make you feel more present when it comes to your thoughts and emotions.
The easiest way to practice breathwork is to just focus on belly breathing. Get comfortable, inhale slowly, count for a few seconds, then exhale slowly, and count for a couple more. Repeat as many times as needed until you start to feel calmer and grounded.
If you’re completely new to this practice, start small and set the timer for 3 or 5 minutes.
There are also various videos on YouTube that can inspire and help you get started with breathwork.
2. Create art
Art exists in everything you do and experience, and that’s why it should become one of your daily habits. Don’t think of it as something special or unreachable, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re “good” at it or not. Art carries awareness. It has the power of healing and it gives you a way to connect your core self to your mind, body, and senses.
So, if you want to express yourself, process your thoughts, and work towards healing your wounds, it’ s time to start creating! Make a painting, doodle, draw a mandala, play music, dance, or create something beautiful with your hands.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and get messy!
3. Move your body
It’s essential to make yourself feel safe and grounded when anxiety and dysregulation become palpable. Gentle movement can help with that by enforcing stress management, grounding the body, and getting you out of survival mode.
Walking or stretching are only some ways of gentle movement. Yoga can also help. If you don’t feel up to any of those, just shake your body (even if it feels non-sense) to let the tension out.
The important point here is to move as far as you feel comfortable with. This is not about pushing your limits.
4. Write
The practice of writing is a complex activity that creates distance between what happened and the thoughts and emotions surrounding it. This way, you can escape your stress about something and become more objective about it. Writing can help you cope with trauma, express yourself, process your emotions, and even manage your stress, state, and reactions.
I’m not only talking about creative writing. You can write down all the things you feel stressed about. You can create a list of everything that you want to let go of. You can respond to a journal prompt. Or, you can actually create a fictional story to project your inner thoughts and wounds.
Write it out – there are only benefits when it comes to it.
5. Connect to your inner child
Connecting to your inner child is another way to validate your feelings and offer emotional safety to yourself. Think about what made you feel safe, curious, and comfortable when you were a child. Was it a hobby that brought you joy? A certain activity? A videogame? A comfort meal? Give that to yourself guilt-free, and rediscover joy and comfort.
If there are any specific triggers that affect you right now, recognize them and take the time to validate your feelings. You can also try to revisit a happy memory by meditating, journaling, or even visualizing it.
A regulated nervous system can make a difference even when it comes to the simplest moments of everyday life. Caring for yourself doesn’t always mean adding more to your routine. Sometimes, it’s simply about keeping things within you balanced and slowing down.
I hope these practices inspire you to reconnect with yourself and help you be more grounded, present, and calm. Start with what feels easy and good, and make it a part of your own life journey.
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