You know those days when you wake up with your heart already racing because of all that’s already on your plate for the day? When your mind is overthinking before your feet even hit the floor, and you’re already drained before the day begins?
That’s not you needing to find a better way to do things. It’s your nervous system asking for space to breathe again. You are not broken. Your body and nervous system are simply exhausted. Trying to do more and “hack your system” won’t help. You need to reset and regulate your nervous system. That comes from slowing down and finding the pace that your body needs. And it won’t look the same as it does for someone else.
Control Doesn’t Mean Calm
I used to think calm meant controlling and mastering my stress. Telling myself I should be better at holding it all together. But control doesn’t mean calm. Calm means remembering my rhythm, the pace my body was built for, and giving my nervous system space to breathe again.
During a very stressful season at work, I had worked an 11-hour day. I was the first one to arrive that morning and the last one to leave that evening. As I got into my car after the sun had already set, my body suddenly started shaking. My body could not hold the stress inside any longer. My nervous system had to find a way to reset. Shaking was its way of telling me to pause, to slow down.
Rooted & Calm
Learning to be rooted and calm in our bodies is a way to help it remember that it’s safe to exhale. That it’s safe to pause and breathe.
Here’s an easy 3-minute reset for your nervous system:
- Step outside if possible.
- Shake it out. Give your body a good shake to help the stress move out of your body.
- Close your eyes and notice your feet rooted to the ground. Sense the support of the ground beneath you.
- Take deep breaths until you feel your pulse slow.
- Ask yourself: “What’s actually mine to hold right now? What’s mine to do right now?”
Try this 3-minute reset this week when you start feeling stressed. Notice what shifts when calm becomes your baseline and priority and not just a goal.
Download my free 7 Mindful Micro-Breaks for a Less Stressful Workday for more ways to help your nervous system reset when you feel overwhelmed.
If you are looking for more support in leading yourself well so you can live and lead with less stress, schedule an on-the-house consultation call to see what coaching could look like for you.