How to Reset Your Nervous System

If you've ever felt your heart racing, your palms sweating, or a tightness in your chest for no obvious reason, your nervous system might be stuck in overdrive. The good news is that you can learn to bring it back into balance.

What Is Nervous System Regulation?

Your autonomic nervous system has two main modes. The sympathetic branch activates your fight-or-flight response, flooding your body with adrenaline and cortisol. The parasympathetic branch does the opposite — it tells your body it's safe to rest, digest, and recover.

When you're chronically stressed or anxious, your sympathetic nervous system can become overactive. Your body stays on high alert even when there's no real danger. Nervous system regulation is the practice of deliberately shifting your body back toward that parasympathetic, calm state.

Breathwork: Your Built-In Reset Button

Breathing is one of the fastest ways to influence your nervous system because it's one of the few autonomic functions you can consciously control.

The Physiological Sigh

Discovered by researchers at Stanford, the physiological sigh is a pattern your body naturally uses during sleep and crying. You can use it intentionally:

1. Take a deep breath in through your nose
2. At the top of that breath, take a second short inhale to fully expand your lungs
3. Slowly exhale through your mouth, making the exhale longer than the inhale

Even a single physiological sigh can reduce your heart rate and lower stress levels. Try doing three to five in a row when you feel anxious.

Box Breathing

Used by the military and first responders, box breathing creates a steady rhythm that signals safety to your nervous system:

1. Breathe in for 4 seconds
2. Hold for 4 seconds
3. Breathe out for 4 seconds
4. Hold for 4 seconds

Repeat for two to five minutes. The equal intervals create a predictable pattern that your brain interprets as stability.

Grounding Techniques

Grounding works by redirecting your attention from anxious thoughts to your physical surroundings. This activates different brain regions and interrupts the anxiety loop.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method

When anxiety hits, work through your senses:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can touch
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

This isn't just distraction. By engaging your senses, you're activating your brain's present-moment awareness, which competes with the future-focused worrying that drives anxiety.

Cold Exposure

Splashing cold water on your face or holding an ice cube triggers what's known as the dive reflex. This is a hardwired parasympathetic response that immediately slows your heart rate and calms your nervous system. Even 30 seconds of cold water on your face can make a noticeable difference.

Somatic Practices

Your body stores tension from stress and anxiety. Somatic practices help release it.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Work through each muscle group in your body, tensing for five seconds and then releasing. Start with your feet and work up to your face. The release after tension triggers a parasympathetic response that's stronger than simply trying to relax.

Gentle Movement

When your nervous system is activated, your body is prepared for action. Sometimes the most effective reset is giving it some movement:

• A slow walk, paying attention to the sensation of your feet on the ground
• Gentle stretching, focusing on areas where you hold tension
• Shaking your hands and arms loosely for 30 seconds

Building a Daily Practice

Nervous system regulation works best as a consistent practice, not just an emergency tool. Try incorporating one or two of these techniques into your daily routine:

• Start your morning with two minutes of box breathing
• Use the 5-4-3-2-1 method during your commute
• Practice progressive muscle relaxation before bed

The more you practise when you're calm, the more effective these tools become when you actually need them. Your nervous system learns that it has a reliable way to return to safety, which over time reduces the intensity and frequency of your anxiety responses.

The Takeaway

Anxiety isn't just in your head — it's a whole-body experience. By working with your nervous system directly through breathwork, grounding, and somatic practices, you can build a toolkit for calming yourself that works even when your thinking mind feels overwhelmed.