{10 WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM RIGHT NOW} // I’m constantly speaking with my clients about listening to and caring for their nervous systems, because our nervous systems in their current evolution developed during a time of SO MUCH LESS stimulation than most of us are dealing with on a daily basis. We simply aren’t equipped to be fielding all that we are, and as such, we are over-reliant on fight-or-flight, the division of our nervous system that’s meant to be employed in short bursts...not as a daily norm. Below are some tips for helping you soothe your frayed nerves, but let tell me what works for you, too!

1. Eat warm, grounding foods, like roasted root vegetables and soups, warming spices like ginger and cinnamon, and protein rich/nutritionally dense foods that insulate the body, like nuts, seeds and healthy fats.

2. Spend time in warm water (hello, baths!) or warm environments, like saunas.

3. Up your intake of healthy minerals by taking magnesium glycerinate, a natural relaxant that helps to encourage deep sleep, and adding epsom salts to your baths.

4. Drink hot tea and warm water, as opposed to iced beverages.

5. Get bodywork- acupuncture, massage, cupping, chiropractic or cranial sacral work.

6. Sign up for restorative yoga: A sweaty HIIT class or spin session is great, but this type of exercise gets our adrenaline coursing- if you are already stressed, cultivating more of the opposing energy will help the body rebalance itself.

7. Spend time in community- our nervous systems regulate to other nervous systems (google “mirror neurons” for a super interesting read!), and isolation can actually *trigger* fight or flight. But with that said…

8. Practice saying “no thanks”. You truly can’t do it all, so why not stop trying to?

9. Establish *one* daily ritual that works for you, whether it’s 10 minutes of mindfulness, lighting a candle each night, or reading (rather than scrolling…) each morning.

10. Commit to getting 30 minutes extra sleep a night, whether it’s going to bed earlier or waking up later. Also, try keeping your bedtime/wake-time as consistent as possible.

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