How to Manage Stress: Effective Ways to Calm Your Nervous System
Practical tools for stress relief, mindfulness, breathwork, and grounding.
In our fast-paced world, stress can feel like an inescapable part of daily life. When our nervous system is constantly activated, we may experience racing thoughts, tense muscles, poor sleep, or even feelings of burnout.
The good news is that understanding how to calm your nervous system can help you manage these challenges more effectively.
In this blog post, we’ll explore practical ways to calm an overactive nervous system, reduce stress, and build resilience.
Understanding Your Nervous System
To manage stress effectively, it helps to understand how your nervous system operates.
Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) has two primary branches:
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): This system activates the “fight-or-flight” response when you perceive a threat. Symptoms of an overactive sympathetic nervous system can include a rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, muscle tension, and anxiety.
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): This system promotes “rest-and-digest” functions and supports relaxation. The ventral vagal state of the PNS is associated with calm, connection, and safety, while the dorsal vagal state is linked to shutdown or immobilization.
Stress occurs when we spend too much time in the sympathetic or dorsal states and struggle to return to the ventral vagal state of calm.
Why Nervous System Regulation Matters
When your nervous system is in balance, you can navigate challenges without becoming overwhelmed.
Regulation supports:
Improved sleep
Better focus and concentration
Greater emotional resilience
Enhanced relationships through co-regulation
By learning how to calm your nerves, you create space for well-being and healthier responses to stress.
Tools to Calm an Overactive Nervous System
Grounding Exercises
Grounding techniques help bring your attention back to the present moment, reducing anxiety and overthinking.
Try these simple methods:
5-4-3-2-1 Technique: Identify five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste.
Physical Contact with Earth: Sit on the ground, walk barefoot, or press your hands against a textured surface to connect physically with your surroundings.
Grounding activates the ventral vagal system, promoting a sense of safety.
Breathwork for Relaxation
Your breath is a powerful tool for calming your nervous system. When you engage in deep, slow breathing, you signal to your body that it is safe.
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four, allowing your belly to expand. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six. Repeat for several minutes.
Box Breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, and pause for four counts before repeating.
These techniques help shift you from the sympathetic state to the parasympathetic state.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Practicing mindfulness helps you observe your thoughts without judgment and reduces nervous system activation.
Body Scan Meditation: Close your eyes and mentally scan your body from head to toe, noticing any tension and gently releasing it.
Mindful Breathing: Focus solely on your breath as it enters and leaves your body.
Regular mindfulness practice supports nervous system balance and can improve emotional regulation.
Mapping Your Nervous System States
Understanding which state you’re in is essential for managing stress. Your states include:
Ventral Vagal (Calm & Connected): You feel grounded, engaged, and able to manage stress.
Sympathetic (Fight-or-Flight): You feel anxious, jittery, or hyper-alert.
Dorsal Vagal (Shutdown): You feel disconnected, numb, or exhausted.
Ask yourself:
How does my body feel right now?
What emotions or thoughts are present?
What state am I in?
This awareness helps you choose appropriate strategies to return to a ventral vagal state.
Engaging Your Senses for Calm
Your social engagement system (eyes, ears, voice, facial expressions) plays a key role in calming your nervous system. By connecting to your senses and noticing calm in your environment, you should be able to access a Ventral Vagal state more easily.
Try:
Listening to Music: Soothing music or sounds of nature can regulate your nervous system.
Gazing at Fractals: Fractals are repeating patterns found in nature (e.g., leaves, shells). Looking at fractals has a calming effect on the brain.
Connecting with Others: Co-regulation—feeling safe and connected with another person—helps calm an overactive nervous system.
The Power of Movement
Physical movement helps discharge excess sympathetic energy and reconnect you to your body.
Options include:
Walking or Jogging: Rhythmic movement helps regulate your nervous system.
Yoga or Stretching: Slow, deliberate movement combined with breathwork supports relaxation.
Shaking it Out: Gently shaking your limbs helps release built-up tension.
Even a few minutes of movement can create a noticeable shift in your stress levels.
Nature and Nervous System Regulation
Spending time in nature is a natural way to calm your nerves.
Activities like walking in a park, observing water, or touching trees can ground you and activate the ventral vagal state.
If you can’t get outside, bring nature indoors by adding plants, nature sounds, or natural light to your space.
It’s Okay to Leave the Calm State
Stress is a normal part of life, and it’s okay to leave your calm state temporarily. The key is knowing how to calm your overactive nervous system and return to safety and connection.
By using these tools, you’ll build resilience, manage stress effectively, and cultivate a sense of well-being. Your nervous system is your ally—listen to it, nurture it, and you’ll navigate life’s challenges with greater ease.
Remember: The journey to calm isn’t about avoiding stress entirely but learning how to return home to yourself, no matter what life brings.
Want to take these strategies with you? Download our free nervous system regulation handout for practical tips and exercises you can use anytime to manage stress and stay grounded.
More notes on nervous system:
Julie Goldberg is a licensed therapist and the founder of Third Nature Therapy. Her practice focuses on helping individuals better understand their inner world, befriend their nervous system (instead of working against it), and navigate changing relationships. She offers somatic therapy, EMDR intensives, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Brooklyn, NY.