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50 Ways to Soothe Your Frazzled Nervous System

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If you’re exhausted, stressed, anxious, irritated or agitated, hang in there because we’ve got 50 ways to help soothe your nervous system.

Even before Coronavirus, many of us were spending our waking hours oscillating between fight, flight, freeze and please. Despite advances in science and technology, our primitive brains are still, very much, in charge (read more over here).


50 ways to soothe your nervous system 

  1. PRIORITISE SLEEP Sleep is absolutely critical (it’s #1 for a reason) and the list could really stop here. But, in the interest of variety, here are a few more ideas to try.
  2. Do a braindump– morning, noon or night
  3. Start a ‘Morning Pages’ practice
  4. Make an appointment with your doctor or allied health professional to discuss your concerns
  5. Get a relaxing massage
  6. Book a float or sauna
  7. Give yourself permission to rest: 10-minutes in savasana really is the ultimate tonic
  8. Reduce stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and sugar
  9. Reduce high-intensity exercise or balance it out with something more gentle
  10. Take your shoes off and feel your bare feet on the grass, soil or sand
  11. Journal as a way to understand and process your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and feelings
  12. Turn off notifications or, better yet, consciously take a break from technology
  13. Sit and meditate using one of my free guided meditations
  14. Stay hydrated (check out this blog post if you’re not sure how much you should be drinking
  15. Practise slow, deep breathing
  16. Massage your skin with grounding and calming essential oils such as lavender, cedarwood or vetiver
  17. Savour a cup of herbal tea or creamy cacao
  18. Take a long, warm bath with Epsom Salts or magnesium sulphate
  19. Incorporate adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha and reishi into your routine. Consult a naturopath or acupuncturist to determine which herbs are right for you
  20. Take a high-quality magnesium supplement
  21. Practise restorative yoga or do some gentle stretching, including a stretch to pacify the psoas which is intimately connected to your fight or flight response
  22. Read something completely unrelated to your work
  23. Say no without guilt
  24. Cry
  25. Laugh
  26. Go for a walk alone, and leave your phone and headphones at home
  27. Listen to relaxing music, like this playlist. It seems the sweet spot for relaxation is a tempo of around 60 beats per minute
  28. Relax with Yoga Nidra which, in my experience, even people who claim they can’t or don’t like to meditate find Yoga Nidra enjoyable and beneficial!
  29. Reduce your exposure to blue light, especially in the hour before bedtime
  30. Limit exposure to violent or suspenseful films and TV shows because your brain has difficulty differentiating between what is real and what is not
  31. Get your hands dirty in the garden and enjoy the slow process of watching something grow
  32. Do something creative: draw, knit, paint, cook, dance, rearrange a room… experiment with how you express your creativity!
  33. Chaos breeds chaos so, take some time to tidy a drawer, organise a cupboard or deal with that mountain of filing
  34. Watch cute animal videos on YouTube
  35. Share your feelings with a good friend
  36. Give someone a 20-second hug
  37. Play with your pet
  38. Edit your to-do list
  39. Cook or bake something comforting and enjoy every bite
  40. Buy yourself flowers for no reason
  41. Dress in your most comfortable clothes
  42. Do one thing at a time
  43. Spend an hour absorbed in a fictitious world. Harry Potter is the perfect escape for trying times… even better if it’s the audio version which gives your eyes a break from visual stimulus
  44. Spend time in silence
  45. Buy or borrow a large or complicated puzzle
  46.  Limit your exposure to news and media
  47. Give your neck and shoulders some relief with this short yoga sequence
  48. Listen to the sound of rain falling (not raining right now? There’s an app for that!)
  49. Limit the time you spend – in person and online – with people who make you feel stressed, angry, impatient etc.
  50. Create your own self care instructions


It takes conscious effort to bring the nervous system back into balance so if you’re physically exhausted, mentally drained, and just holding it together by the thinnest-of-thin threads, PAUSE: 7 Days of Self Care is for you.

You’ll receive daily emails, audios and cheat sheets to help you make small, uncomplicated changes to your everyday life. These shifts will help rewire your brain, recalibrate your nervous system and give you more time, energy and clarity!

See how great life feels when you give yourself permission to pause. Click here to purchase PAUSE: 7 Days of Self Care.

-Georgina-

Georgina Siddall is a joyful and creative woman with a penchant for leopard print, spreadsheets and early mornings.

She is the co-founder of Vitalita – a health and wellness business dedicated to empowering busy women. As a Women’s Life and Wellness Coach, and teacher of mindful movement and meditation, she helps busy women conquer stress, exhaustion and overwhelm, so they can excel in mid-life and beyond.

* I am not a medical or health professional and the content provided in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any medical condition, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you think you may be suffering from mould-related illness, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.

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