Calming Your Nervous System

Practical Tools for Managing Anxiety in Your Body

Joshua Kruse, PhD

There are moments in life when things just feel like too much. Whether you’re navigating a tough season, facing an uncertain future, or caught in the middle of conflict or emotional stress, your body responds—often faster than your mind can keep up. Your heart might race. Your thoughts might swirl. Your muscles tense. You feel on edge, unsettled, or stuck.

This is your nervous system doing what it was designed to do: protect you.

Our nervous system is wired to scan for threat and prepare us for action. It activates when we’re in danger—or simply feel like we might be. This state of activation, sometimes called “fight, flight, or freeze,”1 can be helpful in short bursts. But when stress is prolonged or overwhelming, the system can stay stuck in overdrive, leaving us anxious, dysregulated, and exhausted.

The good news? There are simple, evidence-based tools we can use to calm and regulate our nervous system. These techniques don’t fix everything—but they help send a signal to your brain and body that you are safe, and it’s okay to settle down.

Let’s look at what’s going on inside and some practical ways to soothe your nervous system when life feels intense.

Understanding the Nervous System’s Role

Before diving into the tools, it’s helpful to understand what’s happening in your body.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS)2 has two main branches:

  • Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – This is your “gas pedal.” It activates when you sense a threat or need to respond quickly—heart rate increases, muscles tense, increase in alertness.
  • Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – This is your “brake.” It promotes rest, digestion, calmness, and recovery.

When you feel overwhelmed, fearful, or in prolonged stress, your SNS may dominate, even when the immediate threat is gone. Calming techniques help activate the PNS—essentially sending a message to your body that it’s okay to relax.

1. The Physiological Sigh3

This is a simple but powerful breathing technique that helps calm the body fast. It involves two inhales followed by a long, slow exhale.

How to do it:

  • Inhale through your nose.
  • Take a second, shorter inhale on top of the first.
  • Exhale slowly and fully through your mouth.

Repeat this 2–3 times.

This type of breathing naturally occurs when we’re crying or deeply relaxed. It helps reduce carbon dioxide buildup and calms the brain’s alert systems.

2. Cold Showers or Warm Baths

Both cold and warm water can be powerful tools for resetting the nervous system, depending on what your body needs.

  • Cold exposure4 (like a cold shower or splash of cold water on the face) can stimulate the vagus nerve and reduce anxiety.
  • Warm baths help relax tense muscles and activate the parasympathetic system, promoting a sense of safety and calm.

Try: Ending your shower with 30 seconds of cold water, or soaking in a warm bath before bed.

3. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique5

This mindfulness exercise brings your attention back to the present moment by engaging your senses.

How it works:

  • 5 things you can SEE (clock, shelf, cloud, table, tree)
  • 4 things you can FEEL (clothing, chair, feet on the ground, smooth tabletop)
  • 3 things you can HEAR (birds, clock, fan)
  • 2 things you can SMELL (coffee, flowers)
  • 1 thing you can TASTE (tea)

This technique is especially helpful when your mind feels scattered or anxious. It gently shifts your focus away from racing thoughts to what’s real and present.

4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)6

PMR is a technique where you systematically tense and then relax different muscle groups in the body.

Why it helps:
When we’re stressed, our muscles tend to hold tension without us even noticing. PMR teaches the body to recognize and release that tension, almost as if you are giving them a massage.

Try this:

  • Start at your feet. Tense the muscles in your toes and feet for 5 seconds, then release.
  • Move to your calves, thighs, stomach, and so on, working up the body.
  • As you relax each muscle group, exhale slowly.

You’ll likely notice your entire body starting to feel calmer by the end.

5. Take a Walk

Never underestimate the power of a short walk.7

When your system is overwhelmed, movement helps burn off some of the excess energy and signals to your body that you’re not stuck or trapped. Walking outdoors adds another layer of benefit—sunlight, fresh air, and natural rhythms can all help reset your stress response.

Even a 5–10 minute walk can lower stress hormones and improve mood. Incorporate these into your daily routine taking micro-breaks.

6. Simple Focus: Stare at a Dot8

Sometimes, the most calming thing you can do is nothing—with intention.

Try this:
Pick a point on the wall and focus your gaze there for one to two minutes. Let your breathing slow down. Let your thoughts pass without grabbing onto them.

This small act gives your nervous system a break from stimulation and helps your brain transition from a state of alert to a state of rest.

7. Prayer or Quiet Reflection

For many people, prayer or intentional reflection provides grounding, connection, and peace. It can be a moment to slow down, express what’s weighing on you, and find a deeper sense of safety or support.

Even if you’re not sure what to say or feel overwhelmed, just pausing in stillness—breathing deeply and recognizing you are not alone—can be a restorative practice.

You’re Telling Your Nervous System: “It’s Okay Now”

All of these techniques have one thing in common: they help you signal safety to your nervous system. Whether through breath, movement, stillness, or focus, you’re gently reminding your body, “It’s okay. You’re not in danger right now. You can relax.”

These tools don’t eliminate stress from your life—but they give you a way to care for yourself when life feels intense. They create space between the moment you feel overwhelmed and how you choose to respond–and in that space, there’s room for healing, clarity, and growth.

Final Thoughts

When your nervous system is in overdrive, it’s not because you’re weak or broken. It’s because your body is trying to protect you—sometimes a little too much. The goal isn’t to shut down your stress response, but to learn how to work with it, offering your body and mind what they need to return to a place of calm.

Try incorporating one or two of these practices into your daily routine, or return to them when you notice stress rising. I recommend practicing them outside of stressful moments as you are teaching your body how to relax. By doing this, your body will become more familiar with the techniques and will more quickly shift into PNS calm. 

With time and repetition, you’ll build greater resilience and awareness—and a stronger sense of internal steadiness, even in the face of life’s challenges.

  1. Fight, Flight, Freeze response by Healthline ↩︎
  2. Autonomic Nervous System by Cleveland Clinic ↩︎
  3. Physiological Sigh instructions by Andrew Huberman ↩︎
  4. Cold Exposure by Andrew Huberman ↩︎
  5. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding by Calm ↩︎
  6. Progressive Muscle Relaxation guided clip ↩︎
  7. Mental Benefits of Walking by WebMD ↩︎
  8. Improve Mental Focus in 1 Minute by One Minute Focus ↩︎