Stress Management: How to Calm Your Nervous System

Managing anxiety and stress is key to your overall mental health and wellness. We look at how to calm your nervous system quickly and sustainably.

Around 8.3 million adults in America deal with serious physiological distress. Placing yourself under constant stress can lead to severe health issues such as diabetes or a heart attack. If you’re constantly under stress, then you may notice migraines, insomnia, a weakened immune system, heartburn, and tense muscles, among many other side effects. 

Learning how to calm your nervous system is beneficial for not only your mental health, but also your physical health as well. What are some ways you can begin treating anxiety and stress? After all, staying calm in most situations is easier said than done. 

However, there are a few stress management tips you can do on your own right now. Read on for a list of ways you can calm your nervous system quickly and efficiently. 

Deep Breathing Exercises

Therapists often suggest that their patients suffering from anxiety practice deep breathing. Deep breathing exercises sometimes require instructions. Deep breathing exercises involve much more than simply breathing in and out. 

To practice deep breathing, it’s ideal to find a quiet space where you can sit and focus on your body. How do your toes feel? How do your legs feel? 

Work your way up your entire body to help you relax. While doing this, take a deep breath in through your nostrils and release it with a sigh. This will help you release tension and calm your mind and body. 

If you’re unable to find a place to sit for this exercise, you can still complete the process standing up, if needed. 

Mental Health Counseling

Investing in your own mental health is a great way to help you reduce stress and learn different ways of managing it as well. Counseling provides you with a safe place to express feelings and emotions that might be causing you stress or anxiety. 

Your therapist or counselor can then suggest different calming techniques and help you determine some goals and steps to take to reach those goals. It’s important to note that mental health counseling is something that takes time. Attending one session is only the beginning of the process. It may take several months or years, but you’ll most likely begin noticing the positive benefits right away. 

Regular Massage Therapy

Scheduling regular massage therapy sessions is an ideal way to calm your nervous system and place yourself in a relaxing environment. If you suffer from body aches and pains associated with stress, tension, or past injuries, then massage therapy is something worth looking into. Massage therapy helps alleviate those pains by releasing some of that tension. 

It’s also a great way to relax as you lie back in a room with soft lights and soothing scents and sounds around you. Put your phone on silent and quietly escape into a paradise for just a few moments. After your first sessions, you’ll want to schedule routine massage therapy sessions to maintain both good physical and mental health. 

Start Writing in a Journal

Journaling is a good way to get all of your thoughts down on paper and out of your mind. If you’re someone who has a lot on their plate, then journaling can be freeing for you. Trying to keep dates, events, and other important information in your head can cause you to feel stressed or overwhelmed. 

Instead, start writing it down. Keep a planner to help you stay focused and organized. Start each morning with a gratitude journal entry. 

End each day with a few notes on some of the good things that happened that day even if they seem few and far between. 

Talk Yourself Through It

When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, it can help to talk it out. Think about stopping and naming your feelings each time you’re feeling anxious or stressed. Addressing your feelings is a good way to help you calm down. 

This is something you can do with yourself or with others. At times, it might work better for some to have a trusting person to talk about how their feeling. 

Get on a Sleep Schedule

Not getting the right amount of sleep each night can have a negative effect on your mood each day. If you suffer from insomnia or have trouble falling asleep at night, then there are a few things you can try. The first thing you want to do is visit your doctor if your insomnia is severe. 

You and your doctor can discuss possible causes and treatments. Then, take a few steps on your own at home to create a sleep schedule for yourself. Start going to sleep at the same time each night. 

Wake up at the same time each morning. Shut all electronics off at least 30 minutes before bed to allow your brain to start settling down. You can also try taking a warm bath and using aromatherapy before bed as well. 

Create a Mental Safe Place

A mental safe place is an image that you create in your mind. This place can be made up or a place from your memory. What’s most important is that this place has no negative associations. 

Each time you’re feeling stressed or anxious, mentally travel to your safe place. Ground yourself there by tapping into all of your senses associated with this place. 

Let’s Learn How to Calm Your Nervous System

Learning how to calm your nervous system is a process. It won’t happen overnight. These things take time and practice, but making small changes today is the first step towards a more relaxed and stress-free mind.

At Faces Spa, we offer a variety of spa services, ranging from massages and nails to spa packages. Make professional massage therapy a part of your mental and physical health routine. 

Call us today at (402) 384-8400 to get started.